Plaine Promoters are individuals who use Plaine Products, love them and want to get others to join in eliminating single-use plastics while enjoying outstanding products. Plaine Promoters spread the word about our products and get 10% from every sale they generate.

One of our earliest Plaine Promoters, Katy Lauderdale with Skip the Bag has done a tremendous number of good things for the zero waste movement. Skip the Bag was started in 2016 after Katy experienced culture shock from the number of plastic bags being used in Florida. Her goal is to educate people that there is another way to live! Skipping plastic bags quickly turned into learning the environmental impact all plastic has and trying to lead a zero waste lifestyle.

Tell us about yourself and Skip the Bag!

I’m Katy and I started Skip The Bag when I moved from Hawaii, a state that had banned single use plastic bags, to Florida, a state that had a ban on plastic bag bans. Yes, it’s true the plastic bag bans that are going into effect in many other states and cities are illegal in Florida. When I moved back I felt like all I saw when I walked into the grocery store were the racks of plastic bags that everyone was using. I started the blog to show people they could live a life with fewer plastic bags. As I started blogging I found out about the zero waste and Plastic-Free movements and realized that plastic bags were just one part of the issue.

Do you have a favorite post or story you want to share?

I love my post about ways to refuse plastic bags. Cashiers can be like ninja’s loading up your items into a plastic bag without you even realizing it! You have to be very quick to refuse the bag. I know that more than once I’ve gone home with a bag, because I was too slow at saying I didn’t need a bag. I realized that other people sometimes felt intimated refusing the bag, so I gave some practical…and some fun ways to refuse plastic bags.

What’s your one best, easiest tip for minimizing single-use plastics?

Obviously I think everyone should go shopping with reusable bags, but it took a while before it came habit. It wasn’t until I found a reusable bag that I could carry around in my purse that I would remember to bring it and use it. My first single-use plastic swap was to forgo plastic water bottles and use a reusable water bottle. I’ve been using reusable water bottles since high school. I LOVE drinking water, so I almost always am carrying a water bottle.

What do you think is usually the biggest blocker for people in regards to living a more sustainable lifestyle?

I think there are so many people that don’t realize the impact they are having on the environment, so education is a huge factor. The next are time and cost. Often there is a trade off between time, cost and sustainability. You can get a sustainable item, but it may take more time (making something from scratch) or may cost more (a sustainable ingredient versus plastic). Although once people start exploring they can often find alternatives that are sustainable, don’t take much more time or cost that much more.

Do you have a favorite Plaine Product and if so, what is it?

I’ve enjoyed all the Plaine Product items I’ve tried, but the one that I love the most is the conditioner. My hair tends to be brittle, dry and prone to breakage, so I always need a conditioner. I love the way that the Plaine Products Conditioner nourishes my hair.