Living plastic free: PROGRESS REPORT FEBRUARY

I’ve finished my second month living plastic free in 2007. Although January was a big adjustment, February was much easier. Maybe it’s just the calm before the storm. The reality is, the ‘big’ choices have yet to hit…like car oil, toilet paper, prescription bottles. I've added a few MAJOR and MINOR sins this month to the plastic shrine (see pic at right), but not too much in comparison to the Progress Report for January.

There’s been some good fortune this month.... I lucked out and discovered a Dan-d-Mart in my neighborhood that has a good supply of bulk-bin foods. I now faithfully make the trek every weekend with my chinese-take-out boxes to stockpile on nuts, soy cheese, and pasta.

There’s been a few challenges this month too – buying and wrapping a birthday gift for a 5 year old (wow, almost everything in kiddie-land is made or packaged in plastic), and then there was bringing food-to-share at a brunch with the GIRRRLLLSSSS!  

There’s been some aggravation this month. It really bums me out when other people bring plastic into my life, which I feel still counts as an EnviroWoman MINOR SIN. Like the fellow who delivered an original piece of art to me – that had plastic wrap on each corner – damn!  Or when I went for an annual physical and the doctor used one of those disposable black plastic caps for the thingy-mi-bobber-scopes used to examine your ears.

There’s been one ‘everyone grab a shovel’ moment. David Suzuki on the Vancouver leg of his If you were Prime Minister Tour commented on the use of plastic bags, and how unconsciously we have all accepted them into our lives. Admittedly, for 99.8% of the people in the audience his comment was slightly less momentous than the opening of an umbrella. But to EnviroWoman it was like a small victory (not that I am so pathetically deluded to think I had anything to do with it) but I hope it got people thinking. Cuz, hons, we gotta move a mountain here to stop this global warming stuff, so everyone better grab a shovel.

Okay, okay. There’s even been at least one ‘intelligence of a shoelace’ moment this month too. One day I was shopping for veggies with my faithful wire shopping basket, only to realize at the checkout that the green beans I had lovingly deposited in my basket ‘sans plastic bag’ seemed to have magically evaporated like the morning dew…Alas, I had left a hanzel-and-gretel trail of the wee emerald gems all throughout the store. (Sorry SafewayGuy)

I don’t think I have anything to add to the lessons I’ve learned this far. But here it is, my sweets, just to keep me honest, an account of my SINs for the month of February.

MINOR SINS for February 2007

A MINOR SIN is when EnviroWoman buys a SAINT product that (gasp) have wee bits of plastic parasitically implanted in them (like those Octopus-like-larvae in Aliens, that jump on your face, implant a tentacle into your guts and suck the life-blood right outta ya). We’re talking labels, zippers, those little T-shaped bits of plastic that attach the price tag to clothes, etc., MINOR SINs will added to the plastic shrine when they have been used up and are ready for recycling

• The little black plastic cap covering the thingy-mi-bobber ear-scope
• The four plastic corners on a piece of artwork
• tampon wrappers (close your eyes boys

MAJOR SINs for February 2007

This is when EnviroWoman falls right offa the bandwagon and buys or uses new plastic, flagrantly throwing her morals (and resolution) to the wind and thereby putting the future of Mother Earth in jeopardy. This may occur when (A) a cruelty-free (first priority) non-plastic (second priority) replacement cannot be found in EnviroWoman’s realm. Or it may occur because (B) the allure of the pretty plastic thingy reduces EnviroWoman’s will power to that of a lima bean. MAJOR SINs will added to the plastic shrine after they have been used up and are ready for recycling.

• Dove Clear Essentials deodorant (A) (I just couldn’t stand sweating and stinking, and all the non-plastic varieties I tried failed miserably).

Challenges Ahead: As current supplies are dwindling I’m starting to hunt for the following non-plastic/packaged items:

• Toilet paper (looking for janitorial supply wholesaler willing to sell retail)
• Face/eye cream
• Hair conditioner

If you have any suggestions where I can find these items, please post a comment.