I have one word for you: Plastics

Remember that line from The Graduate? Anyway, that character said a mouthful. Plastics have changed our lives and our world forever. And that's about how long most of them will take to degrade, not that we want them to. All of that aside, here are some simple things I'm doing to protect myself, fully recognizing that there's precious little one can do since the material is so ubiquitous. But I do believe it is the source of many of our modern day ills.

• I never heat plastic. I use glass and ceramic only in the microwave.
• I avoid plastic water bottles as much as possible. I buy a glass bottle of tea, drink it, and then reuse the bottle for water that I carry in my car and at work.
• To help remember which plastics are "safe" for food storage, I have memorized this clever little ditty from the book Slow Death by Rubber Duck: "4-5-1-2 / all the rest are bad for you."
• When I must use plastic cutlery, I use Bioserve Organics which are compostable and dishwasher safe.
• I try to reduce the amount of plastic packaging I support by choosing products with less packaging, carrying my own shopping bags, and purchasing pre-owned products whenever possible.