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I survived. I'm changed. No, really.
In case you didn't catch my post last week on our plastic free week, it's over. I did it! Well, truth be told, I almost did it. Which is definitely better than not doing it at all because I am changed. Call me post-plastic.
What did I do? Survived seven days without buying anything made of or packaged in plastic. I used plenty of plastic we already own, mind you, that made the week a whole lot easier. I also roped my husband and live-in cousin to do it, too.
Why? Simple: the great Pacific garbage patch.
Was it hard? Not really. But we did go without a few things as a result: among them sliced sandwich bread, because it seems to go hand-in-hand with its signature plastic bag, yogurt, and bulk items when I brought too few reused plastic bags. And cauliflower. Because it's white, it gets wrapped in plastic so it doesn't get bumped and ugly in transit. Who knew? My sense is that it gets easier over time because you learn what stores have the things that make it easier: bulk pasta, local produce, and ceramic coffee mugs, to name a few.
Of course, seven days isn't long enough to bump into real denial. Need new Crocs, get 'em next week (they're made of a resin called 'croslite,' not rubber as I had hoped). But, the longer you do it, the more alternatives you find. They're out there, and thanks to Beth of Fake Plastic Fish, they're listed all in one convenient place!.
Now what? I plan to focus on all that low-hanging fruit since, uh, I hadn't exactly plucked it yet. We all know to do it, but of course knowing is not acting, and doing it when convenient or you happen to remember (my old way) is far different than committing to it. Bringing your own grocery bags seems so e-a-s-y, so obvious, so yesterday's environmentalism. But if we're not all doing it, then it's still today's job.
Theories of behavioral change tell us that we're less likely to tackle the big stuff (solar house, selling the car) if we've not yet overcome the small stuff. So, for starters I'm going to stick with the small stuff, but in a committed way. Meaning... I'll walk back to the car to get my reusable bag, not buy the saran-wrapped bagel (for freshness!), and buy bulk food in my own reused/reusable bags. I will always bring my own reusable coffee cup, even though I'm not fond of lugging around the used ones. And I'm even going to try making our own yogurt, which, between you and me, is a little out there for me. We'll call it medium high fruit.
A mere week changed my habits and really bolstered my commitment. And it felt good. In one small way I'm closer to aligning my actions with my beliefs. So go ahead, commit to really use all those cloth bags you have, buy a few reusable produce bags, and show the world that you're the boss of how your family interacts with plastic, not manufacturers and retailers.
Some tips for success. Prepare ahead and shop where you can succeed. Not your forte? Mine either! But because most of our retail stores depend heavily on plastic to protect, showcase, and transport products, you have to arrive prepared - meaning find and bring the right alternatives. Make it on easy on yourself and shop where you'll find low-plastic items and staff will accommodate your requests ('can I get that to go in my own container?').
My plan? Keep an unplastic box in our car trunk containing a few simple but important items: reusable grocery bags, used plastic or reusable produce bags, a few reusable coffee mugs, and some eating utensils (I ate once with my hands last week to avoid a plastic to-go fork and prefer utensils, personally). Nothing hi-tech, all critical.
Anything profound about this? For me, yes. I realized that buying local is a good idea for yet another reason: transport = plastic. That eating fresh also = less plastic. That asking for the unplastic version raises consciousness ('can I get that cheese in my reused ziplock, please?'). I also ate in instead of taking out, which improved our week in a slow-food kind of way.
In the end, I came to see plastic as symbolic of our obsession with convenience, our hurried lives, and disconnection from the source of things. I also realized that making change doesn't have to mean going without. It just means going about it differently.
Wanna learn more? Get inspired by the pros! Check out Fake Plastic Fish and Life Less Plastic. It feels good to finally just do it, instead of just talking about it, already.
Come on, you do it! Tell you what, if you can get your family to do this for a week, let us know. We'd love to share your story.
I'm traveling for work this week and have been "forced" to go coffee free since I left my resusable mug at home. It's certainly tempting to grab the styrofoam cup and some free coffee but I'm trying to much more conscience of convienence items that I can truly do without.
As a follow-up, I pledged to use reusable bags on Change.org. Go ahead, take the pledge. They say when you sign (ok, type) on the dotted line, you're more likely to actually DO it. It's here: http://tinyurl.com/6jlvk2. Plus, you can invite your friends. I did.