Challenge: A Week Without Buying Packaged Beverages

Hi my friends,

After last night’s post about Joshua’s No-Food-Packaging lifestyle, I told you I’d write today about a little challenge I decided to embark on myself.

As we were having dinner last night and I was listening to him tell us about how little trash and recycling he generates, my mind could only picture on one thing: my recycling bag at my apartment, endlessly filling up with empty bottles. 

I live in New York City, and there are bodegas, health food stores, and basically places to buy any kind of beverage on every corner.

I have a habit of buying bottled beverages like kombucha, cold unsweetened tea, green juices, and lately, sparkling water — usually more than one of these beverages per day as I’m walking around in the city doing various things. It’s not even a thought, it’s a reflex.

When I’m at home, I always drink filtered tap water in a reusable bottle or a cup, but when I’m out, I will admit, I do buy plastic water bottles when I’ve forgotten to bring a reusable one. 

I kept having this gnawing feeling last night that I should challenge myself to not buy packaged beverages for a little while. I didn’t want to say it out loud because I knew how much of a change it would be for me.

But that’s the point of a challenge, right? For it to actually feel CHALLENGING. 

So I said it out loud, and then it was real.

I’ve got a lot on my mind and a lot happening right now, so I’m not going to put myself on some crazy 100 Day Challenge. ;)

But I am going to try it for a week.

Here’s (basically) what I’m going to drink for the next week.

• Water out of a reusable water bottle (I’m currently using a S’well bottle)
• Loose-leaf Yerba Mate tea which I drink every morning, made in a french press (yes it comes in a bag, but I already have it at my apartment)
• Tea using tea bags I already have here – I have a huge cabinet full of different kinds of tea bags, and there is no reason for me to buy any other beverages when I can drink those!
• Magnesium tea which I drink at night, I already have it here
• I could make a smoothie using ingredients I already have here
• That’s it, I guess. :) 

There’s probably more that I’m forgetting or I’ll figure out later. We’ll see how it goes. I’m not trying to be perfect, I’m just trying not to put ANY beverage containers into my recycling bin (or a trash can) for a week. For me personally, the real change will be with the bottled teas, green juices, kombuchas, and sparkling waters. I don’t buy beer or wine or anything like that, so that won’t be an issue.

Today was my first “test” day, just to see what would happen and how hard it would actually be for me.

When I was grocery shopping, it did feel weird to completely skip over the beverage aisle. I usually lug about 6 different fun little drinks in my bag with me on the 30-minute walk home. (I don’t drink all 6 on the walk!!!! I bring them home).

I almost bought a ginger kombucha this afternoon because I had a sore throat, but instead I went home and made some delicious clove/ginger tea that I already had at my apartment.

So that’s that. I don’t really want to do it at all, because I love bottled drinks, but the fact that I’m feeling so much resistance to doing it means I should probably try it. I’ve already been drinking SO much more water today because nothing else is an option.

This weekend will be interesting, because Joel and I are going on a road trip up to Jesse Itzler‘s Hell On The Hill race for the weekend. (!!!) Normally before road trips we stop and get 4000 beverages. I’m already thinking about where I can fill my water bottle up on the drive once I run out of water.

But that’s why it’s called a challenge. 

(Ok, the drive is less than 2 hours, I think I’ll make it). ;)

Over and out!

Time to drink all the tea bags in my entire apartment! Which is good because I’m moving out in a month and need to deplete my tea stash anyway.

Love and water refills,
Jenny