Do you ever feel like it is impossible to buy anything that is not packaged in layers and layers of plastic. With every trip to the grocery store, we come home with quite an impressive amount of plastic that will end up in the wastebasket very quickly – only we don’t think about that. Plastic packaging has become so ubiquitous in our lives but most people don’t recognize the extent of the problem. In fact, globally we produce around 300 million tons of plastic every year and 78 percent is not recycled. Around 8.8 million tons of that plastic eventually ends up in our oceans where it poses a serious threat to the world’s marine life – around 700 marine species are in danger of extinction due to the threat of plastic.

This terrifying reality about plastic waste is well known to zero-waste bloggers Lauren Singer, of Trash is for Tossers, and Daniel Silverstein, of Zero Waste Daniel. Both have used their respective platforms to educate the public about the benefits of a zero-waste lifestyle, providing easy tips that everyone can follow to cut plastic, and other unnecessary materials, from their lives. While the existence of these two resources are super exciting on their own right – we have some pretty incredible news!

Singer and Silverstein recently announced they are launching Package Free, the first zero-waste lifestyle store in NYC. This pop-up shop will be located in Williamsburg and open from May to July 2017, during which time it will stock sustainable alternatives to single-use products, like reusable tote bags instead of plastic bags, compostable toothbrushes in place of normal ones, and even items made out of recycled ocean plastic.

In an interview with Mind Body Green, Singer admits that living a zero-waste lifestyle is – contrary to what we are generally led to believe – very easy. “But finding all of the tools you need requires effort, time, and a bunch of different websites,” she goes on to explain. “We wanted to create a one-stop shop for sustainable living to make it as convenient as possible.” The store aims to show people that changing their lifestyle is not an ordeal – it is actually quite simple and even an economical step.

The store will also serve an educational purpose. iPads located inside the store will tell customers more about each product available, including where each came from, how it was made, and how it can be used. Singer and Silverstein will also be working diligently at the store, ready to answer any questions.

If the shop proves successful, it may become a permanent staple in Brooklyn! To learn more about this awesome pop-up, click here.

Even if you don’t live in the NYC area, you can start making your lifestyle a little less wasteful with a few swaps. Check out One Green Planet’s #CrushPlastic campaign to learn more about how you can cut plastic out of the picture.

Image source: Package Free