Plastic Challenge
Ever since Bakelite, that famous first plastic developed in the early 1900's, plastics have steadily crept into our daily lives. The properties of plastics make them suitable for a wide range of practical and creative endeavors. Nearly every item in a modern household has at least some plastic component to it. The usefulness of plastic appears endless.
But the life of plastics, it seems is also endless. As we buy more products made with plastic or packaged in plastic, we actively contribute to its propagation. Despite our best efforts to recycle, most plastic still ends up in landfills, as litter all across the country, or in the ocean, accumulating, for example, in circular currents. There are two well-known areas, referred to as The Western and Eastern Pacific Garbage Patches. The refuse, 90% plastics, circulates mostly below the water's surface. The mass of each has estimated to be larger in size than the state of Texas.
Plastic decomposition is an oxymoron. While plastics break down, they do not necessarily return to any
elemental organic form. They largely break down into smaller pieces of themselves, and then become more diffuse environmental contaminates. Plastic does re-enter the food chain, as plastic. Tiny nutritionless nurdles of plastic, consumed by fish, for instance, will end up on our plates, as say a delectable grilled halibut garnished with a sensuous mango chutney, accompanied by a dry wine, in the relaxing atmosphere of a candlelit evening. Consuming plastic has never been so pleasant...
We here at One Earth One Design have decided to take a step toward eliminating plastic from our daily lives. We have given ourselves and our employees a challenge for the month of June. The objective is to not bring home new plastics. We are going to document our shopping trips: alternative choices to avoid buying a plastic product or a product packaged in plastic, obstacles and encounters that we have while making these choices, and ways we found to communicate the need for plastic elimination to the stores we frequent. It is a daunting task. How much can someone sacrifice and change from a long established, comfortable pattern that is socially embedded?
Stay tuned for updates to our adventures here on our website. Follow along with us, or even better, take the challenge with us and let us know your results! Email your own triumphs and tribulations: info@oneearthonedesign.com.
Here's to liberation from plastic!
Sandy Campbell, Interior Designer, Owner
Vickie Bona, Administrative Manager
The Adventures of Our Search for Plastic Alternatives
| 7/22/08 | FYI - PCC sells fabulous re-usable bags for produce! They come in several sizes, including a generous one that fits two heads of lettuce. There are two styles made out of either nylon netting or cotton. You don't need to use another plastic bag again for produce from the store or farmer's market. The smaller ones are great for bulk foods as well and keep your trail mix from getting that plastic bag/soft musty feeling when you are on the go! They also have small cotton bags (re-usable tea bags) just big enough for a scoop of your favorite spice. They are all very easy to wash - the nylon ones dry in an instant! They won't keep your lettuce or greens from wilting in the fridge - so definitely remove them from the bags when you get home and pop your greens in the crisper or wrap them in a damp paper towel (if you dampen the paper towel with white vinegar you will prevent mold/rot as well -this is a great trick for keeping bulk cheeses fresh longer too!) JH |
| 6/10/08 | Ate out at a local restaurant. I wanted to bring my leftovers home, and sadly, they brought me out a Styrofoam container. Should have brought my ToGo Ware! NG |
| 6/12/08 | Needed burger buns to feed mass amount of people. All appropriate bread came packaged in plastic. I bought it because I needed to please my guests. NG |
| 6/13/08 | Went to supermarket to buy toilet paper. They only carried rolls in plastic wrappers. Needed the toilet paper, so I bought it anyway. NG |
| 5/1/08 | Bought computer software. Computer products are almost always packaged in too much plastic. DVDs, CDs and other entertainment products are difficult. |
| 5/1/08 | Compared different software companies: AutoDesk which makes Architectural/Design software put this statement on the pkg: "AutoDesk is committed to sustainablility. This packaging is made out of 25% post consumer waste recycled paper." Which is nice for the paper insert in the plastic DVD case, but I felt they could go a lot further. Need more than 25% recycled content for the paper, and what about recycled or biodegradable plastic? I think we should challenge them to increase their "commitment to sustainability". However, they are doing more than other computer software companies.... KH |
| 5/1/08 | The Adobe product came in a heavy plastic DVD case, which was also shrink wrapped, double the plastic. Not necessary. Photoshop is a great product but the packaging was not really thought out. KH |
| 5/1/08 | In terms of plastic packaging, my Microsoft product used the least plastic and packaging. It came in a simple sleeve, the kind that are in CD booklets. It was plastic, but it was thin, compact, and minimal. It protected the CD but didn’t overpackage it. The only thing I could suggest for them was maybe switching to cardboard, recycled paper sleeves instead of the plastic one. Microsoft and Autodesk are making an effort, where the others arent thinking about plastic use. |
| 5/1/08 | I have a Guilty pen drawer. LOL. I like colored ball point pens, I use a lot and I like to use different colors on different tasks it helps me to organize and remember things. But I cant ever bring myself to throw the old pens away because I feel bad for tossing plastic- and there are tons of empty pens in this drawer. If anyone knows how I can recycle those or refill them easily...Maybe someone could corner the market in refurbished pens. KH |
| 5/3/08 | Soup vs. Coffee. Why is my soup which is hot and liquid come in a cardboard/paper container with a cardboard lid and my coffee comes in a paper cup with a PLASTIC lid? Is there really a reason coffee lids are plastic if hot soup gets a paper lid? Even if you cant compost the paper cups coated with wax they still break down faster than plastic! I personally dont think a few hours sipping out of the coffee cup is going to break down the cardboard. There are ways to make this item non-plastic. No one does it or markets it, I guess...still I wanted a soup lid with a hole for my coffee. No lid is better, but lets be honest, no one likes coffee stains on their clothes or on their upholstry. Make cardboard lids coated in wax or something. KH |
| 5/17/08 | Iced Coffee- guilty pleasure. More trouble in coffee land. :) Iced coffee cups are plastic. They don’t really get recycled often even though they are usually made of a #1 or some recyclable plastic. Why not? Maybe it’s the milk content, maybe its just no one has a container to collect them. Maybe no one wants to deal with those. I havent found a coffee place yet that offers a to-go solution that isnt plastic for iced drinks. Bring your own container I guess. But there is opportunity out there to invent something new...KH |
| 5/22/08 | Vacations- Airports: not made to be plastic free. Bad News: most snacks and water etc. are plastic at airport eateries. Good News: SeaTac and other major airports (Oakland does this too) have recycling containers available to separate waste. Still, airports must generate tons and tons of plastic waste. Especially since convenience is part of what they do. Airports are temporary places. What can they do to reduce waste and still give their customers handy ways to take things on the go? KH |
| 5/22/08 | Its easy to forget not to use bottled water when flying. I don’t drink much water normally but on planes, I do. I could take only the water they provide, but its often bottled or comes in a plastic cup. I think they throw those away. I could bring a container, but who knows if it complies with TSA safety. I guess I could not fill it before going through security but I dont know. Its not set up to be easy. A lot of planning and thinking and timing goes into water. Seems like a problem we shouldnt have to worry about. Maybe airlines could use real tableware. Im sure they did in the old days....KH |
| 5/22/08 | Indian restaurant in San Francisco- first restaurant Ive been to that had cardboard/paper fiber to-go boxes. We used to go there all the time, and before they had styrofoam. They changed. I was happy. Nothing about that visit contained plastic. All the tableware is china, metal, glass, etc. No plastic was invloved and it was delicious. KH |
| 5/1/08 | manufacturer representative brought us some literature in vinyl binders - we moved the literature to one of our RE-BINDERs and gave them back the vinyl binder to reuse.SC |
| 5/1/08 | went to the deli to get some organic chicken - asked to wrap the chicken in the wax paper only - no plastic. SC |
| 5/1/08 | purchased produce - just put the produce in my basket - did not use plastic bags. SC |
| 5/2/08 | wanted to buy cut flower at a grocery store - they were all wrapped in plastic so I did not purchase any. SC |
| 5/4/08 | went to the deli at PCC - they typcially use plastic containers but you can ask for biodegradable containers. They aren't seal proof but if you are eating the food right away or transfering it to another container it works great. SC |