Plastics Make it Possible...

PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE. http://www.badlani.com/blog/2007/09/10/obesity-impotence-cancer-…-still-want-to-use-plastic-bags/
(For some reason, when I hyperlink it, it doesn't work. Please do copy and paste.)

I'm actually really glad that I got back to some source material. I've been slipping a lot. Here's what happened today when I went to the grocery store:

• I purchased bottled water. I like to be prepared in case of random emergency. Sadly, bottled water comes exclusively in plastic. Why yes, of course, I'd like to drink my water out of a toxic container! Argh.
• I succeeded once again in purchasing turkey from the deli and asking them to place it in my container. I even succeeded in getting them to use a paper towel to catch the turkey instead of that awful one-time-use thin plastic. However, the turkey overall comes packaged in plastic and they use cellophane to cover it between servings...so it's really not a plastic-free treat.
• Given the strenuous discussion I had with the deli over using paper towels and not plastic to catch the turkey (it took a few minutes to chat with the manager who was a little rude but complied...by then a line was forming. I did get to explain my efforts to the guy behind me, who thought that bringing my own plastic container to reuse was a good idea), I forgot to ask for cheese. And then I passed some Pepper Jack. And I bought it.
• I had a friend over for brunch and decided to splurge (in both money and plastic) on some smoked salmon. I also bought her a Mango Tango, my favorite carb-filled juice. I figure if I can't have yummy juice, that doesn't mean she shouldn't. But I forgot about the plastic. Odwalla is the kind of company that should care about this stuff....maybe I should write to them.
• The South Beach Diet requires SO MUCH PLASTIC. I have to buy dairy because otherwise there is nothing I'm allowed to eat that will fill me up (there are only so many kinds of leaves out there and you have to munch them round the clock to feel full). I really can't wait for this to be somewhat over. I don't even like this much dairy and meat. But for 2 weeks I'm letting myself make the tradeoff to get the cheeses to lose some weight.

Anyway, I just read that article and feel newly committed. This is making me seriously rethink my ideal level of crunch...

Plastic Plastic Everywhere

I've been a little out of touch this week. As my friends at plasticisforever.blogspot.com can attest, that sometimes means you've been overusing plastic.

It started out well. Tuesday was a one-piece of plastic day. Wednesday was a plastic-free day. Then Thursday hit. Out at a restaurant, I definitely got some dirty looks from the wait staff when I requested no straws. I was only partially successful in avoiding them. Friday, I indulged myself and got some buffalo sauce with a sandwich from, dare I say it, Burger King. That comes in plastic. "It's ok," I told myself. "It's just my one piece for the day." But then I went to an Obama fundraiser and ordered some nachos. They came with the guacamole and sour cream in separate plastic cups. Who knew? I didn't even think to ask for no plastic on my food. Oops. Then I met a friend at Good Eats (see previous post) and although I carefully selected plastic-free options, she picked up extra plasticware for me. Plus, even though we were eating in, they put our food in a plastic bag! I was confused because they had trays but for some reason gave us a bag. So, yikes, six pieces of plastic in just one day?! Ugh.

I went apple/pumpkin picking yesterday -- quality from-the-farm delicious apples! Seriously, these things are so sweet and tasty. When I got home I was so tired that a nap turned into an all-night-sleep. Unfortunately, I'd gotten some of my precious pre-Plastic-Diet chicken out to thaw but never woke up to my nap alarm. $10 worth of chicken and some plastic wasted. I was sad.

Things are looking up, though. I feel newly committed to the cause. I even went grocery shopping tonight and mostly avoided plastic. The only pieces of plastic I picked up were: lids on a box of walnuts and a box of cous cous and a little plastic around the edge of my oatmeal box. I basically just buy canned food and fresh produce on this Plastic Diet which leads to some pretty healthy meals. I'm pumped for the asparagus soup that I'm planning for tomorrow.

At the farm yesterday, they had plastic bags for the apples. I'd left in a hurry and hadn't grabbed a reusable bag from home but fortunately they had some reusable ones for sale there with the following Plastic Diet inspiration attached:

*14 plastic bags contain enough petroleum to drive a car a mile
*380 BILLION plastic bags or wraps are thrown away in America each year
*Cities spend up to 17 cents per bag in disposal costs, wasting millions of taxpayer dollars

REDUCE YOUR PLASTIC. SAVE YOURSELF. SAVE THE WORLD. SAVE MONEY.