Plastics Challenge

Steven Szkolnik

TA Peter Boger

December 4th, 2010 is a day I will never forget. This is the day I conducted the plastics challenge! It was a challenging yet rewarding day. I started off my Saturday morning by waking up to my alarm at 9:30 AM. However, I was not able to turn off my alarm clock because it is made of plastic. I left my room to a buzzing alarm clock that kept ringing the whole day. Needless to say, my roommate was not too thrilled with me when I returned to my room after breakfast. I went down to the cafeteria for breakfast. As soon as I entered the dining hall, I knew I would be experiencing some issues. The only thing I could use was the silverware. I looked around to see what I could take from the buffet selection, but the eggs, sausage, and pancakes were all kept in plastic containers. The only thing available was bread, which was laid out on a wicker basket. I was about to put the break in the toaster, but I was unable to do so because the toaster contained plastic. I was also unable to put any toppings on my bread, because they were kept in plastic containers as well. My nutritional breakfast of that morning consisted of two pieces of plain bread. After my delicious breakfast, I went back to my room to find my angry roommate who had turned off my alarm clock and went back to bed. I looked around my room to see what I could touch and what I could not touch. My computer, cell phone, and toothbrush were all off limits. I could not brush my teeth at all because my toothpaste was in a plastic tube. I ended up taking a shower, but I could not use shampoo or conditioner. I only used soap to wash my body. The shower took all of 5 minutes. I dried off, but could not comb my hair or put on deodorant. I could not turn on the television either, so I ended up going back to sleep for another hour. When I woke up, I decided to go outside and go for a walk. Even though my shoes and clothes contain some plastic, I could not avoid putting them on. I ended up going for a 2 hour walk, which was very wonderful on the cold, brisk day. By the time I got back, I went back to the cafeteria for lunch, where I had two more pieces of bread for lunch. I went back up to my room and did homework for a few hours. I couldn't avoid opening my books with their plastic covers, but instead of using pens, I used pencils. I also used natural lighting from my window. By the time I finished doing school work, it was 4 o'clock. For the rest of the afternoon, I took a stroll down State Street with some friends, looking at clothing and other items that were up for sales. It was a very fun time. At 7 o'clock, I came back to my dorm for dinner where I had two more pieces of bread. I came back up to my room at 7:45 PM. I went to my bed, read a book for a few hours, and then went to bed at 9:30 PM.

While this day was very challenging, it was very rewarding. The plastics challenge forced me to go outside and get some good exercise. I also got to see some pretty great scenery. Instead of wasting my day on the computer or on my cell phone, I did all of my homework, walked on State Street, and did some leisurely reading. However, the plastics challenged really limited my diet and hygiene for the day. My meals consisted of bread, and I could not brush my teeth, or wash my hair.

At the end of the day, I felt very happy and proud of my accomplishments during the plastics challenge. The plastics challenger certainly raised my awareness to how much plastic humans use every day. It is very dangerous to the environment, and we should change our lifestyles immediately.