19 June 2012 — Beth Terry writes the pre-eminent blog in this world on living without plastic: My Plastic-free Life. She meticulously tracks her monthly plastic consumption down to the last plastic envelope window, and blogs passionately about it.
That alone is reason enough for us to love her and consider her one of our heros, but there is more. Why do we love Beth? She’s funny, straightforward, unafraid to tell it like it is, a superb researcher and writer, an idea factory, super well-organized and systematic, action-oriented, great at making fun of herself to make a point, and, as you can tell by now…she walks her talk. I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know her in person a few years ago, and at the time I blogged about the blast we had together at the Green Festival in San Francisco.
Now, everyone can walk Beth’s talk and change their lives and the world at the same time by living with less plastic. Her book, Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too, was just launched worldwide a few days ago, and it is well worth checking out. You can purchase ithere. 
Finally, a how-to guide for living without plastic. If you’ve ever wondered what in the world to do to replace the plastic in your life, this is the perfect place to start. Plastic water bottles drive you nuts, but you’re addicted to them: learn about the damage you’re causing and the options out there (Chapter 3). You love cheese, but hate buying it in the plastic wrapping: page 195 (buy it in bulk). You prefer liquid soap but it always seems to come in plastic bottles: page 220 (recipe to make your own). There’s so much plastic in your kitchen, where do you start?: pages 267-276 (set your priorities by first asking some key questions). There is lots of background detail in this book, plus resources and suggestions, so you will not only change your habits and your life for the better, you will educate yourself deeply about the power of plastic to control us, whether we realize it or not.
Chantal and I were thrilled to be interviewed by Beth about Life Without Plastic and be included as one of the many ‘Plastic-Free Heros’ she features throughout the book. You can read a bit about our story on pages 142-143… 
One of the neat things about this book is that it quite literally is plastic-free. This is no small feat in a publishing world where the norm is a plastic coated cover and jacket, polyester or nylon thread in the binding, and plastic glue throughout the binding. In this case, the jacket is uncoated (a simple and even elegant kraft paper jacket), the thread is made of cotton, the spine is exposed, and a plastic-free glue was used for the binding.
On a final note, Beth is a true testament to how the actions of one single person can have an enormous effect on the whole world. She is creating waves with her blog that documents her life without plastic, and now this handy how-to guide is taking the world by storm as people open their eyes to the plastic problem, and realize there are alternatives.
So now it’s your turn. You too can make waves in your life and the lives of others. All it takes is one simple action to get started. If you’re not sure where to start, read this book and/or check out Beth’s blog. Oodles of possibilities…
Jay Sinha, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com