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