Plastics, You Are Everywhere.

This past summer I had been a camp counselor for 8 weeks and we lived in wooden cabins with no windows or doors. Basically, I thought I would be awesome at the plastics challenge after I had been roughin’ all summer without technology and what I thought was very little plastic. However, I was rudely awakened to the inability to disassociate myself from what has become such a standard part of the American lifestyle.

MORNING

Wakeup aware that I was not going to be able to use my toothbrush. I thought I would be really tricky and use my washcloth, but I went to grab my toothpaste to put on my cloth and realized it was plastic. I was irked, but it was early and so I let my first failed attempt to trick the plastics.

Breakfast: Avoided the refrigerator as the handle was plastic, plus I knew the things that it consumed: plastic contained yogurts, plastic contained grape juice, plastic contained milk, plastic shelves, plastic everything. I opted for the pears sitting out on the counter. I used my purely metal coffee mug and was about to fill up but realized my coffee maker was sad plastic all over so I left the mug at home and I was tired and sad. While I would have liked to have gone Jack Johnson and shoeless, it was freezing out and so I tried to pick the shoes with the least amount of plastics on them so I chose some moccasins with a thin layer on the bottom. Already I felt like I was losing. My big coats all had plastic on them whether it was the zipper or the buttons. Instead I had to wear2 sweatshirts. I had to leave my palm pre cellular phone at home, which was not a happy decision.

AFTERNOON:

Classes: I buy the environmentally friendly notebooks (even though the fronts and back cardboard have already ripped off) so I was able to bring them to my classes without a problem. I was only able to bring old school pencils, but I had to prepare and sharpen them all with my mechanical plastic sharpener. I haven’t seen any metal sharpeners around college ever so that would definitely be a challenge had all of my pencils broke! I couldn’t use my headphones on my way to class, but that was kind of nice.

Lunch: Thought a metal can of Healthy Choice soup would be a good decision for lunch. I was going to make it in the microwave until I realized that its handle and much more was made of plastic. So I got out our metal pots and made it in there. It took longer time, which I did not really have before my next class, but I still made it. Thank god for silver silverware.

NIGHT:

Dinner: My friends made me pasta for dinner so I personally did not have to deal with the plastics of the containers, but I am sure it went into the process because she did not make the sauce from scratch. Everyone else had plastic plates, but I had to request to have a paper one (which I did not think was much better since now I was starting to create more waste). I had to sit on her floor while everyone sat at the table because she only had plastic chairs for her kitchen table. Apparently this was very funny. They were all going to watch TV with plastic all around the border while they sat on their pleather couch, so I knew it must be my time to go.

STUDY: Went to the college library where there is once again plastic at every turn. I decided to go to the Historical Society library because I remembered that they had wooden tables. I was able to use the lamp at the table that was made of glass and metal. Unfortunately, I really had no choice but to face the plastic on my computer keys and of the screen to work on my presentation. Basically, I had to work on it for the rest of the night. I could not let the war on plastic get in the way of my studies unfortunately.

Conclusion: The plastics were everywhere here on campus and play essential roles in our school, our foods, and our social life. I do not think it would e possible to ban all plastics from society because it is so intertwined, but I do still hope that plastic companies will start to take BPA more seriously; at least for this chemical there can be some work done. Hopefully when I am out in the wilderness again I can really accomplish one full plasticless day and feel like less of a failure.

-Claire Gilmore

My Attempt at a Day Without Plastic: Katie Patten

Katie Patten

Section 302

Before I started the plastics challenge I thought long and hard about what plastics I used in my daily life, and what the best way to avoid them would be. The first thing I thought of was all the products I use on a daily basis for personal care and getting ready. These products included: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, makeup, and comb/brush. All of the products I use on a daily basis are contained in plastics. Also my shower has plastic in it, and has a plastic shower curtain. The next thing I thought of was food. I normally prepare food in my microwave and store them in my refrigerator. Both of these appliances contain/are made of plastic. Also most of my food comes in plastic containers or wrappers. Another big issue I thought of was technology and communication. My cell phone, lap top, and television all contain plastic.

On a day to day basis it is very difficult to go about your activities without coming into contact with plastic. I though the best was for me to successfully avoid plastic was to try the challenge on a day when I could isolate myself at home for most of the day. I chose to try the challenge on Sunday December 5, 2010. This way I did not have to get ready, so I could avoid showering and using all of those products to get ready. Instead of using a toothbrush I used my finger and water. Instead of washing my face with my normal face wash I used bar soap. Before I started the challenge I preemptively told my friends and family that I would be out of communication for the day, so I could avoid using my cell phone and computer. I have never thought of myself as being addicted to technology, but it was very difficult for me to avoid the urge to use them. Another difficulty was for me to avoid watching television for entertainment on Sunday, especially while the packers were playing! To occupy myself I decided to catch up on all of the reading for my classes. This turned out to be a very boring yet productive day. I paid special attention to the books before handling them only using the ones I thought were only made of paper. Some of them were hard to tell if the covers contained plastic. I did this for the majority of the day only breaking for meals and to take a nap. To take notes on the reading I had to substitute pens, highlighters, and mechanical pencils with a wooden pencil without an eraser. I could not tell if pencils with erasers contained plastic so I did not use them. I also had to replace the notebook I usually use with loose leaf paper, because the one I normally use has a plastic cover. I was unable to avoid plastics when it came to lighting. All sources of light in my room contained plastic. The switches were plastic, my flashlight was plastic, and candles are not allowed in my building.

For food for the day I bought two subs for lunch and dinner (I do not eat breakfast) at Jimmy Johns. I chose to get my food at Jimmy Johns, because they wrap their subs in paper and use paper bags. I did handle the receipt so I probably did come in contact with plastic there, and my food was probably stored in plastic containers before it was given to me. I realized after I left the house that the jacket I was wearing had some plastic on it, so I came in came into contact with it there. To store my subs before I ate them, I put them in between my closed window and the screen to act as a refrigerator. I drank water from the sink in glass made of glass.

For the most part I was able to successfully avoid plastics, but I had to completely alter my daily activities, plan ahead, and isolate myself. Even with these precautions I still came into contact with plastic. Even indirectly I know that I came into contact with plastic. My drinking water most likely passed through plastic pipes. My food was most likely transported and stored in plastic containers before I bought it. Even products that I used that were not made of plastic were at one point contained in plastic, like my bedding for example. Also for a lot of products it is difficult to determine if they contain plastic. I think that plastics are so engrained in our daily lives that they are impossible to avoid.

A Day Without Plastics, Aviva Stein 309

The Day Before

Okay. A day without plastics. I can definitely do this. It’ll be easy. I’m choosing to do my challenge tomorrow, the day before I leave for Thanksgiving break. I’ve taken inventory of my room, and all the things within that I can’t use tomorrow.

All right, so no lotion. No makeup or jewelry, because it’s all held in that little white container. No cotton pads (the bag), contact solution, contacts, no packing lunch in Tupperware, no deodorant, no medication, no dishwashing, no reading a book with a shiny BPA-coated cover. Okay, that’s do-able, I guess. But then I looked in my closet.

Okay, no coat. Fine. The weather shouldn’t be too bad tomorrow. And just below my coat is my shower caddy, in which my shampoo, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste are held. So I guess hygiene is out the window tomorrow. Good thing I don’t have class.

I took one more sweep of my room. I should be able to make it. Oh.

I live in the dorms. If I can’t use my plastic Wiscard, which is my key, I can’t enter or leave the building. Okay. This should be interesting.

The Day

This morning I woke up, rolled out of bed, and put on my glasses. As soon as I blinked the sleep out of my eyes, I realized I had already failed at the plastics challenge, just seconds into my day. I had considered taking off my glasses and attempting the day without, but I truly can't see two feet without some kind of corrective eye wear. So I figured, eh, whatever, I'll just do this one thing. I walked over to the closet, and picked up my toothbrush and toothpaste. I immediately remembered today was to be the day without hygiene, and unwilling, put them down. I compromised with myself for some gum. I was really proud of myself for having bought the kind of gum that comes in a little cup of 60, which cuts down on trash. But of course, the little plastic cup was the enemy, and I had to put it down. I then decided to compromise for some water, which, you know it, was in my Nalgene. Vexed, I went into the hall and took a long drink from the water fountain. It took a while, but I finished my first task of the day. But of course, it's incredibly likely that the water I just drank had travelled to me by way of PVC, plastic, piping. Sigh. I headed back in, and sat down on the bed. I then remembered what Professor Langston had said about the plastic in the lining of a fitted sheet. So three times now, within five minutes of waking up, I had failed the challenge. I was hungry, so I headed to the fridge. The plastic fridge. I settled for a bagel I kept on top of the fridge. Which was in a plastic bag. Oh well, I couldn't have used my plastic toaster anyway, nor the peanut butter held in the plastic jar, anyway. I sat down again. I wanted to go get breakfast at the dining hall. But not only would I not be able to get back into the building without my Wiscard, but I wouldn't be able to buy my food, either. And even if I could somehow get to Frank's, all the food is held in plastic bins and use plastic serving utensils. Increasingly frustrated, I got back in bed. I couldn't use the computer; that thing is loaded with plastic. I couldn't read the book I was currently working through; the sleeve was shiny and crisp, a telltale sign of BPA coating. I couldn't call my friends on my plastic phone, nor could I listen to music on my plastic iPod. So I did the only thing I could do. I got up, picked up my toothbrush, and brushed my teeth. I then came back to my room, put on my contacts and deodorant, pulled on my jacket, grabbed my Wiscard, and headed out the door.

Later

I'm pretty disappointed in myself for this day. I couldn't make it past the first few waking minutes of my day. Actually, I failed the challenge in my sleep. And I was of course on top of plastic bed liner, which is necessary if one is going to sleep on those grimy dorm beds. Even if I had made it past the preparatory moments of my morning, how would I have eaten? How would I have done any homework? How would I have gone to the bathroom, where the stalls and curtains are plastic?

I couldn't have. I couldn't have biked anywhere, I couldn't have turned on the lights once it got dark, I couldn't have done anything that day but sit on the floor in the dark. We have actually created a world wherein one cannot exist fruitfully without plastic. Why would we bring this upon ourselves? Eras upon eras of society have existed previous to ours, all of which were entirely plastic-free. Civilization did not shrivel without little baggies for their bagels and newspapers, nor should productivity stop at the loss of travel-sized bottles and shiny magazines. But it would. My world literally came to a halt without plastics. I'm actually mildly disgusted with myself-- why didn't I see this coming? Why did I let myself become so dependent on somethng so banal? I recently saw a documentary wherein a crew of documentary film makers sailed seven full days into the center of the Atlantic ocean. They dipped a sample cup into the water, and found billions of pieces of dissolved plastic swirling in the sample. This is irreversible. What will it take to stop our dependence before we can't ignore it anymore?

A Day Without Plastics

Dan Poquette

ID#: 9083367248

TA: Peter Boger

Sec 310

A Day Without Plastics

Night Before

So I've decided to take on the plastics challenge and I've quickly come to the conclusion that I will in fact need to do some preparing. That is if I want to succeed in making it through an entire day without using anything plastic. First I decided to put toothpaste in a glass cup to get the morning breath out of my mouth. God I hate morning breath, especially after eating Ben and Jerry's the night before and forgetting to brush your teeth. Which of course I would never do and is most defiantly not my case.

I also poured some the milk into a glass quart jar and dumped some cereal into the box without the bag. I was determined to complete this challenge because I never lose challenges.

Thursday Morning

I woke up at 9:28 with a start. My phone was turned off because I wasn't going to use it the next day and that was what I would normally use as an alarm. I jumped out of bed and searched through a mountain of clothes at the end of my bed that kept my feet warm all night. I would have to part with my long underwear this chilly morning because they contained polyester in them and I think that comes from plastic or something. I was about to grab my laptop in order to search it on google but that had plastic in it too. So I just wore blue jeans and sweatshirt. I grabbed a wooden pencil and shoved some paper in my pocket for notes in my econ lecture. I jumped on my moped and turned it on before I realized that it was made of plastic too. Since it was 9:28 the last time I looked at a clock (which I guess would be technically cheating too) I decided just to drive to class anyway and consider whether or not I should lie about it in my blog or not on the way to class. I also realized that my shoes were also made of plastic. So I drove and cursed under my breath all the way to class. My day hadn't even been 10 min long and already it was turning out to be a bad one.

Surprisingly I made it to class by 9:35 and I hadn't missed any notes yet! I sat in my seat trying to focus on what was going and fighting to keep my eye lids open. I looked around at all the people using plastic and took note of it. There was a girl using a water bottle that I hope didn't have BPA in it. Everyone I could see was using a pen or mechanical pencil that both were made of plastic. Many people were wearing winter coats that looked like they were made out of polyester.

Soon as class ended I ran out the door as fast as I could because my moped was parked illegally and I didn't want it to get towed away again but then I remembered that I had moved someone's moped out of the way so I could park legally. Their moped was gone so I assume they drove it away and that the moped on the back of the tow truck couldn't have been the one I moved.

Thursday Afternoon

After my econ class it was time to get my workout on. I got ready, grabbed my roommate and we jumped in our SUV. Again, I decided that I should just lie about it in my blog later. I just thought it was too cold to walk to the gym. When I got to the weight room I looked around and realized that every single weight was made out of plastic. I was too “jacked” up to not workout so I worked out anyway. Again this was not helping my not using plastic score for the day. I went back to my house and made my roommate make me a protein shake in a glass cup. I went upstairs to my bed room so I wouldn't watch tv and sat down and tried to work on homework. After about an hour someone turned the stereo on and the house was shaking and people were shouting. I went downstairs and my roommates and some of my other friends were dancing around and fighting. Everyone there had a plastic cups and some people were throwing plastic balls into more plastic cups. It was a mess. This was not a place for me to be with all the unavoidable plastic everywhere (of course the next day when I looked at my phone I saw that my roommates had txted me that they were having a party).

I left the house disappointed that I could not participate in tonight's activities. So I walked all the way to my girlfriend's apartment. I had to push a plastic button to buzz myself in because I felt like throwing rocks at her window might break something and then there would be no chance that she would give me a “message” later that night.

EPIC FAIL

Only A Caveman Could Pass This Challenge --- Zana Sijan TA: Emma Sec: 303

Trying to live a day without plastic is near impossible. It’s as same as trying to not drown when you don’t know how to swim. I failed from the start, and the sad part is that I really tried to put in effort and give it my best shot. Pretty much, in today’s world, a caveman is the only person that is able to go a day without plastic.

Wright from the start I failed. As my alarm went off to wake me up I reached for my phone to turn it off. BAM! The phone casing is completely made out of plastic. Then as I was walking around my room trying to get ready I realized that I failed even before the alarm woke me up. My bed and my bed sheets contain a type of plastic material mixed in with other compounds. The clothes that I wore that day had plastic in them as well. We could just make a UW a nudist campus and we might actually pass this challenge. Then came the daily routine of hygiene. Brushing my teeth was impossible because both the tooth paste and the tooth brush contained plastic. I am pretty sure that my classmates would prefer me without my morning doggy breath so I ended up brushing my teeth. Putting deodorant would be a no –no because it is in a plastic case. Again, if I was a caveman this might have worked out. Who needs perfume when you sleep on bear hides. Breakfast went well because I ate jelly out of a jar and break that was in a paper bag. Trying to drink milk for breakfast or orange juice was could not be done if I wanted to at least attempt to not use some plastic items. I stuck to water out of a glass that morning.

Putting on my backpack also solidified how fast I lost the challenge. I had plastic materials in the backpack as well as the fabric that the backpack was made of consisted of some sort of plastic ingredients. Trying to get on a bus to be able to get to class meant that I had to swipe my bus pass which is plastic. I am positive that the bus consists of a hundred plastic parts so maybe I should have just walked the 4 miles to campus.

During my research that I do on campus, I realized how much we use and waste plastic materials from experiment to experiment. We go through so many vials, gloves, bags, pipette tips and caps. There is no real way to go around that because it makes the experimental results easier to obtain and without having to spend too much time on sterilizing some of the materials.

Going to the gym was an epic fail. I had to use my ID to get in. All of the machines have some sort of plastic attached to them. The only workout that I could do was probably crunches but I’m positive that the carpet/floors have a type of plastic compound in them.

Only a caveman could pass this challenge! This was more of a lesson that opened my eyes to how much plastic we use and that we truly are dependent on plastic. How it became so wide spread in our daily lives goes way beyond comprehension. To me, it seems that plastic has just been around for centuries.

Mia McKinney_Plastics Challenge_TA: Vanessa Wishart

I've always been a very strong and competitive girl. From a young age, I was always confident and ready for whatever came my way. I've never been one to step down from any challenge; no matter what. All that changed the day I decided to challenge plastics.

I decided to start the challenge while I was on vacation as I wouldn't have access to my everyday items that I use. I woke up early excited about the competition.

Morning

I woke up around 10 EST. The first thing I did was look at my phone to read the emails and texts from the previous night. Already, I lost the challenge. Not only was my phone made of plastics, so was my phone case, the coating on the electrical wires on my charger as well as the plastic cover on the electrical outlet on the wall.

So, I started over.

I didn't turn on the TV or the computer today because both of those things were made of plastics. After all, my plastic phone can do all the same functions as the TV and computer.

Next, I was preparing for a shower. I opened my suitcase using the plastic zipper. Shaking my head, I pulled out the outfit for the day only to find that the elastic in my sweat pants was also plastic.

Ah well, time for that shower. I opened my plastic cosmetic bag to take out my (all plastic) floss, threader, toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash. I pulled back the plastic liner and let the water run.

I really started to get a little agitated with all the plastic usage. It really is something that I never thought about.

Afternoon

All clean and ready to hit the town. I decided to get a bite to eat first. I walked to the refrigerator and realized the handle was plastic. I decided that I was thirsty first, so I grabbed my favorite Minute Maid Tropical Juice. The whole bottle was plastic. I pulled out the Tupperware containing the lasagna I made. Plastic, plastic and more plastic.

I got a little stressed out and decided to take a nap. Maybe I could dream up some ideas to avoid using plastics.

I didn't really sleep on the beach. It was 22 degrees in Georgia this weekend. This is me wishing that my nap was on the beach.

Late Afternoon

I woke up to my plastic phone. Went through my tooth brushing ritual with all my plastic utensils, again.

This time, I decided to go out. I got in the car thinking that I may be home-free from plastics. NOT. I turned the heat on--a plastic nob. I turned the radio on--a plastic faceplate. Then I thought about all the plastics under the hood and on the tires.

DEFEAT, DEFEAT, DEFEAT!

I decided to drive around little bit. At least that way, I wouldn't utilize anymore plastic. Yea, that was my initial thought. I arrived at a stop light and what do you know? It was a plastic mold on the lights held in the air by plastic wiring.

I was awfully close to giving up.

Evening

Since I was so stressed about all this plastic use, I did what any normal college student would do. I found the local tavern.

On the up side, I didn't encounter my opponent, Mr. Plastic, in the bar right away. I'm pretty sure that's a lie, but it sounded good to me.

My drink came in a glass with a plastic straw. I grabbed napkins out of a plastic container. My wings came in a plastic basket.

It was at that very moment that I decided to have a good time and stop thinking about all the plastics. I danced a bit. I ate a lot; probably too much.

Conclusion

On my way home, I really reflected on the day I had. I thought long and hard about the environment and how much we, as humans, take things for granted.

I didn't come up with a conclusion, but I definitely thought critically about all of this. I realized the 'real' challenge comes in trying to diminish plastic use altogether.

In this way, I took the TKO that the plastic challenge gave me. Back to the training room.

Someone wipe my face, please.

NO PLASTIC FOR A DAY?

Goal: Live without plastic products for a day.

Duration: 2 days:

Day 1: Planning

Day 2: Carry out plan

Going about a normal day without plastic products... People used to do it in the past, at least before it was first synthesized, so this should still be possible. All it takes is careful planning the day before. It is very important to focus on the important aspects of the following day and come up with alternatives for plastic products. I focused on food (breakfast, lunch and dinner!), clothing, work, classes, etc. Alternatives for some of these are possible, but some things cannot be avoided....

As a student trying to wake up early and to to work, the light shining through my windows is not enough to wake me up in the morning. I had to set up two alarms, one on my digital alarm clock and the other on my cell phone. But of course, they are both made up of plastics. I barely opened my eyes and already had contact with plastics as soon as I hit the snooze button. Well, that already points to failure. I can't survive without plastics. But the day must go on.

Last night I decided to open up my blinds (made from plastic, of course!) to allow sunlight into the room in the morning. This way I did not have to use artificial lighting or touch the light switch (PLASTIC!). My mornings are usually very hectic. I try to get up, get ready, and run to work. Thankfully, I prepared everything the night before. My clothing did not include any plastic zippers, buttons, or belts, but the sweater was 70% cotton and 30% polyester. This challenge will be harder than I thought! Another thing I cannot avoid is using my glasses. They are made up of plastic, and no compromises can be made. I either wear them, or walk into oncoming traffic. Okay, okay. My eyesight is not that bad, but I do need glasses to help me see well. But the one thing I did not have to worry about right now was using my laptop, because the internet has not been working all weekend. Thanks a lot internet provider! No, really, thank you. With your help, I am able to decrease the amount of plastic I'm using today.

The next problem I encountered was with brushing my teeth. We have established that both the toothbrush and the toothpaste containers are made from plastics. Nothing can be changed.... or can it? I heard people mentioning that they cleaned their teeth with baking soda. After looking up the information online (the day before), I found out that it is in fact a very effective way to clean teeth! However, its chronic use is discouraged (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/brushing-teeth-with-baking-soda.html). Since I do enjoy some light baking, baking soda is always around. Live without plastics, right? Sacrifices must be made....

Well, time was running out, and I had to grab my coat (with plastic lining), backpack (with some plastic on it around the zipper), and snow boots (bottom has plastic) and leave the house. But not before grabbing an apple for breakfast and the plastic container with macaroni and cheese for lunch!

The fastest way for me to get to work is by taking the bus, and with limited time, I didn't have a choice. The bus pass is made up of plastic. Sorry, I'm not going to use my money to pay for the ride just to avoid plastic. I'm not that dedicated. The bus was made up of plastic too. Parts of the outside, as well as the inside (seats, handles, trash container) were made using plastic. There's no way out of this....

I finally arrived at work. Unfortunately, I could not eliminate the use of plastic there. I work in a lab, and I clean mice and rat cages, as well as their water bottles. ALL of the cages are plastic! I also take a plastic cart around the lab to collect the bottles and soak the stoppers from them in a plastic bin filled with bleach (from plastic container) and water. I think it's obvious that I was helpless in this situation.

Classes came next. Out of the three classes I had, I could not eliminate the amount of plastic used in any of them. I always like to use either pens or mechanical pencils to write my notes. I did have to sacrifice the comfort and choose an older writing utensil. One I do not use very often . . . A WOODEN PENCIL . . . Sacrifices must be made. I took a closer look at the lecture hall seats. I believe that those might be lined with plastic. I guess I could stand, but I wouldn't be too comfortable taking notes this way. Also, during one of my lectures I had to use the I-Clicker. Those seem to be almost 100% plastic on the outside.

After that I decided to eat my mac & cheese I've prepared for lunch. Even though I placed it into a plastic container, I avoided using other plastics that I would get when purchasing food from somewhere else. At least this way I can wash and reuse the container.

When all of my classes ended, I finally went home and this time I did not take the bus. However, upon my return, I found out that I would fail at my goal even more. There's a 5 month-old puppy in the house, and it created a mess on the kitchen floor. Let's just say that I needed about three plastic bags to clean it up, a mop, and a plastic bucket. Enough said.

When it was time for homework, plastics kept sneaking up on me. First, the laptop, then textbooks lined with plastic. Also, it is close to impossible to finish chemistry homework without using a calculator. Now, the day isn't quite over yet, and it's obvious that I could not live without plastic products. Plastics are a convenience in our lives: the convenience of storing our food, the convenience of writing homework assignments on a computer, and the convenience of plastic bags used to clean up after a four-legged friend. Our generation cannot survive without plastics. This creation has been made to help with our everyday lives. It's true that plastics have toxic chemicals that are slowly leaking out, but plastic has been deeply rooted in our lives. It was made to help us survive, but it might actually be killing the human population at the same time. This is the greatest irony of all.

By: Agnieszka Podraza

Section 306

Sunday, December 5, 2010: My day in my life without plastics.

Katie Erickson - Section 307

I woke up Saturday morning, ready and eager to begin my day without the use of plastics. However, after I emerged out of my bed, I was unable to use the stool that makes the leap from my lofted bed to the floor a little less painful. After leaping out of my bed, I headed to the bathroom. Within 2 minutes of waking up, I had encountered yet another problem. The toilet paper is hung from plastic rods, so I was already forced to break my no-plastic rule. I washed my hands (unable to use soap or dry my hands, as both containers were made of plastic, and headed back to my room).

Upon entering my room, I went to turn my lights on, but was stopped in the knick of time when I realized that the light switch was made of plastic, so I was forced to rely on light from my window (which is blocked by 2 lofted beds) on a cloudy winter day that consists of few hours of daylight. Looking around my room, I began to wonder what to do. I was unable to use my computer, television, ipod, microwave, refrigerator, or chair, so I decided to eat some breakfast while I pondered my next move. I reached for my cardboard cereal box, but the plastic wrap stood between my much anticipated Golden Grahams cereal and me. I then reached for me oatmeal, but was, yet again stopped by my no-plastic rule when I realized my bowl was made of plastic.

Starving and bored, I headed to Gordon Commons to grab something to eat. I got my usual muffin and attempted to fill up my coffee but was unable to as the spout was made of plastic. I had to break my rule in order to avoid the headache, but compromised with myself by choosing not to use the plastic lid. I went to pay, and realized that I was not carrying cash, so I had to use my plastic WisCard and break the rule. I sat down with my meal, but within minutes my coffee was too cold for my liking. I began to get up to warm up my coffee but was stopped short when I realized that I would not be able to use the microwave as it is made of plastic, so was forced to unhappily gulp down my cold, unappetizing coffee.

Arriving back in my room, I decided to sit on the futon and do some homework. Seconds after sitting down, however, I leaped onto my feet upon the realization that the legs of my futon are made of plastic. I sat on the floor with a piece of paper, glooming at the 4 page paper that loomed ahead of me; the 4 page paper I would be forced to write with a #2 wooden pencil, and not my sacred Macbook. Remarkably upset at the plastic industry and myself, I laid on the floor, debating the option of discontinuing the plastic-use experiment.

After 5 minutes of intense contemplation (it could have been more, as I was not able to use my phone, computer, or microwave to keep the exact amount of time that had passed), I decided to give up. My day that had consisted only of using the bathroom and eating food had already forced me to break the rules, and in my stressed state of mind, I could only imagine the obstacles that lay ahead. The immense amount of plastics that are in my dorm room alone was shocking and quite the eye-opening experience. From this experiment, I am inspired to use other options when they are available, but have also come to the realization that in the modern and fast-moving world our culture demands, it is almost impossible to live without plastic. Because we live in a society that demands low costs and efficiency, plastic is seen literally everywhere, and through my attempts, I can, sadly, admit that I am unable to live without it.

It Turns Out Our University Is Made Almost Entirely of Plastic

Plastics Challenge - Mindy Preston, Sect. 307 (TA: Tiffany Grade)

As an extremely stubborn person willing to do ridiculous things for the flimsiest of reasons, I was excited to see the description of the the Plastics Challenge. I immediately wrote up a list of things I'd have to do without, or try to substitute, on No Plastics Day:

• mechanical pencils
• pens
• elastic
• backpacks
• bicycles with brake cables or derailleurs. Bike helmets too, and lights, and fenders, and...
• raingear
• clothing with synthetic fabrics in it, including every pair of gloves I own
• shoes with plastic grommets or zippers or synthetic insoles
• plastic folders
• softcover books
• public soap and toilet paper dispensers
• pretty much all carpets
• many tables and chairs
• anything soft and cushy (almost all cushions are made from plastic foams)
• my refrigerator and oven
• anything electronic (printed circuit boards are made of plastic)
• wires, and anything that uses them (they have plastic insulators around them)
• my student ID, credit cards, drivers license, and other plastic identifiers

Preparation

With this list in mind, I took some preparatory measures for No Plastics Day. I went through all my clothing and found the least synthetic items I owned. I was able to find shirts and pants made entirely of cotton and wool. I have a pair of leather shoes that just had a pair of plastic shoelace ends, so I snipped those off and tied off the ends. I put some leftovers in a metal bowl, covered it with aluminum foil, and put them out on the porch to stay cool outside the refrigerator. I put some cardboard down over hardwood floor to substitute for my mattress, got another box to use as a pillow, and rounded up some old candles to use for illumination. I couldn't find a blanket that wasn't made of synthetic fabric, so I took the wool lining out of an old coat to use for a blanket. I took a cake of soap and put it in a cotton handkerchief, for hand-washing in places with plastic soap dispensers, and grabbed a roll of toilet paper to carry around. I got ready to walk around all day, rather than bike or take the bus.

I couldn't prepare away my need for a few items without spending money, which I wasn't willing to do. I don't own any all-natural undergarments, so I wore the least-synthetic of these I owned. I need to carry my cell phone because some members of my family are in delicate health, but I did not answer the phone for anyone other than family during No Plastics Day. I couldn't find gloves that didn't have a synthetic fabric lining, so I wore partly-plastic gloves all day rather than lose my hands to frostbite. The coat I wore is either 100% wool with metal accents or 100% scary polyester from the 1970s; I strongly suspect it's the former, but I can't prove it. (That coat also causes random strangers to yell "Hey, Sgt. Pepper!!!" at me, but that's probably not relevant to the Plastics Challenge.)

No Plastics Day

I started No Plastics Day at 8:00 on Sunday night by changing into my plastic-light clothes, lighting some candles, and trying to read a hardcover book. I couldn't get enough light from the candles, so instead I sat around in the dark, playing the bass and then playing Go by myself, waiting to get tired enough to go to sleep. (I also drank a lot of brandy, mostly because it was in a glass bottle. Hey, I'm of age, I can drink alone in the dark if I want.) Eventually I got tired enough to lie down, which cued the third worst night of sleep I have ever had. The floor was really cold, and cardboard is in no way an awesome substitute for a comfortable mattress. My cardboard-box-pillow seemed awesome at first, but it got pretty old after a couple of hours. I was excited when I woke up for the 3,237st time and saw that, finally, it was light out.

I started my day by brushing my teeth with my finger (plastic toothbrush, but my toothpaste comes in a metal tube), looking sadly at my plastic refrigerator, and going out for coffee. I bought everything with cash, but the barista used a plastic cash register to ring me up. While she was hitting buttons, I thought about what constitutes "use" of plastic. Is it cheating if someone else uses it for me? What about if I can't help using it? The lights in the shop were on; music was coming out of a plastic speaker. There's likely PVC plumbing somewhere in the line of water that leads from the water table to the espresso machine. Even if I'm sitting on a wooden stool at a wooden table, drinking coffee out of a ceramic mug and eating a fresh-made sandwich off a real plate, there's still a real sense in which I'm using plastic. Over the course of the day, I looked at a lot of plastic things that convey information; for example, clocks, billboards, and shop window displays. By looking at them, I'm definitely using them, but how can one abstain from that?

Once I went to class, it was even harder to avoid using plastic. My first lecture had wooden seats and tables, but the lecturer uses a projector and a sound system - all pure plastic. The walls are covered in foam noise suppressant. My second lecture had plastic seats and tables; I could have stood awkwardly for the whole power lecture, but instead I sat and balanced my notes on my lap. I spent the middle portion of my day at the Historical Society, which has very little plastic except for its carpets - of course I used them extensively, to wipe the snow and ice off my shoes. I spent a few hours reading there, safely away from most plastic in the renovated Reading Room.

I returned home at about 4:30, and immediately had to clean up some cat vomit. I threw it into a plastic-bag-lined plastic garbage can. I will fully admit that I didn't even think about doing anything else with it, despite having several more hours of No Plastic Day. It would be possible to get a metal trash can and some kind of non-plastic liner, but even if I did, my trash would eventually have to go into the City of Madison's plastic refuse bins for collection. In this case, substitution seems kind of pointless.

After eating my delicious porch-refrigerated leftovers, which I was very glad to see hadn't frozen, I headed back to campus for a club meeting. We met in a plastic-carpeted room with plastic chairs and plastic tables, plastic whiteboards on the walls and plastic whiteboard markers to match. Most people brought their plastic laptops. I had to sharpen my non-plastic pencil, and so I shaved some wood into the plastic-lined plastic garbage bin. Our meeting lasted until 8:00, at which point I was very happy to conclude No Plastics Day by walking over to College Library and checking my e-mail for the first time in a whole day.

I was able to take many steps to avoid plastic use in my own home, but once I ventured out into the broader world, I was done for. The University, especially, presented me plastic at every turn. I expect most corporate environments would be the same - when you're shopping for cost-effective furniture in huge quantities, plastic makes a lot of sense. Considering that most worrying effects are those of chronic exposure, though, seeing plastic everywhere is worrying indeed.

I Pity The Fool Who Uses Plastic (Wait...That's Everyone)

Alright. This is it. The true test. I knew that doing this challenge would be...well...challenging. I had prepared mentally for this task: trying to to use plastic for one whole day. I had decided to try to go one whole Tuesday without using plastic. The only exception I made is that if I was forced to use plastic in my art class, I would because I do not want a participation grade to become in jeopardy. Anyway... here we begin:

The night before the no-plastic day, I had taken off my mattress cover, which was made of plastic. After waking up for class on the cold, bitter Tuesday, I started my non-plastic journey. I rolled out of bed and was going to take a shower. Oh wait...the lining in the shower is plastic. That's okay. It's cold outside and I can just wear a winter hat to cover my disgusting hair. I threw on a pair of socks, jeans, shirt, sweatshirt (which I had made sure did not have plastic coverings on the end of the strings), hiking shoes that were plastic free, and began to get ready for class.

I had my history class first in the morning, which usually requires me using my computer to take notes. So, I made the decision to try something new and take notes in my notebook with NOT A PEN (plastic cover) but with an old-school pencil. I hate these kind of pencils but I did not want to use a mechanical pencil made of that stupid plastic stuff. So, I gathered my schoolwork consisting of notebooks and crappy pencils. Next, I went for my bike...but wait! The brakes are made of plastic, my bike lock contains plastic, and my reflectors contain plastic. That idea goes out the window and I begin to walk quickly to Humanities building. I proceed to get to class with a few minutes to spare. I quickly scan the lecture hall for an open seat that does not contain plastic...not an easy task. I find an old wooden bench in the back and I set up shop there. As lecture begins, I realize that my cold hands could not write down all the notes that fast (luckily my history professor posts the notes online). I look around and look at all the computers with plastic cases, plastic bottles, and I start to wonder if this is a way of life we can all do. Class is over and I proceed to walk home to make some lunch.

When I get home, I get out a glass plate, metal fork, and fork some homemade spaghetti on my plat from my mom which was wrapped in some aluminum foil. I turn around to the microwave. PSYCH! Plastic. I turn to the oven. PSYCH! Plastic knobs. Hmmm...well I then resort to a banana I had bought as well as an apple. I want some water too. PSYCH! Plastic cups. So I just turned the sink on and tilted my head down for some water. Not my idea of a filling lunch to get me through the rest of the day. I proceed to sit on the couch and grab the plastic remote for the television. Not happening. I went to grab my ipod to listen to. Yep...you guessed it...plastic case. So I sat in solitude and ate my banana and apple on the couch. I then went into my roommate's room, vented about my frustrations, maybe shed a tear for all I know, and left in a whirlwind to my next class. It was time to head to my art class which I had feared all day. I had packed my sketch book (no plastic) and supplies bag (contains plastic but need it for every class for participation).

I walk into humanities and proceed to the elevator. You have to be kidding me...plastic buttons. I proceed to take the concrete stairs that lead all the way up to the sixth floor. I then enter the room and wait for my professor to show up. He gives us a lecture about perspective drawings and asks us to take out our sketch books and a pencil. Luckily I brought an ebony pencil (made without plastic). But wait...I had to use a drafting pencil for this exercise to make sure I was precise. There it was. I knew this would happen. It had all come down to this. I had to use this drafting pencil made of plastic. That's what got me. So I reluctantly grabbed my drafting pencil and proceeded with the exercise. I look around at the room, looking at all the plastic cups, bags, and other plastic art supplies and wonder to myself how can plastic consume our life to such a great extent.

After art class, I walked home to get some dinner. I got so frustrated with the challenge I said forget it. I got that spaghetti, stuck it in the microwave, and wolfed it down without thinking twice about using plastic. Although it was only for a couple hours, that was the hardest couple hours of my life. This challenge was certainly eye-opening as to how much plastic is around us. In fact, as of right now, I am typing this on my computer made of plastic, with a plastic case, with a plastic cup holding my pens and pencils by me, with my computer made of plastic, with my plastic drawers on my desk, with my clock made of plastic, with my computer mouse made of plastic, with my hard drive made of plastic, with my lamp made of plastic, with my computer cord containing plastic, with my air freshener made of plastic, with the scissors on my desk made of plastic, and with my desk drawers containing plastic too. It simply is outrageous as to how much plastic just by looking at my desk. I give credit to those people who are conscious about how much plastic they use. This challenge has made me become more conscious about plastic and how I need to start being more eco-friendly.

- Eric Gumm

- TA: Tiffany

-Section: Thursday 3:30 p.m.

Drastic Plastic Failure

So the plastic challenge eh? Hmm sounds virtually impossible to achieve, considering how everything in my plain view right now, as I sit on my couch, at the crib, has been “tarnished” with plastic. I mean I’m not going to lie, humans, including myself use plastic everyday, even when we think we are trying to avoid it. I’m not saying that nobody should try, because I am environmentally conscious and actually do try to recycle, pick up litter, turn off lights and etc. But living without plastic in today’s society is like trying to live without water. You might last a couple miserable days before passing out or dying.
I’ve read a lot of the previous entries and ill admit that people have made valiant efforts to try. Of course no one has honestly successfully achieved the plastic challenge unless they isolated themselves all day outside for 24 house, with nothing to eat except grass and tree leaves, wearing no clothes that had plastic in them, or coming up with any activity that even has the slightest amount of plastic in it. Therefore, I am going to give and honest account of how my last Wednesday unfolded, while I truly tried to go the entire day without plastic.

It was a cold Wednesday morning, actually it was 5:30 am and about 60 degrees in my apartment in the Equinox, in which I pay TOOO DAMMM MUCHHH for this place to be freezing cold. I might as well just go sleep in the lobby or something, dam. But anyways, I woke up to my roommate waking me up off of the floor at 5:30. The cold floor that had no plastics interwoven into it, so BAM its all good, I woke up without plastic. So I purposely don’t turn on the lights and throw some clothes on that I had lying on the floor, I mean you know how us boys keep the college apartment! Then I go to the bathroom sink, where I gargle a little Listerine to get rid of that o’so fresh morning breath. The night before I poured the mouthwash into a paper cup so I could last just that much longer without using plastic. So when I was done with that, I go up to the roommate and tell him, “ Hey bro, I think ill walk to lift this morning.” He looks at me with that morning ‘I-could-careless-look’ and tells me, “Alright Feast, just know that if your late, you know our consequences.” (He’s referring to the fact that if we do not show up on time at 6 a.m for the lift, the whole lift group gets punished. I mean you know how it is, that whole ‘the chain is only as strong as its weakest link’ concept). So I tell him “Don’t worry, it takes 16 minutes to walk from the equinox to the stadium, ill arrive at 5:56 and be ready to go.” So I set down my scooter keys, locked up and got to walking. Now, of course, which most people forgot in their account of their plastic challenge is that their clothes usually have some form of plastic on them, whether it be a button, zipper, or even draw string. But anyways, I arrive at the stadium. I can’t use my key fauve to open the door to the stadium, but luckily the door was open. I arrive at my locker, get changed, and here is where I had to choose between my ass or my class. Quite frankly I’d rather have my ass, so I proceeded to lift for an hour and a half. And Oh, did we use plastic! Plastic bands, plastic cleats, plastic sleds, plastic hurdles, plastic perfect push-ups. To be honest we use way more metal than plastic, so I guess I felt environmentally conscious when I was lifting. However, when we were done, I went to get a plastic cup to fill up with powerade out of a huge plastic dispenser. I went and grabbed some ice in a plastic bag, then went to shower, where I used soap out of a plastic dispenser. Then I proceeded to put my sweaty clothes on a plastic loop, which is thrown into a plastic bin.
So, here I am 8:00 am and im exhausted, without a scooter to get to class which starts at 8:50. So I slowly walk to my philosophy class, which took about 30 minutes due to the slowed pace and cold conditions. I show up in class about 20 minutes early and sit down in the back and decide to close my eyes for a second. Next thing I know, the class is midway through the lecture! So, I pull out my laptop and I think to myself, wow great, this is plastic. So I put it away and turn to my friend and ask him to email the notes to me. Him, being the nice guy he is, emails the notes to me and takes care of that problem.
The class bell rings and everyone scrambles out. I casually make my way out and begin my journey to math. Midway through this journey I realize, like many college students do, that I really don’t feel like going to class! So I continue my walk, passing Van Vleck, and just head to the stadium to go to sleep. I arrive at the stadium and go straight to the locker room and pass out on the couches. I proceed to sleep for 4 or more hours without any plastic interference. I wake up to go to our meetings that begin at 2. We do sit in plastic chairs in front plastic tables for our meetings, where we are forced to take notes with plastic pens into our plastic binders, while watching a plastic projector cast an image on a plastic whiteboard. So yes, there was another epic fail.
Moving on, after 2 hours of ridiculously monotonous meetings, we have to get dressed for practice. It was at this point where I came to a conclusion that it really is impossible to go without plastic, especially in football. My helmet, my shoulder pads, my thigh pads, my jersey, my pants, my ankle braces, my shoes, my gloves, the tackling dummies, the tackling pads, the indoor goalpost, and pretty much everything is made from plastic! And yes, I went to practice!
To make a long story short, I simply gave up after practice. I double scooted home, sat down on the couch, turned on my T.V and my Xbox, went on my laptop, blasted music, brushed my teeth, and went to bed.
Yes I’ve come to realize that I use plastic way more than I have too. However, I would also like to point out that plastic has an extremely integral part of our lives. To be honest, he innumerable and beneficial uses of plastic outweigh any environmental concern that we may have. Of course there are sometimes when plastic could be replaced with wood or metal, but that is simply a capitalistic problem, in which plastic is ten times cheaper than wood or metal. Until people are more environmentally concerned, or until something drastic happens, I feel as if people will not go out of their way to change their habits to inconvenience themselves. I know this view seems pessimistic, but I’m a realist. What I have learned from this class is that every individual effort to save our environment counts, so I can encourage my friends and family to be more eco-friendly!
-Darius Feaster signing out
-I am in Peter Boger's Friday Section at 11 a.m.