Backwards Living

My day without plastic was definitely an eye opener to say the least. I chose to do my experiment on Friday thinking I would be able to manage this challenge. Knowing my alarm clock was pretty much all plastic I convinced my roommate to help me out and turn it off for me in the morning. He wasn’t too happy about this. My next challenge was to eat breakfast without using the toaster, refrigerator, or microwave. I opted to go with a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios with a fork because my spoons are made with plastic. From there I took off the case to my cell phone and started praying I wouldn’t drop it throughout the day.

I usually ride my bike to class on Fridays but had to walk because portions of my bike were plastic. On my way out of my apartment I chose to take the stairs down avoiding the plastic elevator buttons. After finally getting to class I started taking notes but then remember my pencil was plastic. Since I didn’t have a non-mechanical pencil, I asked my friend who was sitting next to me.

When I went to lunch I had to use cash instead of my debit card. The challenge of day was trying to stay hydrated. Not only could I not drink my soda, I had a hard time drinking anything. I usually carry one to two Gatorade or plastic water bottles with me at all times. This meant I had to wait until I got home to drink out of a glass cup. The rest of the day wasn’t too bad but the experiment became annoying after have to question everything you touch.

The plastic challenge brought together everything we have learned about in class and put it into practical implications. Though I could not avoid every single plastic item such as not wearing my shoes, I definitely thought I did a pretty good job trying to make it through the day without any plastics.

Alex Kay (Discussion 302)