Day 1: It is not easy in the modern world to go without any
plastic products. This material is so deeply woven into the fabric of society
that we have come to depend on it over the natural alternatives of the past.
Upon hearing about this assignment I began to think about how my day would
change. The biggest part I needed to plan for was my eating arrangements. Food
companies now try to package nearly everything once or more so I needed to plan
to eat fresh food from the supermarket. I do not do this often so just in case
I decided to get fancy I downloaded a cookbook app for my ipad. In the past I
have never been much of a cook so this would be my biggest challenge. I tend to
be a convenience oriented buyer, so another challenge for me was to steer clear
of convenience stores unless I was purchasing a can of soda. For breakfast I
ate at Suomi’s Restaurant as it was on my walk to school. There was no problem
here except that I knew I would not be able to take any extra food home. My day
went on pretty normally, I made sure to only write in pencil or an expensive
pen. When I stirred my coffee I was unable to use the plastic stir sticks which
were available and instead I used my pencil. Towards the end of the day I was
getting hungry and decided to eat at the dining hall. Here I did not have to
worry about using disposable plastics at all. Later that night, my friends and
I were hanging out and I needed a light for my cigarette. My friend was about
to light me up when I told him no, I cannot use his BIC lighter due to my
experiment. So, he used his refillable butane torch and that was the end of
that. My walk home did not consume any plastic and neither did my preparation
for bed. Day one was not too bad.
: 2 day plastic use by my family
: an easy alternative to this problem. Recycle!
Day 2: Today was much like the last. Luckily I am not much
of a breakfast person so when I woke up late and had to run out the door it was
ok. On my walk into school I decided to pass on breakfast as I was short on
time. After my first class I went to the dining halls and did not come across a
temptation to use discardable plastic. This is my favorite thing about the
dining halls. The convenience is unmatched and the quality is not that of a
convenience store. After that I had a few classes in which I needed to barrow a
pencil as all I had was a pen. Luckily I was very preoccupied with school these
last two days so I did not do much other than type and write with my pencil.
Upon entering the biology learning center I was about to help myself to a
complimentary cup of coffee when I noticed all they had were Styrofoam cups.
This was against my experiment so I had to turn it down. Instead I walked over
to the MUB and got myself a Redbull. After consuming my drink I recycled it in
a school bin. I left campus sort of late that day, missed my ride home and was
faced with walking home in the cold.
Overall this challenge made me realize that I am too busy
with school lately. Reading other people’s blog entries I see many other
instances of using plastic simply because others were out and about more than
myself. If I were on a normal day, I am sure I would have used more discardable
plastics. One instance I later realized was that when I showered and brushed my
teeth in the morning, I could not help but use the discardable plastics the
cleaning supplies were in. At least I did not have to discard them this time
around. I know that I use lots of these plastics. Even though Houghton does not
recycle, I keep a pile going for when I can stop at campus and dump it with
them.
No comments:
Post a Comment