Tonight I started preaching the gospel of un-plastic in my Fiscal Federalism class (which, by the way, is amazing -- if you go to GWU, you should definitely take it!! or anything Prof. Brunori teaches). The result? My professor banned plastic henceforth in class. This is great! Except, now I don't know what to write with...
Last weekend I saw some feather pens at Glen Echo park. Looks like fun, but the ink might be messy. I'll have to see if I can find a good metal pen somewhere. Or perhaps a pencil. But pencils have plastic erasers and require sharpeners, many of which are themselves plastic. Anybody have advice on un-plastic writing utensils?
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Groceries
I went to the grocery store tonight. It was an odd mix of stocking up on plastic before I go plastic-free and feeling motivated to try to avoid plastic.
Plus side:
*I got lots of canned food. It's amazing how much good stuff you can make out of things that come in cans.
* Salsa, one of my favorite foods, comes in glass jars. Without any plastic around the edge! (Why, oh why, can't hummus come in glass jars too?!)
*I took my own bags and my grocery cart. Giant actually gives you back 5 cents for each bag you DON'T use. That was nice! Plus I had a good conversation at the check-out about my attempts to reduce plastic use.
*I almost got a big bottle of olive oil in a plastic jar, but at the last minute I caught myself and switched it for a glass jar.
*I didn't use any new plastic bags for my produce.
*I enacted my lettuce plan by buying a whole head of lettuce, taking it home, washing it, tearing it up and storing it! Just like bagged lettuce but plastic free! My salad felt so much better knowing that it didn't come from a bag. Plus it tasted crisper.
*I found flavored rice in cardboard boxes. Very exciting! I used to always buy it in the plastic pouches.
*I bought cous cous that came in a cardboard box instead of in a plastic container. Except it's a LOT more expensive that way. But they were out of the plastic ones anyway, so my decision was pretty easy.
*I got the larger jar of cumin because it came in a glass jar instead of the cheaper, smaller (not even recyclable!) plastic jar.
Minus side:
*I caved and bought one last box of Swiffer wet cleaning pads. Not only made of plastic, but encased in hard, never-going-to-biodegrade plastic!
*I got some yogurt. I am going to miss yogurt. Although, I will say that it's pretty cool that they've stopped putting that extra plastic cap on top of the foil. Maybe if I just get a big thing of yogurt once in awhile it will be ok, because I can totally reuse those as tupperware!
*I got popsicles. I am really going to miss popsicles. I guess I could make them myself but they won't be as good. And it will be hard to make them only have 15 calories. On the plus side, ice cream sandwiches seem plastic-free. They come in cardboard and are wrapped in paper.
*I got meat. Ground turkey for my yummy soup and chicken to stock up on for when I'm not supposed to buy plastic. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get meat without plastic. I'm not sure I want meat without plastic. But I definitely can't get it even if I want it.
Plus side:
*I got lots of canned food. It's amazing how much good stuff you can make out of things that come in cans.
* Salsa, one of my favorite foods, comes in glass jars. Without any plastic around the edge! (Why, oh why, can't hummus come in glass jars too?!)
*I took my own bags and my grocery cart. Giant actually gives you back 5 cents for each bag you DON'T use. That was nice! Plus I had a good conversation at the check-out about my attempts to reduce plastic use.
*I almost got a big bottle of olive oil in a plastic jar, but at the last minute I caught myself and switched it for a glass jar.
*I didn't use any new plastic bags for my produce.
*I enacted my lettuce plan by buying a whole head of lettuce, taking it home, washing it, tearing it up and storing it! Just like bagged lettuce but plastic free! My salad felt so much better knowing that it didn't come from a bag. Plus it tasted crisper.
*I found flavored rice in cardboard boxes. Very exciting! I used to always buy it in the plastic pouches.
*I bought cous cous that came in a cardboard box instead of in a plastic container. Except it's a LOT more expensive that way. But they were out of the plastic ones anyway, so my decision was pretty easy.
*I got the larger jar of cumin because it came in a glass jar instead of the cheaper, smaller (not even recyclable!) plastic jar.
Minus side:
*I caved and bought one last box of Swiffer wet cleaning pads. Not only made of plastic, but encased in hard, never-going-to-biodegrade plastic!
*I got some yogurt. I am going to miss yogurt. Although, I will say that it's pretty cool that they've stopped putting that extra plastic cap on top of the foil. Maybe if I just get a big thing of yogurt once in awhile it will be ok, because I can totally reuse those as tupperware!
*I got popsicles. I am really going to miss popsicles. I guess I could make them myself but they won't be as good. And it will be hard to make them only have 15 calories. On the plus side, ice cream sandwiches seem plastic-free. They come in cardboard and are wrapped in paper.
*I got meat. Ground turkey for my yummy soup and chicken to stock up on for when I'm not supposed to buy plastic. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get meat without plastic. I'm not sure I want meat without plastic. But I definitely can't get it even if I want it.
Convention Catastrophe
I went to the ICMA conference today in Richmond for my "Managing State and Local Governments" class. (ICMA, for the uninitiated in public policy world, is the International City/County Managers Association.) It was informative and fun...and a plastic MINEFIELD! Without even meaning to, I had 2 beverages in plastic containers. I brought them home to be sure I recycle them, but OOPS! I forgot my trusty water bottle, and it was all down hill from there. See the wreckage here:
I haven't officially started the Plastic Diet yet, but it's on my mind every day.
I'm off to the grocery store now, and I'm already scared. Nothing but plastic in there!
I picked up a number of glossy brochures from vendors -- doubtless paper products slathered with plastic. I got a whole bunch of cool Census Bureau info, mostly on CD/DVDs and encased in, you guessed it, plastic. Although, at least the 2008 Statistical Abstract of the US was in a paper case. I picked up some stress balls (or school buses, worlds, road blocks...they really are creative!) that are without a doubt made of plastic. I do intend to use them to relieve my (often significant) stress, but I'm sure I could come up with a less plasticy way to relieve stress.
I haven't officially started the Plastic Diet yet, but it's on my mind every day.
I'm off to the grocery store now, and I'm already scared. Nothing but plastic in there!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Lettuce Spinner
My most exciting birthday present was, oddly enough, a lettuce spinner. Granted, it is plastic (please hold your reactions). However, it will save lots of plastic use in the future and prevent me from using those plastic bags that fly away to the swirly Pacific Ocean mess.
My lettuce spinner: The Backstory.
I acquired a lettuce spinner because I will sorely miss my bagged lettuce on the plastic diet. I know it's not good for the world, and it's totally more expensive, but I'm more likely to eat salad if I buy lettuce in a bag. In my attempt to pre-plan for this mission, I decided that a lettuce spinner could help the cause. I will get heads of lettuce (no plastic there, just maybe a metal twist-tie), wash it, break it up, and store it in my own reusable container. That way salads will be easy but I won't be using the evil bagged lettuce. Yay for reusable plastic purchased in the service of averting future plastic!
My lettuce spinner: The Backstory.
I acquired a lettuce spinner because I will sorely miss my bagged lettuce on the plastic diet. I know it's not good for the world, and it's totally more expensive, but I'm more likely to eat salad if I buy lettuce in a bag. In my attempt to pre-plan for this mission, I decided that a lettuce spinner could help the cause. I will get heads of lettuce (no plastic there, just maybe a metal twist-tie), wash it, break it up, and store it in my own reusable container. That way salads will be easy but I won't be using the evil bagged lettuce. Yay for reusable plastic purchased in the service of averting future plastic!
Plastic Pets
Today I realized how hard it is to have pets without plastic.
I took a trip to the pet store because my cats have been clawing my chairs lately, and I figured one reason might be because their clawing post is kitten-sized. I got them a new clawing post -- which has carpet (undoubtedly partially plastic) and was wrapped in plastic tape (but only a short piece) with a paper/plastic tag for price.
While I was there, I picked up a giant tub of cat litter. Sadly, the big boxes come in plastic. Smaller ones are cardboard with a small plastic handle. But the big ones are plastic. Hard plastic. Ugh. Maybe if I take it back to the store next time and fill it up with litter, I can consider that reuse (they sell litter without a box, but it's not the kind I like...).
I also got a jar of litter deodorizer. Sadly, this came in a plastic jar. Why can't it be glass? I'm sure I could use baking soda and essential oils, but this lavender-scented litter deodorizer really helps.
Finally, I got them some cat toys. Two little tennis balls full of catnip, to be exact. I'm sure the rubber balls involve some kind of plastic. But worst of all, they were wrapped in plastic! ugh! On the bright side, my cats' favorite toys are t-shirts that I cut up into long strips that they can chase like strings. That's a cotton-based toy sure to please!
I hope that I will be able to provide for my felines in my life post-plastic!!
I took a trip to the pet store because my cats have been clawing my chairs lately, and I figured one reason might be because their clawing post is kitten-sized. I got them a new clawing post -- which has carpet (undoubtedly partially plastic) and was wrapped in plastic tape (but only a short piece) with a paper/plastic tag for price.
While I was there, I picked up a giant tub of cat litter. Sadly, the big boxes come in plastic. Smaller ones are cardboard with a small plastic handle. But the big ones are plastic. Hard plastic. Ugh. Maybe if I take it back to the store next time and fill it up with litter, I can consider that reuse (they sell litter without a box, but it's not the kind I like...).
I also got a jar of litter deodorizer. Sadly, this came in a plastic jar. Why can't it be glass? I'm sure I could use baking soda and essential oils, but this lavender-scented litter deodorizer really helps.
Finally, I got them some cat toys. Two little tennis balls full of catnip, to be exact. I'm sure the rubber balls involve some kind of plastic. But worst of all, they were wrapped in plastic! ugh! On the bright side, my cats' favorite toys are t-shirts that I cut up into long strips that they can chase like strings. That's a cotton-based toy sure to please!
I hope that I will be able to provide for my felines in my life post-plastic!!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
A Yummy Burrito...No Plastic!
On my way home from class today, I stopped at Baja Fresh to quell a grilled veggie burrito craving. I managed to avoid plastic even while enjoying this tasty treat! I think this was good practice for next month when I dive full force into the Plastic Diet.
I poured salsa (lots of it! I like it spicy!) directly on the burrito, avoiding those little plastic cups and their evil companions, the little plastic lids. I almost picked up a plastic fork and knife, but fortunately I had my bag from lunch with me, complete with the real fork and spoon I'd taken to work. Mission accomplished! 1 yummy burrito, 0 pieces of plastic. I did need 4 napkins because I made such a mess pouring the salsa straight on the burrito, so if you have to weigh the paper vs. plastic thing...I don't have a complete analysis. But paper biodegrades and is renewable and, well, plastic just isn't. Yay for a successful plastic-free meal. This is giving me hope.
I poured salsa (lots of it! I like it spicy!) directly on the burrito, avoiding those little plastic cups and their evil companions, the little plastic lids. I almost picked up a plastic fork and knife, but fortunately I had my bag from lunch with me, complete with the real fork and spoon I'd taken to work. Mission accomplished! 1 yummy burrito, 0 pieces of plastic. I did need 4 napkins because I made such a mess pouring the salsa straight on the burrito, so if you have to weigh the paper vs. plastic thing...I don't have a complete analysis. But paper biodegrades and is renewable and, well, plastic just isn't. Yay for a successful plastic-free meal. This is giving me hope.
Un-plastic Choices
I had an interesting conversation with a friend today about the differences between NYC and DC. While she advocated for the "honesty" that NYC folks have about a desire to make money, I have to say I'm on board with the public service inherent in DC life.
I do seek to have a mission-based life. I'm not 100% altruistic; I volunteered for 1 year, not my entire life, and I'm sure I'll need money to raise a family one day. But I do need my life to involve service, and I'm happiest when my job integrates that too.
Keeping this in mind will help me avoid plastic actions.
I do seek to have a mission-based life. I'm not 100% altruistic; I volunteered for 1 year, not my entire life, and I'm sure I'll need money to raise a family one day. But I do need my life to involve service, and I'm happiest when my job integrates that too.
Keeping this in mind will help me avoid plastic actions.
Plastic in Daily Life
I've been observing plastic for several weeks now. I'm feeling pretty scared of the Plastic Diet challenge. I think I'm going to try for October - and I'll just try to make it through that month on the "one piece a day" to see how it goes. Not quite as hard core as Kerry and Erin, but it's a start.
Anyway, today I noticed a couple of things:
1. Subway has plastic straws wrapped in plastic! Most places at least cover their hopelessly non-eco-friendly plastic straws in happy biodegradeable paper.
2. Classico tomato sauce has no extra plastic around the edge of its jar! Yay Classico! I still heard the pop and the lid popped up, so I know the canning process did its job, but it wasted no extra plastic! Yippee! Though I'm concerned about how to eat pasta on the Plastic Diet. Most pasta has that little plastic window or comes in a plastic bag to decrease total packaging. I'm going to have to look into this.
Anyway, today I noticed a couple of things:
1. Subway has plastic straws wrapped in plastic! Most places at least cover their hopelessly non-eco-friendly plastic straws in happy biodegradeable paper.
2. Classico tomato sauce has no extra plastic around the edge of its jar! Yay Classico! I still heard the pop and the lid popped up, so I know the canning process did its job, but it wasted no extra plastic! Yippee! Though I'm concerned about how to eat pasta on the Plastic Diet. Most pasta has that little plastic window or comes in a plastic bag to decrease total packaging. I'm going to have to look into this.
The grocery store is an incredibly scary place for a Plastic Dieter!!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Food
One of the main things that considering the "Plastic Diet" brings up is food. How will I eat if I take the dive into the anti-plastic? This raises some seeming contradictions:
1. I have found that I am more likely to eat "healthy" food when I buy it packaged in a way that is conducive to my busy lifestyle. For example, I eat a lot more salad when I buy lettuce in a plastic bag. I choose a quick snack of cheese instead of a sugary cookie or fruit when I have yummy string cheese wrapped in, yes, plastic.
2. Food that arrives in easy-to-use packaging is usually shipped in from somewhere not local at all. That's actually less healthy.
Is it better to choose lettuce over not-lettuce if the price is plastic and shipped in from far away? I'm really not sure what the right answer is here. It's hard to be pumped about cooking when I roll home at 9:30 pm after a hard day. I've spent a lot of time trying to optimize for healthy, easy, quick solutions (like the aforementioned salad in a bag) but most of them involve plastic.
Maybe the answer involves being disciplined with buying plastic-free lettuce (no plastic bag of course!) and then washing it and storing it in a reusable container. If I do that as soon as I get home from the grocery store, it would be almost as convenient as bagged lettuce. Hmm. Now I really need a salad spinner -- but aren't those made out of plastic? Anyone know where I could get a non-plastic salad spinner?
1. I have found that I am more likely to eat "healthy" food when I buy it packaged in a way that is conducive to my busy lifestyle. For example, I eat a lot more salad when I buy lettuce in a plastic bag. I choose a quick snack of cheese instead of a sugary cookie or fruit when I have yummy string cheese wrapped in, yes, plastic.
2. Food that arrives in easy-to-use packaging is usually shipped in from somewhere not local at all. That's actually less healthy.
Is it better to choose lettuce over not-lettuce if the price is plastic and shipped in from far away? I'm really not sure what the right answer is here. It's hard to be pumped about cooking when I roll home at 9:30 pm after a hard day. I've spent a lot of time trying to optimize for healthy, easy, quick solutions (like the aforementioned salad in a bag) but most of them involve plastic.
Maybe the answer involves being disciplined with buying plastic-free lettuce (no plastic bag of course!) and then washing it and storing it in a reusable container. If I do that as soon as I get home from the grocery store, it would be almost as convenient as bagged lettuce. Hmm. Now I really need a salad spinner -- but aren't those made out of plastic? Anyone know where I could get a non-plastic salad spinner?
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Priorities
Recently, I've become obsessed with my friend Kerry's blog. A few months ago she decided to start a crusade to dramatically reduce her plastic usage. Armed with a "plastic diet" buddy, Kerry limits her new plastic to one piece per day - as small as a stir in a drink or as large as piece of bubble wrap. She reuses plastic bags, carries her own containers everywhere, and makes intentional choices that allow for a plastic-free life -- including concocting her own deodorant and laundry detergent to avoid the plastic containers those items usually come in and choosing a piece of fruit over a cookie if the cookie comes wrapped up in plastic.
At first it seems a little extreme, but the arguments against plastic are really compelling. Those arguments include the facts that we waste fossil fuels on creating and transporting plastic and have produced a GIANT (twice the size of Texas!) swirling plastic garbage dump in the Pacific Ocean that is killing wildlife. Her trials and triumphs are on display at plasticisforever.blogspot.com. Awesome blog.
The plastic blog has gotten me thinking, not just about my own plastic consumption but about consumption in general. In a bigger sense, I want to rid myself not just of excessive physical plastic use but also of "plastic decisions" in life. I've decided that I need to refocus on voluntary simplicity, a concept that was once very important to me but has drifted on my list of priorities. And I could use a forum for working out assorted priorities...hence this blog.
Background: My first year out of college, I did a volunteer service program. One of the central elements of the program was voluntary simplicity. In part, we lived this out by earning $100/mo. (plus free room in an old convent and a food budget of $15/person/week). Even more importantly than the material simplicity, we intentionally made choices about how we spent our time and what we focused on. It was the intentionality that I most remember -- really choosing those things that were imporant and working forward. It involves accepting a lot of responsibility for life.
It's not that I don't have priorities anymore. It's just that much energy and prioritization has focused on my work in the years since my "simple" life. By solving for the ways to be most "productive" I have definitely accepted American on-the-go disposable plastic solutions to a lot of problems from food to entertainment. I find that I am not as intentional with life as I used to be, not always fully considering the global implications of my actions, whether it's picking up breakfast at Au Bon Pain in a plastic bag I don't really need or spending time with people that don't nourish my soul. For the love of all that is balanced and good for the earth, I really need to reexamine.
The thing about prioritizing is that some items have to end up on the middle or the bottom of the list. I'm still young (and single!) enough that it makes sense to expend the greatest amount of energy finding and investing in satisfying work. But that is not an excuse to eat unhealthy to-go food wrapped in unnecessary plastic on a regular basis!
I'm going to start like Kerry and Erin did by just noticing the plastic in my life. I'm also going to notice the situations I've created, intentionally or unintentionally, that don't follow my actual internal priorities -- let's call that active plastic. Here's to a less plastic life!
At first it seems a little extreme, but the arguments against plastic are really compelling. Those arguments include the facts that we waste fossil fuels on creating and transporting plastic and have produced a GIANT (twice the size of Texas!) swirling plastic garbage dump in the Pacific Ocean that is killing wildlife. Her trials and triumphs are on display at plasticisforever.blogspot.com. Awesome blog.
The plastic blog has gotten me thinking, not just about my own plastic consumption but about consumption in general. In a bigger sense, I want to rid myself not just of excessive physical plastic use but also of "plastic decisions" in life. I've decided that I need to refocus on voluntary simplicity, a concept that was once very important to me but has drifted on my list of priorities. And I could use a forum for working out assorted priorities...hence this blog.
Background: My first year out of college, I did a volunteer service program. One of the central elements of the program was voluntary simplicity. In part, we lived this out by earning $100/mo. (plus free room in an old convent and a food budget of $15/person/week). Even more importantly than the material simplicity, we intentionally made choices about how we spent our time and what we focused on. It was the intentionality that I most remember -- really choosing those things that were imporant and working forward. It involves accepting a lot of responsibility for life.
It's not that I don't have priorities anymore. It's just that much energy and prioritization has focused on my work in the years since my "simple" life. By solving for the ways to be most "productive" I have definitely accepted American on-the-go disposable plastic solutions to a lot of problems from food to entertainment. I find that I am not as intentional with life as I used to be, not always fully considering the global implications of my actions, whether it's picking up breakfast at Au Bon Pain in a plastic bag I don't really need or spending time with people that don't nourish my soul. For the love of all that is balanced and good for the earth, I really need to reexamine.
The thing about prioritizing is that some items have to end up on the middle or the bottom of the list. I'm still young (and single!) enough that it makes sense to expend the greatest amount of energy finding and investing in satisfying work. But that is not an excuse to eat unhealthy to-go food wrapped in unnecessary plastic on a regular basis!
I'm going to start like Kerry and Erin did by just noticing the plastic in my life. I'm also going to notice the situations I've created, intentionally or unintentionally, that don't follow my actual internal priorities -- let's call that active plastic. Here's to a less plastic life!
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