Living a Day Without Plastic - I Committed Around 100 Violations

A few months ago, I read an article in the newspaper about a journalist who tried to live a day without plastic. The article said that he had committed 164 violations. I decided that I would try to live a day without plastic, using the same rules that he did. During the summer I had done an extensive plastic research project, so I already knew some things.

Here’s the story.

The first step: waking up. That should be easy, but mattresses are made out of plastic. That ment that I had to sleep on the floor, using only wool and cotton blankets. Pillows are also a violation. I already am bad at falling asleep, but it was even harder for me to fall asleep on the floor. I went to bed at 1:30. That’s 4 hours of laying on a hardwood floor. Luckily, I have a plastic free alarm clock. You have to wind it up every few days, so it doesn’t need batteries.

After I woke up, I had to eat breakfast. My mom had made banana bread made out of bananas that I saved from getting thrown away (you probably know about this). I couldn’t sit on a chair so I ate on the floor.

Clothes are another problem. All my clothes had tags on them, which are plastic. I ended up wearing a shirt that said “100% cotton” and pants that were 98% cotton and 2% zylon (which is fireproof and mentioned in our skyhook presentation). I got the pants from a used clothing store, so it might not count as a violation. I also made two violations by wearing a coat and snow pants (you know I love snow pants).

Later that day, I went to see a play at the Guthrie. Sadly, the seats were velvet, yet another violation. Velvet is now made out of plastic. It used to be made out of silk, but plastic is much cheaper, so unless the Guthrie suddenly got a 10 million dollar donation and decided to spend it on seating, it is unlikely that the seats are silk.

At the end of the day, I used solid shampoo, which is a plastic-free bar of shampoo, like a soap bar.

I didn’t have any time to write a closing paragraph so this is it.

List of violations:

Car: Handle; Bottom Mat; Seat; Seatbelt

Theatre: Escalator; Carpet; Seat; Matt; Candy (I accidentally touched the display

Other: Photo Case; Door Mat; Microplastics in water; Bathroom; Shoes; Snow Pants & Coat