#litterless

Finding stores where you're able to purchase food and household staples without packaging can be a challenge. I've compiled a list of stores throughout the country that will allow you to purchase unpackaged staples in your own containers. You can use this list to help you find bulk goods while traveling, or if you're just starting your transition to a zero waste lifestyle.

All of the stores on my list allow or encourage you to bring your own bulk bags, jars, or containers. I've focused on smaller, locally owned grocery stores and co-ops because in my experience they're more likely to welcome containers brought from home. But, it's possible that a larger store near you will allow you to fill your own containers at their bulk section, too, so consider trying out a few larger stores close to your home if you can't find what you need at smaller outlets.

Although it’s part of my city’s landscape, it usually is neglected and polluted.

My school is located near this river, so from time to time I take a look-see at it and things seem to get worse.

Even though the smell sometimes barely supportable, emanating a nauseating scent and usually its waters are murky, coloured with an unhealthy gray-brown kind of shade, things got worse recently.

Instead of the usual muddy colour, a rainbow bloomed on the surface of the river. The motive seems to be a leakage of oils and hydrocarbs originated from a tank of Fortus society.

The authorities took notice and actioned as fast as possible spreading absorbing materials and monitoring the quality of the potable water more than usual.

This is a new project in Science that sort of took a life of it’s own. Looking at the learning objectives around waste reduction, product packaging and human generated waste, I thought what a great way to make it real and relevant by challenging the students to plan lunches that have little to no waste. Hey, why don’t we analyze any lunch waste we do create...mark it down. Hold on, let’s sort it and see what type we create the most of...and the ideas kept building and building to include custodians leaving garbage bins until the bag was full, figuring out what waste should go where, learning about graphs in math so we can graph our results in different ways, writing reflections about they problem and our learning and, finally, presenting our project, its results and how we can make a difference with one small change, at our school assembly in a couple weeks. Oh, and to challenge other classes to try their own Litter-less Lunch challenge. It has been the biggest and most glorious of project snowballs. I am so proud of the energy they brought to this project, and, more importantly, the energy they have taken home with them as both students and parents report on the small changes they are making in their homes.