the glassware that jim and i received when we married broke within the first two years. we replaced our initial glasses three times and only one remains--out of nearly three dozen! we aren't extraordinarily clumsy, and this was long before we had kids. we weren't juggling them or throwing them against walls: they were just ridiculously fragile and clearly not made for everyday use.
at the risk of sounding eighty years old, they just don't make things like they used to. consumer goods are made cheaply to wear fast and be replaced. in the spirit of stewardship, i try to repair broken things--even if it costs more-- before running out to buy another, and having to throw away poorly made products that cannot be fixed makes this green mama feel sick. i needed a solution to this broken glass predicament than didn't involve just buying more every few years.
last summer i visited my vintage-loving sister in brooklyn and learned her secret to glassware that goes the distance: mason jars.
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little ones are perfect for juice, and bigger ones make great water glasses. they are strong, sturdy, and virtually indestructible. jellies and sauces often come in mason jars, and you can find them at secondhand shops, supermarkets, or garden stores for less than the cost of drinking glasses. the best part was that we already had many in the pantry because we'd decided to stop recycling glass and set it aside to re-purpose instead. recycling is crucial way to care for creation, but since it uses a great deal of energy, re-using/re-purposing is usually the better bet.
my friend uses mason jar as travel mugs. who needs expensive stainless steel when you can use a mason jar as your bpa-free water bottle? i use large ones in my pantry to store bulk dry goods. mason jars also make lovely vases, and we poke holes in the lids and use them as baking soda shakers for cleaning tasks around the house, too.
at the table, my two year-old gets a small mason or baby food jar for water or snacks. they are fun-sized, sturdy, and easy for little hands to grasp.
re-purposing mason jars and baby food jars breaks the broken glass consumerist cycle without resorting to chemical-leaching plastics. there is a certain charm to drinking from an old-fashioned mason jars, and my earth-loving heart is happy again.
shared with Your Green Resource, hosted by A Delightful Home, SortaCrunchy, Live Renewed, and The Greenback Gal.
