Stone, paper and numbers

When children do not want to make difficult decisions, they have a simple solution - "rock, paper and numbers". The decision is in the hands of fate (for the honest among them), no one is hurt and they accept the result. I find myself suggesting to Mia many times, do rock paper and scissors. When Amir and I are embarrassed to take the dog's toffee off at 11 at night, I offer him - a rock, paper and scissors, whatever comes out comes out. What a pleasure.

In recent years, I have been going through a process of reducing waste/consumption together with my family. It started the day I stopped using plastic mineral water bottles and suddenly realized the difference between recycling and waste reduction or reuse. The house was no longer cluttered with bottles waiting to be squeezed with other bottles in the cycle and my heart was clean, tidy.

So I started getting interested, researching and reading, watching videos and mostly feeling helpless.
Most of the items that are recycled are not really recycled (only about 20%), there are enough clothes in the world for several generations, the production conditions, the meaning of free and fast shipping from abroad, the slavery conditions of fast fashion, the amount of water required to produce one pair of jeans and more And on and on. The information flooded me and mostly I didn't understand how all these years I hadn't seen and wasn't aware of all these issues.

I remember making pasta, I looked at the counter and saw all the waste I left behind and I really felt sad. I realized that in this case, there is no one clear decision, rock, paper and scissors and I am satisfied with what comes out, there is a process and there are small choices along the way.
So I made a starting list, because I really like lists, which I update, add and delete and especially try and test.

This is my starting list:

1. Beyond reusable utensils - drinking bottles, stainless steel straws, reusable kit for picnics or events.
2. Fabric/reusable bags - I recommend always putting a fabric bag in the bag when you pull it out.
3. Packaging - ask for plastic-free packaging/ buy from stores that allow plastic-free packaging.
4. A reusable coffee cup that I take with me to coffee shops instead of a TA cup , in all coffee shops the cup was received with a smile.
5. Reuse - use of jars/boxes. For example - in the noovi calendula box you can store small products (rubber bands, earphones, pins).
6. Beyond natural/solid soap/shampoo - with us, the whole family uses the same soap/shampoo, there is really no reason (except marketing) for each family member to use a different type of shampoo.
   Natural solid soap is good for us in terms of its amazing ingredients and also for the environment, plus it is packaged without plastic.
7. Buying from a list - going to any store with an exact list of what you need and buying only that.
8. Experiences over gifts - celebrate family events with an experience rather than a material gift. Experiences are kept for years in our hearts.

You can adopt my list or make a list yourself and above all remember that there is room for process, learning, small concessions and mistakes.

For those who are very interested, I highly recommend reading the book " Life is short, don't buy the shoes" / Shelly Gross and Michal Levi Arbel.
A book of about 180 pages that took me almost a year to read, internalize, repeat, check and keep close for further reference. A book that is a process.