PROGRESS REPORT: Year One

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.

EnviroWoman’s 2007 Plastic Consumption Stats:

• 1 lb, 3 oz: total weight of new plastic added to the plastic shrine in 2007. Let's make an 'apples to apples' comparison...every man, woman and child on the planet consumes ~200 pds each year.. And that’s probably much higher if you consider just us plastic-addicted FirstWorld consumers. My guess is that average stat doesn’t include things like paint, and clothing (polyester, nylon, etc). So, I wasn't really sure how to factor in the paint I used. Afterall, it's on the walls, so I can't really add it to the shrine. So I added (but didn't weigh) the paint cans all used up to date (about 19 liters, with another 42 liters still to use in 2008)

• 0: number of plastic bags EnviroWoman consumed in 2007. Average earthling – 150 bags, average Australian 326, average American 552 to 1267 (depending on the stat you find). EnviroWoman discovered and used only earth-friendly compostable bioplastic bags in 2007.

• 0: number of plastic bottles EnviroWoman let into her life in 2007. Average person 260 (1999 stat).

• ~4 oz: weight of plastic film EnviroWoman used. Compared to 3.85 pounds per person per year.

• 37%: decrease in dollars spent on groceries from Jan-Oct 2007 compared to same period in 2006. Wasn't expecting that. But ooeee....that’s pretty spectacular.

Plastic Perils Between Oct-Dec 2007
Alot of plastic was added in the final quarter of 2007. And that’s because EnviroWoman has been dealing with a lot of DEATH and NearDEATH. And, as with LIFE…DEATH seems to have an affinity for plastic.

1. NearDeath#1 – MyLittleCar. In an effort to keep the plastic shrine as miniscule as possible, EnviroWoman has postponed painting MyLittleCar after it was a victim of a HitAndLeaveANote, 'cuz car painting requires plastic sheeting. She's even put off buying much needed new tires to replace balding ones, because tires are plastic. But when the 19 year old MyLittleCar failed LaLaLand’s annual AirCareTest, which checks cars for pollutants, she absolutely had to take action. No matter how much plastic it added to the PlasticShrine. MyLittleCar’s dismal report card, was a direct result of KarmicJustice because as EnviroWoman waited in the AirCare line-up, she reviewed her 2006 test results and blatantly and flagrantly boasted aloud ‘LittleCar you ROCK! Look how low last year’s scores were – so way, way below the DangerZone. 6 A+s…and you were 18 years old then. You are SO going to SMOKE this year’s test.” And smoke it did…but not in the way all good environmentalists would hope!!! 4 Fs outta 5. Yes…1…2…3…4 Fs. The shock was enough, but oy vay, there was a big heaping of EnviroGuilt too. Just how many months had MyLittleCar been mega-contributing to Carbonageddon? Bad MyLittleCar – making the icebergs melt. Bad EnviroWoman - being boastful rather than modestly humble. Thankfully, EnviroWoman’s BestEverMechanic (who no kidding, used the words 'catastrophic system failure' when he saw the test results) was able to restore MyLittleCar back to good clean-air health with a new O2 sensor (which thankfully only has a bit of rubber/plastic) and EGR valve (which yipee, has no plastic). ThankGawd, because the big hunk of plastic associated with a new car is something EnviroWoman is not willing to consider while she’s living the NoNewPlasticPledge.

2. Death #2 – HunkaPoohHardDrive. Most of the pet names I bestow on things are terms of endearment but not so when it comes to my computer. I gotta say, my HP Pavilion is a huge piece of SH_T. So friggin slow. And then to boot, the hard drive and the CD Rom drive go totally kapoot after a little over a year. And, you know what’s coming…..I lost everything!!!! All my blog notes, all my pre-written future blog entries (and these little suckers take 5-20 hours to write), all my financial records, all my emails (including from blog readers), all my files, all my blog passwords, all my pictures….everything. Now you might say ‘EnviroWoman, why didn’t you back up!” Lovies…because that would require buying CD Roms, which are plastic! Or a backup drive…which is plastic. I knew the NoNewPlasticPledge was putting me on the precipice of technological disaster, and wouldn’t ya know, my HunkaPoohHardDrive took great pleasure in jumping off the edge. I lived as long as I could without a computer, but it sure puts a damper on blogging! I felt like I had fallen off the planet. I debated, should I just toss the HunkaPooh out - but a new computer would be such a big hunk of plastic. So instead, in December, I opted for a new hard drive (which alas, is just as slow and problematic). Much less plastic, but it did come with one of those nasty foily plastic envelopes. Lesson learned…Never, Ever buy another HP. And find an ftp site to back up to. If anyone knows of a good data recovery place in Vancouver (with a 'clean' room), let me know.


3. Death #3 – Television UHF/VHS Thingymebob Back in March I reported how the little DoHickey that allows my ancient TV to connect to cable tried to commit HariKari. But EnviroWoman, who is also a HandyWoman, whipped out her trusty soddering gun and copper wiring and welded a band-aid fix. This was repeated several times over the course of the next 9 months until finally the DoHickey did a HumptyDumptyCouldn’t BePutBackTogetherAgain. It was dead, dead, dead. I lived without TV while I shopped for a new Thingymebob. But found none that didn't come encased in a huge gob of blister pak. Couldn't have that. It looked like we had seen the death of TV in our home. But thankfully, when the CableGuy visited to make us InternetWired in the new abode, he had an extra one handy (without any packaging) which he graciously offered at no cost. TV was resurrected from the dead.
   

4. Death #4 – Chocolate Brown Walls. In July, EnviroWoman moved to a new home which required renovations. The chocolate brown and forest green walls (in a north facing home!?!!!) were particularly ghastly and gloomy. EnviroWoman may be an introvert, but she ain’t no troll. For many months she resisted the temptation to paint, thinking she'd put it off until 2008 (my mantra is 'Remember the PlasticShrine. Remember the PlasticShrine'). But, by September EnviroWoman was seriously contemplating extending her NoNewPlasticPledge for another year. So she took the paint plunge, opting for low/no-VOC paint where she could...which is slightly more environmentally friendly, but is still plastic.
   

5. Death #5 - TheBeast. EnviroWoman has foregone much needed dental work in 2007 because dentists mean plastic. She even put off a blood test (plastic syringe, surgical gloves, rubber tube-stoppers) to check if the ridges that appeared on her toenails a few months into the year were symptomatic of a protein deficiency brought on because her usual meat substitutes (which are ALL plastic packaged) were now off limits in 2007. But when the Vet said 'We have to get subcutaneous fluids in TheBeast first, if we want to administer pain killers' EnviroWoman's NoNewPlastic resolve evaporated like morning dew. After 18 years of furry companionship, TheBeast was suffering a slow and agonizing death. She deserved help even though it meant lots of new plastic. Who woulda thunk that TheBeast would have ended up commemorated in the PlasticShrine… but there’s her contribution…in the form of a big bag of Ringers Lactate, needles, and tubing. But, in true form EnviroWoman looks on the bright side of life (and even death)…..at least the crematorium was willing to put her ashes in a paper bag instead of a plastic one!!!

Other plastic added in the last quarter of 2007

• 4 pastry cups, which deceptively appeared to be 100% paper in the bakery display case, but rudely revealed their plastic lining once brought home. Plastic really is sneaky!
• 6 inch roll of nylon fabric
• Tampon wrappers & one casing
• 2 pairs of surgical gloves and 6 plastic xray covers from dental checkup
• Toothpaste lid and tube (the latter, although metal, probably has a plastic liner)
• 2 Nestea tea bag packages, although paper, seemed to be plastic-coated
• Plastic protective seal on a cosmetics bottle
• Deodorant container
• Vinyl label from a pair of jeans
• T-shaped clothing price tags thingys
• Food labels, produce stickers, 2 plastic lids
• Laundry detergent measuring cup…sneaky little bugger – hidden in the detergent box. One must be ever vigilant.
• Caramel Apple Wrapper
  
  There was also 24 buttons, 2 zippers and a 100% polyester blouse - none of which are ready to be recycled yet. And of course, there were some plastic packaged, plastic containing Xmas gifts, but as per TheRules, these will all be re-gifted.

Will there be a YearTwo of the NoNewPlasticPledge?
Of course! YearOne was just the warm-up. The real challenge begins when all the plastic EnviroWoman had in her life as of Dec 31, 2006 gets used up, and that's gonna take a couple of years. Besides, I have yet to find a plastic-free toothbrush…but I'm determined...and it better happen soon, because my current toothbrush is totally falling apart.

And, in a weird, perverse way, I really enjoy discovering how this extreme lifestyle has changed my life. Oh sure, the combination of living with Cruelty-free, Vegetarian, and Plastic-free rules makes this all a TripleChallenge that probably no one else on Earth has taken on. But thankfully I’m also a Chocoholic – and eating chocolate makes it seem all worthwhile, and so much easier.