The Verdict is In: You Cannot do Much Without Plastic

This Saturday the 4^th of December was the best possible day for my plastics challenge. I was getting over a cold and had just spent the past few days prepping for tests in other classes, so I set out to do as little as possible. Waking up at 1pm helped my low-activity day to work perfectly; however, I noticed that I had already lost the plastics challenge upon waking up, as there are nylon tags on my sheets and pillow, as well as elastics on one sheet and I assume there’s plastic in the mattress somewhere. I dressed in boxers with elastic linings but did not war socks for that reason; and jeans and a t-shirt, plastic free albeit the plastic tags. For breakfast, I ate cereal (out of its plastic and cardboard packaging) in a ceramic bowl with a metal spoon, and then I brushed my teeth with a plastic toothbrush (in the name of hygiene). I then proceeded to read for my courses on a fabric futon with a metal frame. I had to read only from my vast collection of course books as opposed to my countless collection of online articles as there’s plastic in my computer. I would like to add that I was cell-phone free, and it felt pretty good. To blow my nose I used a roll of toilet paper, as it didn’t have a plastic lining on it like all tissue-boxes do. I read into the night, and even resisted the strong urge to play Xbox, which is almost entirely composed of plastic. For dinner, I made spaghetti on electric burners with plastic knobs but ate without other plastic items. I went to bed at midnight, exhausted from being so well read for once.

This Saturday opened my eyes to how much of our world and lifestyles are dependent on plastics. I barely did anything all-day and still could not escape them! Then again, the absence of plastics did help me to focus on my coursework that has never been possible for me. I learned my material cold, reading free from the distractions of music, videogames, and the Internet, all of which have been key components of my life thus far. It’s incredible to think of a world without plastics. I imagine it as a much calmer, down-to-earth place where people could focus a little better and feel more in-tune with their surroundings.

Matthew Liguori
Wishart 311