Living plastic-free

EnviroWoman has just finished YearTwo of living the NoNewPlasticPledge. 2008 plastic consumption weighs in at  meager .42 kg, that’s less than 1 pound. About the same as my YearOne usage.

I’m proof positive it can be done. And if I can do it, so can everyone else.

But will EnviroWoman take the pledge for a third year? 

Bravo if you’ve made a New Year’s Resolution to reduce the amount of plastic in your life. Now that I'm in YearTwo of Living Plastic Free I thought I'd share EnviroWoman’s Top 10 ways to reduce plastic, based on a year’s worth of experience. So here's Tip#1...

How do I know I’m a WhackedOutEcoFreak?There’s a pile of plastic garbage in my living room.

And that’s because not only did I keep all the plastic I let into my life during 2007 (the wee pile on the right, (also known as The2007PlasticShrine, 1 lb 3 oz, also shown here in greater detail), but I also kept all the plastic that was in my life as of Dec 31st 2006 which I continued to use and which is now ready for recycling (the huge pile on the left, also known as 2006Plastic, 24 lbs, 9 oz, ).

I’ve finished YearOne of living the NoNewPlastic pledge. Here’s a picture of the plastic shrine which represents all the new plastic I let into my life during 2007 which is now all used up and ready for recycling or the trash.

To be honest, it’s way, way more than I thought I’d accumulate. I naively thought I’d slam the gates shut on new plastic during 2007, and there would be ZERO plastic in the Shrine. Alas, it was amazing how much snuck into my life. And even more surprising was discovering how many things include plastic which you never really think about - like polyester, nylon and spandex in clothing, and those nasty plastic liners in tin cans.

Here are EnviroWoman’s 2007 Plastic Consumption Stats...