Keepin' it glassy (Week 36)
"I've got one word for you, Benjamin: plastics."
Even way back in 1967, when Mr. Maguire pulled Benjamin Braddock aside and shared his famous wisdom in The Graduate, plastics already had a bad rap. It was codespeak for easy, lazy access to wealth - and also to the kind of people Dustin Hoffman's character was trying desperately to avoid.
Fast forward 52 years, and plastic is now Public Enemy #1. We shoulda seen it coming. We shoulda known it would overwhelm our landfills, clog our oceans and strangle baby dolphins. Scientists now say that, within 5 years, there could be 1 ton of plastic for every 3 tons of fish in the ocean. We all share the collective guilt of that, and I am no better than the next guy.
So here we are, in a world filled to bursting with this lousy stuff. But just trying doing without it. Try going a full week with not a scrap of it. I did!
Here in Victoria, we tried to ban single-use plastic shopping bags, but that attempt failed in court. Still, the battle rages on. Everywhere you go, shoppers are bringing their own bags to grocery stores. But you know what they're putting in those hemp and burlap sacks, don't you? Stuff wrapped in plastic!
That looked after a few staples, but it didn't solve an entire week's worth of groceries. I needed to address those other items. So Val and I visited a farmer's market, where we got a wonderful jar of pear and ginger marmalade, a freshly baked loaf of sourdough and some produce. Okay, now we were making progress.
Since we're not vegetarians or vegans, meat and cheese also need to find their way into our fridge. Half of that was solved at the butcher counter, where you can get fresh meat wrapped in waxed paper. I also picked up a paper-wrapped sausage in the deli, only to discover when I got home that it was vacuum packed in plastic inside the paper! Chalk up one notable failure. And I still haven't solved The Cheese Problem. Unless you go to a pricey cheese shop somewhere, you just can't find cheese that isn't pre-wrapped in some sort of plastic. At least I can't. So going plastic-free for the week also meant going without one of my favourite things on earth.
Merchants are starting to take notice of people's concern about plastic. At our local grocery store, I found a 3-pack of reusable bags that we will take shopping with us on every trip from now on. I dunno, though. This could still be a losing battle. I still look at that cellophaned cucumber and scratch my head, and the checkout person always asks if I want my meat double-wrapped in its own separate plastic bad. It's no wonder nearly a quarter of all the trash in landfills is packaging. I think I might be swimming against a very strong tide.
But at least I'm swimming. Just hope the same can be said for the dolphins.
NEXT WEEK: Volunteering every day!
Even way back in 1967, when Mr. Maguire pulled Benjamin Braddock aside and shared his famous wisdom in The Graduate, plastics already had a bad rap. It was codespeak for easy, lazy access to wealth - and also to the kind of people Dustin Hoffman's character was trying desperately to avoid.
Fast forward 52 years, and plastic is now Public Enemy #1. We shoulda seen it coming. We shoulda known it would overwhelm our landfills, clog our oceans and strangle baby dolphins. Scientists now say that, within 5 years, there could be 1 ton of plastic for every 3 tons of fish in the ocean. We all share the collective guilt of that, and I am no better than the next guy.
So here we are, in a world filled to bursting with this lousy stuff. But just trying doing without it. Try going a full week with not a scrap of it. I did!
Here in Victoria, we tried to ban single-use plastic shopping bags, but that attempt failed in court. Still, the battle rages on. Everywhere you go, shoppers are bringing their own bags to grocery stores. But you know what they're putting in those hemp and burlap sacks, don't you? Stuff wrapped in plastic!
So here's what I did. I started the week with a visit to Bulk Barn, where they sell wonderful glass jars to tote home your bulk wares. Of course, you can bring your own reusable container and have it inspected and weighed, but I wanted a fresh start at this thing. So I began with a pair of jars filled with popcorn and breakfast cereal. A day later, it was basmati rice and pasta.
That looked after a few staples, but it didn't solve an entire week's worth of groceries. I needed to address those other items. So Val and I visited a farmer's market, where we got a wonderful jar of pear and ginger marmalade, a freshly baked loaf of sourdough and some produce. Okay, now we were making progress.
Merchants are starting to take notice of people's concern about plastic. At our local grocery store, I found a 3-pack of reusable bags that we will take shopping with us on every trip from now on. I dunno, though. This could still be a losing battle. I still look at that cellophaned cucumber and scratch my head, and the checkout person always asks if I want my meat double-wrapped in its own separate plastic bad. It's no wonder nearly a quarter of all the trash in landfills is packaging. I think I might be swimming against a very strong tide.
But at least I'm swimming. Just hope the same can be said for the dolphins.
NEXT WEEK: Volunteering every day!
Comments
Post a Comment