Monday, January 3, 2011

2011: Year sans Plastic

Plastics Commitment
I, Sarah-Mae Nelson, pledge to stop purchasing stupid plastic. Understanding that plastic is an innovation that has made life healthier and less expensive for many people, I want to show that it is not always a good thing but it is not a “bad” thing either.

Since plastic is meant to last forever, single use plastic is an oxymoron. I do not want to use single-use plastic. I understand that some single-use plastic may be inescapable. If I cannot escape it, I will atone for its purchase by…
• contacting product manufacturers and asking them to seek alternatives
• spending 15 minutes doing clean-up for each item I cannot avoid
• keeping all plastic that I cannot avoid and creating a visual representation of my plastic consumption at the end of the year
• blogging about my experiences during this plastic-free year

I will continue to use the plastic that I already own (have already consumed). It lasts forever and for the most part can only be down-cycled. If plastic that I already own can no longer be used, I will keep it to include in the end of year visual representation.

I want to be healthier and this means eliminating bisphenol-a (BPA) from my body. I can only do this through eliminating BPA-contaminated food. I have a family history of thyroid problems and BPA has proven to be a major endocrine disruptor (among other things).

I want to conserve animals and the oceans and this means reducing marine debris. A huge component of marine debris is single use plastic.

I want to educate people that while single use plastic should be generally eliminated from consumer products, not all of it is “bad.” The value of health and life is greater than the moral refusal of a plastic water bottle to a dehydrated person.

Statement of Purpose
I want to show people this can be done and is easier than they think. It is just about choices.

Things I Have Thought About
Since I decided to do this (a little more than two months ago) I have been contemplating all the places that plastic touches my life. Here are a few I have considered and made action plans for…

• BPA lined cans
• Food in plastic bags
• What about bread? Do I make my own?
• What about cheese? Can I buy it at a deli?
• Food with plastic windows
• Single use items
• Glass bottles with plastic caps
• Cat food cans
• Cat litter bags
• Garbage bags
• What do you do if something is gifted to you?
• What about eating out at restaurants?
• Medication bottles
• Medications with bubble packs vs. bottles (non-recyclable vs. recyclable)
• Tooth brush heads
• Reuse items
• Clothing
• Energy bar and candy bar wrappers
• Deodorant
• Cleaning supplies
• What about bio-degradable plastics?
• What about work-related items?
• Tape?
• Shoes?
• Dating?
• Car repair
• Oil
• Gasoline
• Credit cards?
• Medical Emergencies
• Band-aids
• Sunscreen
• Chapstick
• Makeup
• Lotion/moisturizer

Stuff I Hope to Do (or Write About)
• Get my community involved - I need support to make this a success
• Keep running list of direct actions others can take
• Talk about how the costs are not visible, how can we make it visible
• Show others a place to start. I didn’t start here.
• Keep a running list of inescapable items
• Discussions about alternatives
• What makes sense, what doesn’t make sense
• Send and share letters to companies about plastic packaging
• Create a volunteer shift plastics challenge
• Write about Makana (the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Laysan albatross)

3 comments:

  1. Just yesterday, I was wondering about doing something with my plastic lunch containers (e.g., tupperware). Specifically, I don't want to use them (and especially not in the microwave), since they aren't labeled as BPA-free. But my ceramic bowls are not practical for daily shuffle to and from work.
    Are there any light-weight, non-plastic bowls (preferably with lids!) designed for storage and reuse?

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  2. There are lots of BPA-free containers that are coming out onto the market now. I just use my glass containers - they are kind of heavy but I know they are good to go. I also have my To-Go Ware mess kit that is stainless steel. I can use this to shuttle food in and then re-heat it on a plate at work.

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  3. My fav on this list is "dating". Definitely a single-use plastic endeavor (for some of us)! LOLOLOL ;-D

    I applaud this fabu mission and have frequently found myself contemplating my plastic consumption since our convo at the aquarium. It's so hard! But I am so encouraged and I hope that I can begin to shift my own habits in my observation of you shifting yours. Good luck!

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