Plat Around Town

Saving the Planet. One Paper Bag and Box at a Time.

I design and manufacture with zero waste, people and the planet in mind. At the same time, I think about my efforts at home and while roaming around my city. Already I’m seeing a great reduction in the usage of plastic bags, containers and straws, and that’s a big step in the right direction for the environment. But that got me thinking: what more can be reduced out there? Here’s one simple tip I’d love to share with you.

When I visit my local bake shops—like Dynamo Donuts seen here—I tote my Plat and a plate with me. Why? If you think about it: you visit the shop, choose your baked goods, they place them in a paper box, throw them into a paper bag, then you discard all the packaging and re-plate everything when you arrive at your gathering. To save everyone time and effort, I hand over my Plat and an empty plate to the folks at the counter, they place the sweets on the dish, slip them into my Plat, and everything is perfectly plated, ready to be carried and shared. And both my Plat and platter are washable and reusable. Although paper is easy to recycle, both paper and plastic require many of our planet’s resources to produce and breakdown. The most sustainable option is a reusable bag, especially cotton ones made locally. Consider this the next time you visit any place that provides a paper bag and box option.