Beth Terry is the author of the popular blog MyPlasticFreeLife.com. A founding member of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, Terry gives presentations on living plastic-free and why, despite what some critics assert, our personal changes do make a difference. She spearheaded the successful Take Back the Filter Brita recycling campaign in 2008, and her life and work have been profiled in Susan Freinkel's book, Plastic: A Toxic Love Story, Captain Charles Moore's Plastic Ocean, and the award-winning film Bag It. When she's not out fighting plastic pollution, Terry spends her time with her husband and two rascally kitties in Oakland, California.
"[Beth Terry] gives us 342 pages of lectures, advice and examples.
Bring your own utensils to fast-food outlets. Use solid shampoo
bars, and wash clothes with soap nuts. Make your own cleaning
products, cosmetics, sodas. Get a reusable dry-cleaning bag. And
don’t even think about bottled water. It’s all really,
really, really earnest, and yet . . . it’s also
practical and hopeful, with a kind of cheerleading charm. And
you’ve gotta love the brown paper dust jacket, reminiscent of how
they used to sell Penthouse."
—Washington Post
"The book’s real strength lies in the practical tips Terry shares.
While she started with baby steps that many of us already take, she
has developed sophisticated strategies for upholding her principles
and presents what she learned through her years of personal
experience and product research. She offers new, repurposed, and
homemade alternatives to plastic products and highlights innovative
entrepreneurs and plastic-free heroes. Works like Charles Moore’s
Plastic Ocean are increasing awareness of the mounting plastic
problem; Plastic Free offers concerned readers inspiration and
concrete steps they can take to combat it personally."
—Library Journal
“Beth’s book, with its ingenuity, hands-on examples, and humor will
serve as an inspiration and educational resource to readers. The
pages that follow provide a toolkit for actionable behavior change
at home, work, and in the wider world.”
—Jack Johnson, musician, co-founder of the Kokua Hawai’i
Foundation
“I’ve been struggling to rid my home of plastics for years. This
book makes it so much easier!”
—Linda Ronstadt, musician, Plastic Pollution Coalition member
“Friendly, fun, and informative, Plastic-Free is a tutorial on how
to cut plastics from your life. Beth empowers us to implement
change in our own lives and save the world at the same time. Refuse
disposable plastics!” —Dianna Cohen, visual artist, creative
director and cofounder, Plastic Pollution Coalition
“Tempted to bring your own reusable silverware to take-out joints
but dread the eye-rolling it may generate? This book is for you.
With sass and intelligence, the anti-plastic crusader Beth Terry
guides readers toward the road less consumptive, offering practical
advice and moral support while making a convincing case that
individual actions to lighten our environmental impact do
matter.”
—Elizabeth Royte, author, Garbage
Land and Bottlemania
“We’re so addicted to plastic, it’s hard to imagine doing without
it. But Beth Terry dared to imagine, and with hard work, humor and
lots of trial and error—turns out there’s no easy way to make your
own liquid hand soap—she broke the plastic habit. Her book is
informative and inspirational—an ideal combination for anyone
hoping to follow a less plastic path.”
—Susan Freinkel, author Plastic: A Toxic Love Story
“We could have such lovely things in our lives. Why do we settle
for crap made from plastic? Beth Terry is the pioneer when it comes
to building a life filled with the things that truly matter.”
—Colin Beavan, author, No Impact Man, and founder of the No
Impact Project
“This is the tool that we’ve all been waiting for to ease the
transition to going plastic-free. Time to wake up.
Peace.”
—Rosanna Arquette, actor, Plastic Pollution Coalition member
“The use of plastic is enmeshed in our American way of life.
Kicking any habit is tough, but kicking a habit that is invisible
in its ubiquity is even more difficult. In this important and
enjoyable book, Beth Terry walks the reader through her trials and
travails and shows what the average person can do to rid
themselves of plastic. Along the way, she creatively demonstrates
that ridding one’s life of plastic is not only good for the planet
but also good for the health and the pocketbook of the American
consumer. This book is inspirational and has helped me kick my
plastic habit not only when shopping but throughout my daily
life.”
—Congressman Steve Cohen, Tennessee
“Beth Terry is one of the most inspiring people on the planet. Her
wisdom about plastic-free living is a beacon of hope for what’s
possible. Everyone should read this book!”
—Stacy Malkan, cofounder, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and author
of Not Just a Pretty Face
“Inspiring. Empowering. And most of all, liberating! Finally,
here’s everything you need to know to live a healthy, safe,
plastic-free life. Kudos to Beth Terry! She’s definitely my
plastic-free guru!”
—Diane MacEachern, author, Big Green Purse
“Beth is the most knowledgeable person on plastic, particularly
disposable plastic, that I know. Her journey to getting rid of
disposable plastic is inspiring and amazing, but she also makes it
doable for the rest of us. When I first met her, I lived my life
pretty nontoxic, but I still used a lot of disposable plastic. Her
efforts inspired me to eliminate disposable plastic too, and faced
with choices, I always ask myself WWBD (or What Would Beth Do)? She
is the standard by which I measure my ‘greenness.’“
—Jennifer Taggart, www.thesmartmama.com, author of Smart
Mama’s Green Guide: Simple Steps to Reduce Your Child’s Toxic
Chemical Exposure
“Plastic-Free tells a story that could inspire everyday behavior
change for all of us. Small steps, leading to one big milestone—a
planet free of plastic pollution. The power lies with each of us to
take these steps. It is that simple.”
—Daniella Dimitrova Russo, cofounder and executive director,
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Ask a Question About this Product More... |