Day 14: Reflection

And the challenge is over! I'm going to wrap myself up in saran wrap and just soak in the plastic!

Just kidding. Obviously. 

I'm extremely glad that I put myself through this. It forced me to be more observant, and make changes in my lifestyle at an accelerated rate. And keeping the blog was a good way to make sure I didn't forget about the challenge. It is easy for me to give up when I just have to think about myself, but having a blog made me accountable to (all three of) my readers, and I felt a sense of responsibility to keep going, even if I made mistakes along the way. 

There are a few themes that were reoccurring during the challenge, but the one that struck me the hardest was how our convenience, processed, and fast-paced lifestyle is so intrinsically linked and embedded into plastic. It seems really obvious in retrospect, and I always superficially understood that before starting this challenge. But it wasn't until I denied myself these conveniences that I really started to notice all the links.

As soon as I denied myself plastic, all processed food was out of the question. All the cosmetics I owned were out of the question. Buying anything new was mostly out of the question as well - anything from bed sheets to even (ironically) a package of paper bags involved purchasing plastic. Buying myself a snack or lunch at the cafeteria was out of the question. 

I've been forced to become more organized.  I had to think about what I wanted to eat that afternoon, that day, or that week. I had to constantly plan ahead. I had to decide if I would be coming home in the evening, or studying all night after class at the university.  

I also found myself practicing many lost life skills in the midst of this challenge. With processed foods out of the question, I found myself cooking from scratch more often than not. I even made myself a face mask at home. This is something I regret not expanding on. I plan to make more products (like soap) for myself in the near future. Not to mention, all this has been cost effective for me as a single person. 

But was all of this time effective? Not really. 

It was difficult to get everything that was expected from me in terms of homework and school - and then on top of that make entire meals and other products from scratch. And I think this is why plastic is able to become so prevalent in our society. It gives us time.  

I wonder - time for what? I could be wrong about this, but my first thoughts went to how many more hours we work in the West compared to the rest of the world. It has become such a norm to hold more than one job.

Personally, it is hard not to get sucked into plastic's promise of time. But I hope that the self-fulfillment, healthier and more envirofriendly lifestyle I've experienced in the past two weeks will keep me going! I won't be updating as often as I have in the last two weeks, but I definitely would like to keep this project of reducing my plastic consumption going. 

Day 13: Misconceptions About Recycling Plastic

I promised myself that I would not be preachy about my goal to reduce my plastic use. I think I've been pretty good about that. It is not really my style to begin with, and not to mention how hypocritical I would feel. I feel as though I fail more often than I would like to admit - pizza cravings are the worst! But that doesn't mean I let the failures overshadow my victories.

But I often get asked, "Why bother? Plastic is everywhere." I completely understand that sentiment, and I feel the slight need to defend my actions.

I understand I can't completely escape plastic. It is in my laptop, chair, beloved cellphone, contact lenses, my clothes, and my carpet. However, I personally felt that I needed to at least start somewhere, and this 14 day challenge was that "somewhere" for me. And being a politics nerd, the seeds were planted much earlier through the exposition of misinformation and greenwashing that is extremely prevalent in our society when it comes to plastic and other environmental concerns.

For the sake of theme and time, I'm going to keep this brief and try to focus my attention on the myths and misconceptions surrounding "recycling" plastic. I think there is tons of information available online for those who are interested in exploring this further. In the mean time, I have a math lesson to plan for tomorrow after I finish writing this entry.

First of all, we have all seen the recycling symbol. The three arrows that are supposed to mean a recyclable product, but in reality, there are actually no laws that govern the use of the symbol.

Secondly, most plastic products are categorized using the Resin Identification Code and are numbered from 1 to 7 (material such as nylon, polyester, and rubber are not included in the system and are considered non-coded plastic). Most plastic products usually have a number within the recycling symbol as well. I used to throw everything with a recycling symbol into the recycling bin, and didn't think plastic was that harmful. After all, it was being recycled! I was wrong - not all these plastic types are actually recyclable in most municipalities. Thunder Bay only takes #1 and #2 plastic. The rest end up in the landfill. These plastics then leech into the soil, ground water, and atmosphere.

There is also the misconception that plastic is recyclable in the sense that it can be recycled over and over again. In reality, when number 1 to 7 plastics are actually recycled, they don't become the same product again. Instead, they are made into non-coded plastics such as carpet or hard plastic bins that end up being burned (releasing toxins into the atmosphere) or sent to the dump once they outlive their use.

This is obviously a simplified version of a complex process. For example, certain beverage bottles are starting to be recycled into similar style bottles, but that is few and far between. I think the bigger picture is pretty obvious - not that much plastic actually gets recycled. And even when it does, it will eventually end up in the landfills regardless.

Check out this link or this awesome CBC documentary called Forever Plastic for more information and facts. It is pretty nuts. For example, only 7% of discarded plastic is recycled in the US. Or according to Stats Canada, "in 2006 Canadians produced over 1000 kg of waste per person, up 8% from 2004. Of this total 835 kg went to landfills or was incinerated while 237 kg was diverted from landfills."

Day 12: Soapnuts!

I'm living in a house with 5 other roommates. Sounds a little crazy, but it is actually a fairly relaxed atmosphere! And not to mention they have been supportive of my attempt to go plastic free and have been massive contributors to my growing glass jar/container collection to slowly replace all my plastic. And according to the cleaning schedule, it is my turn to clean the washroom.

That got me thinking and researching about plastic-free alternatives to all the cleaning products we have. Green Living Ideas has some pretty good non-toxic organic house cleaning recipes. Although definitely much better than buying toxic products from the store packaged in plastic, some ingredients, such as vinegar, come in plastic containers as well. 

Then I came across Soapnuts, a hypoallergenic and plastic free way of cleaning.  

They aren't actually a nut, but the shells from a tree fruit that releases saponins when soaked in water and are great for cleaning anything. They have been used for cleaning in the past by many Asian and South Asian countries as well as North American Aboriginals. They can be made into laundry detergent, dish soap, or multipurpose cleaner. I wish I had found out about them earlier so I could have ordered them and used them by the time my two weeks were up! But I am going to buy them anyways and try them out because I'm extremely curious about the result.

I've been researching and haven't found a place in Thunder Bay that has them. But there are several stores in Winnipeg that carry them. You can see Orgownic for all their locations. I'm going back home to visit soon, and I'm pretty excited to pick some up!

Maybe even have a post-14 day challenge update? 

Day 11: A Little Taste of Home

I've been thinking about home a little more than usual this weekend, so naturally I've been craving curry.

I went to Masala Grille yesterday - the only East Indian restaurant in Thunder Bay. And you know what? It is pretty good. Although I personally didn't use any disposable plastic while at the restaurant, I felt a little guilty going during the two week challenge since the restaurant obviously uses plastic. But I did bring my own containers in case I had left overs. I've never thought about bringing my own containers to a restaurant before till yesterday. I consider that a small victory.

Despite the filling meal yesterday, the craving stuck around. so I decided to make some vegetable curry at home.  Normally I would bust out the big bag of frozen vegetables, but obviously that is not an option. Instead I cut all my vegetables that I bought from the store earlier this week - carrots, zucchini, potatoes and onion to be exact. Definitely a lot more time consuming, but worth it!

And here you go!

Out of laziness, I would normally eat my curry with packaged sliced bread or tortillas from the supermarket, but since that was no longer and option, I made some chapatis from scratch. They totally hit the spot! And take only a few minutes to make. My dad would be so proud right now since I hated making them and would refuse to growing up.  

Ingredients in the vegetable curry or "subji" as it is traditionally called in India.
- olive oil
- onion
- garlic
- ginger
- Meat Masala spice mixture
- turmeric powder
- cumin seeds
- cayenne pepper
- salt
- carrots
- zucchini
- potatoes

My exact measurements are unknown to me since I usually do occasional taste tests and decide if I want to add more spices. And I usually do. But Manjula's Kitchen is an awesome site for authentic vegetarian East Indian dishes. She is so cute and endearing to watch too! Take a look at her Carrots with Green Peas recipe for something along the same lines. I would have loved to add peas to mine, but I haven't seen any that are not packaged around.  And most vegetable curries have the same base, so you can add any other vegetables your heart desires.

As for the chipati, Manjula is back to the rescue! It is so simple.

- whole wheat
- water
- a dash of olive oil.

And you just make it to a good dough consistency, roll out, and cook on a skillet or frying pan.

So satisfied :)

Day 10: Homemade Face Mask

I just made myself a Banana-Honey face mask. There are tons of recipes here for other types of masks.

This is a simple one. Banana, honey, and lemon juice. It is meant for oily skin. 

No more overpriced face masks in plastic bottles for me!

Day 9: LUSH

I went to LUSH to see what they had for plastic free alternatives.  They definitely have a lot of soaps, moisturizers, bubble baths and the like not packaged in any plastic. Or packaged at all, really. And they also allow their customers to refill their plastic containers once they are finished the product. I thought that was pretty cool.  I ended up buying the Aromarant Deodorant. It is a dry bar deodorant that you can rub directly to dry skin.

I thought some of their products were overpriced - especially considering I bought a bar of soap and shampoo for $1.70 each from The Soap Works. Granted, the stuff at Lush looks much more amazing. But all the extra perfume smells and amazing colours had me a little skeptical about just how "natural" and "good for me" everything at the store is. I did a little search on EWG's Cosmetic Database and found that the products on the site ranged from Level 3 to 6, which classifies them as "Moderately Hazardous." It is all the perfumes they use in their products, I think.

I would like to explore more local soap/cosmetic makers if possible though. If anyone has any pointers, let me know! I've checked out a couple places, but not being from Thunder Bay has me a little lost at times. And since it is the end of the semester, all my free time is being sucked into homework.

Day 7: Half Way Mark

I'm half way done!

There have definitely been frustrating moments. Like, discovering canned food contained plastic when it was 7 pm at night and I was hungry.  Or last weekend when I decided to get a few cans of beer for a party and completely forgot about the six-pack plastic rings that accompany them. And I kind of miss cheese.

And then there have been triumphs, like cooking food from scratch and having it taste pretty good. I'm still amazed at how great those granola bars taste. They haven't lost their chewiness yet!

Goals for the next half:
- find plastic free moisturizer or even make my own
- find a plastic free deodorant
- laundry time is coming up, so I want a plastic-free alternative to my plastic packed liquid detergent

I think that is a decent list considering it is the last week of classes and I have final assignments/tests everyday of the week!

Oh! A video worth checking out. It is a hilarious 4 minute mockumentary called The Majestic Plastic Bag. It's written and executed like a nature show documentary.

"It is now nightfall, and our highly advanced night-vision cameras  have managed to capture for the first time in history, a plastic bag in pitch black. [pause] Phenomenal."