In and Out of Control
Plastic Free Challenge: Entry 3
For a week I have been challenging myself to live without any single use plastics. I’m failing. Let’s just be honest here. I feel like a fish trying to swim up a waterfall. Technically, it’s possible. Realistically, this all-consuming effort takes up so much of my time and energy that I have become completely exhausted. This lifestyle requires a whole new infrastructure for the way we live life.
It Takes a Village…
Eliminating plastic from your life requires the support of your family and friends. Beyond that, it requires the support of all of your professional connections and other weak ties.
I was out for lunch with some new contacts when I ordered water and the waiter brought me a plastic bottle. I had two options. I could break the flow of conversation, tell my whole story about trying to go plastic free, call the waiter, try to explain to him why I didn’t want the water, and ask for tap water. Or I could just drink the water and continue enjoying my conversation. Maybe I’m not bold enough, but I didn’t even consider the first option.
Gifts and surprises from loved ones are usually some of the sweetest joys in life. Right now, they’re not. Please don’t buy me food, drinks, or gifts of any sort. I might shed a tear, express my gratitude, and give it back to you.
Developing my Plastic Clairvoyance
I’m working on developing a whole new skillset which centers around predicting when people are going to give me plastic. I was duped when ordering a nice drink at a restaurant and it was brought to me with a plastic straw. Why are people putting straws in my classy cocktails anyway?
It is also difficult to predict when there might be plastic hiding inside something else. There are obviously many reasons why people look at me strangely when I’m at the store these days, but one of them is because every time there are dry goods in a paper box, I shake the box to try to figure out if there is a plastic bag inside or not. Depending on what you buy, sometimes there’s not, and this is always cause for excitement!
Plastic is also not always in such obvious forms. It’s tricky to figure out if something is truly plastic or not when there are so many different types of mixed materials and paper look-alikes such as laminated paper and Tetra-paks.
It’s Out of (My) Control
There are so many aspects of this experiment that are out of my control. Plastic is part of an extensive ecosystem that touches every part of manufacturing, transportation, and consumption. With a slightly obsessive personality and a fierce dedication to the cause, I believe it’s possible to figure out ways to get everything that you need to survive without using plastic. However, any single individual can’t do this perfectly and live in peaceful coexistence with society.
I would estimate that I have decreased my plastic consumption by about 80%. No matter how imperfect, that’s still something to be proud of.
