One thing I’ve learned since trying to go ‘plastic-free’ in my groceries is this: darn it, if the desire for convenience isn’t ingrained into my being. I blame this on the era we live in. It’s simply too easy and convenient to hit one store for all the necessary groceries (which seem to be wrapped in an incredible amount of plastic), rather than gather all my containers, and hit three different shops to get what I need, package-free.

Even though many of us know plastic pollution is a problem and care about the planet, we participate in activities that add to the problem. Sad, isn’t it? Convenience has played such a huge, integral part of our (Western) existence, it takes—i’ll say it—a lot of work and personal energy to forego it in order to make a healthier choice. For me, I’ve experienced this in my endeavor to eliminate plastic in the kitchen. Believe me when I say that this stresses me out immensely. We need more viable solutions!

And people, thankfully—sigh of relief—it’s happening. Every day, I hear of more ‘conscious companies’ addressing problems with innovative solutions, so that we, the consumers, can ‘do the right thing,’ more easily.

Case in point, Climathon. During Climathon, I had the pleasure of meeting fellow passionate climate activists, sharing inspiring stories and ideas…the place was chock-full of great ideas! As a fan, supporter and promoter of package-free shops, I was personally inspired by the story of Lyfa.

Michael May at Climathon Basel

“Lyfa is the modern-day milkman, an online store and delivery service for plastic free groceries. You order all your products online and we deliver everything in reusable packaging directly to your door (you can also come to collect it from us if you prefer). When you’re finished, keep hold of any empty containers and during your next delivery we will collect them, wash them and then reuse them again and again. With Lyfa, plastic free grocery shopping is finally simple, convenient and affordable!”

They even deliver your groceries via bicycle!

The idea of Lyfa came about because the initiators Lewys Thomas and Michael May, who met while studying Engineering at University in Edinburgh, experienced first-hand just how hard it could be to reduce plastic waste. Like most people, they were ready to make eco-friendly lifestyle changes as long as it was simple and convenient. Loving plastic-free shops but not always finding it easy to get to them in their daily routines, they came up with their own solution. 

Lyfa creators Michael May (left) and Lewys Thomas (right)

So, if you’re like me and think plastic-free stores are great, but wish it were more convenient, we’ve got our Holy Grail! And Lyfa just kicked off a Crowdfunding so they can scale up, so if you’d like to support a couple of cool dudes, doing a cool thing, now is your chance. Just go to the wemakeit crowdfunding campaign: www.lyfa.ch/cf

See? Convenient.

Follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

Carrie Aikman

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