Plastic-Free Challenge: Can You Give It Up For An Entire Month?

Could you give up plastic for an entire month? Rodale.com has challenged green bloggers and readers to embrace a Plastic-Free February... are you up for it?

The ground rules include no buying or cooking with plastic, and Rodale.com encourages minimizing all other plastic use as well.

But why should people go plastic free? Rodale.com explains that plastic is made from nonrenewable resources, petroleum or natural gas. Highly toxic chemicals, such as bisphenol A and phthalates are often added to plastics. According to Huffington Post contributor Wallace J. Nichols, BPA exposure increases a child's risk of cancer and reproductive disorders.

And there are very few widely recycled plastics. The EPA reports that in 2009, only seven percent of total plastic waste was recycled. Seven percent, out of the 30 million tons of plastic waste generated in one year.

The challenge has already proven to be... a challenge, according to Rodale.com's Dana Blinder who has offered updates. Recently, she faced a problem when purchasing new furniture, and ultimately gave in to the plastic, but remarked, "Join the challenge, Ikea!" Blinder also took a good look at her office, specifically the items on her desk. From plastic dividers, to headphones, to a tape dispenser, plastic surrounds her world. In an earlier post, she stated, "Now that I'm on this mission, I'm noticing even more how plastic is coating every inch of our lives."

Nichols offers some simple ways to cut down on plastic. Use containers that are reusable, and refuse plastic bottles. Carry real flatware with you in your car or bag. Say no to straws. You can also cook more and buy less takeout, go vintage, and carry reusable bags. By making just a few simple alterations, people can cut down hugely on their plastic consumption.

Bloggers from OrganicGardening.com, The Green Divas, and The Green Parent are just a few of the many people who have agreed to go plastic-free this month.

To take part in Rodale.com's Plastic-Free February, visit http://www.rodale.com/plastic-free, and contribute to the ups and downs of a plastic-free lifestyle on Rodale.com's twitter feed: Twitter.com/rodalenews. Use the Twitter hash tag #noplastic to share your experiences with the month-long challenge.

Comments

[Spiral Architect]

09:46 AM on 02/09/2011

How are they going to blog about it...on a wooden keyboard?

Dumb idea.

[Wendy Dreeszen Wiese]

01:33 AM on 02/09/2011

I try to reduce my plastic use & reuse what I do have at home as much as possible & throw it in the recycling bin when done. The hardest thing for me is plastic freezer bags. i have reusable containers but bags take up much less room in freezer.

[earthbongo]

07:05 AM on 02/08/2011

I think this is a great idea and hope more people give it a go. If you think to, maybe consider posting the project and challenge to others on earthbongo.com. We'd love to have the energy and enthusiasm for this idea on our site. And just to share, I have my own project there too to try to live as close to a "zero-waste" lifestyle as I can. You can see it here: http://earthbongo.com/project/169/the-zero-waste-project-a-k-a-the-less-waste-than-before-project

[Chrs Wks]

05:16 AM on 02/08/2011

Plastic isn't always bad.
This sort of campaign is really useful to get us all thinking about what we're buying, however comparing plastic bottles with glass? Glass is so much heavier than plastic, so the green-house gas emissions involved in transporting them is far worse. Since both can be recycled (lobby the local authorities if no such facilities exist near you), I say plastic bottles every time.

[adamben]

03:01 PM on 02/08/2011

the trick would be to recycle every plastic bottle. now we do 27% and 33% of glass bottles:
http://earth911.com/recycling/plastic/plastic-bottle-recycling-facts/
http://www.container-recycling.org/facts/glass/data/glassrates.htm

however, glass you can recycle 100%, and you used to bring you empties and they just sterilized them, which was even cheaper.

[c-tom]

12:37 AM on 02/08/2011

When they say no buying with plastic do they mean no credit cards or do they mean buy nothing made of or packaged with plastic? Because I could use cash but my grocery doesn't have paper bags for loose fruit and veggies so that would be difficult.

[Chrs Wks]

05:11 AM on 02/08/2011

How about taking your own bags to the grocery? Even if they are plastic, re-using them can make a real positive impact

[Spiral Architect]

09:49 AM on 02/09/2011

We need plastic bags. I use mine to transport things, clean up dog/cat waste etc..This sort of thinking is flawed and ultimately leads to higher costs on individuals that usually can't afford it.

[Adriana Herrera]

12:34 AM on 02/08/2011

I absolutely love the challenge of going plastic free for a month! Great idea Rodale.com.

Fashioning Change just ran an eco tip series last week to help people identify the different types of plastic in their home, the health impacts of each, and how to recycle each of the seven types of plastic. You can get info, take action, and even send eco challenges via Facebook on the seven types of plastic by visiting http://fashioningchange.com/eco-tips/categories/31.

A little information and an eye for positive alternatives can make such a difference for our health and planet.

[Lena Elizabeth]

10:20 PM on 02/07/2011

A plastic-free February sounds fantastic. But, I am sorry to say, it also sounds very challenging.

[ProjectGreenBag]

02:47 PM on 02/07/2011

A Project GreenBag is the sustainable, eco-friendly alternative to plastic bags. 100% organic cotton, biodegradable, made in San Francisco CA.
http://www.ProjectGreenBag.com http://www.facebook.com/ProjectGreenBag

[Jolimont]

08:54 AM on 02/07/2011

What's your keyboard made of? Leather? Wood?!!!

[DesperOde]

10:48 AM on 02/07/2011

bioplatics... Samsung has a phone. There are other ways. Personally I would buy a Playstation Woodie Edition if it came out.
"Fujitsu launches injection molded bioplastic keyboard"

[Jolimont]

11:28 AM on 02/07/2011

What's bioplastics?

[rougebaisers]

05:23 AM on 02/07/2011

http://gizmodo.com/5753012/this-is-the-most-beautiful-and-terrifying-portrait-of-earth-ive-seen?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+gizmodo/full+(Gizmodo)

[anti politricks]

04:26 PM on 02/07/2011

thank you for that!

[adamben]

03:06 PM on 02/08/2011

Koyaanisqatsi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sps6C9u7ras

[Lucas Ventura]

02:45 AM on 02/07/2011

I think what is important to take home with us from challenges like this is the critical thinking that is so often lacking in our consumer habits. We often don't think about grabbing our canvas bags before going to the grocery store, keeping a refillable water bottle on us throughout our day, or consider the differences between buying our food in bulk bins or at a farmers' market, vs. pre-packaged in a grocery store. Those are all simple examples of numerous consumer activities that fill our weeks, which affect how much packaging material we consume. And that's not even talking about clothes, furniture, travel, or luxury items.
Awareness of the way we affect our surroundings and the role we play in our environment is essential to making positive change. Take the challenge, if for no other reason, to look at how much plastic you really consume. Then, one step at a time, it becomes easier to replace the old habits with new ones.

[mudshark12]

12:12 AM on 02/07/2011

Honestly I don't see how anyone can go plastic free as we are surrounded by plastic in everything we already use or own. The "ground rules do not take this into account although if you read this article very closely it's author, Joanna Zelman, does admit this in her account of Rodale.com's Dana Blinder.

Since I'm diabetic I can't be plastic free because I must take Pharmaceutical drugs which come in plastic pill bottles and inject myself with insulin using plastic syringes.

[anti politricks]

04:26 PM on 02/07/2011

what about is we could reduce by 50%. or even 25%. the results would still be amazing, without going extremist

[mudshark12]

01:44 AM on 02/08/2011

I am making a serious effort to buy less plastic but most of what we buy at the market comes wrapped of boxed or containerized in plastic. One thing everyone should begin to scream at the Government about is outlawing that poisonous bisphenol A, this particular nasty is causing genetic damage in humans and has already been banned in Europe.

[ken607]

08:58 PM on 02/06/2011

so then the texas sized floating island of plastic in the pacific can be first to be recycled. i can live without it. and wouldnt miss it.

[DesperOde]

10:52 AM on 02/07/2011

next on Deadliest Catch
http://desperode.livejournal.com

[anti politricks]

04:27 PM on 02/07/2011

have u seen TAPPED? great movie and coverage of the plastic hole in our ocean

[ken607]

07:22 AM on 02/08/2011

no. but thanks for the info. i watched the trailer, and will see it as soon as i can.

[1donewrong]

08:29 PM on 02/06/2011

Another disaster fostered upon us by environmentalists with their "bottle water"

[DesperOde]

10:50 AM on 02/07/2011

those were yuppies not environmentalists.

[ADinSC]

02:39 PM on 02/07/2011

No. It's another disaster foisted upon us by the very people who have foisted every other disaster on us--Corporate America. Environmentalists don't condone using "bottle water". Quite the contrary.

[EcoCatLady]

04:26 PM on 02/06/2011

Here's the thing. People think that all they need to do is toss their plastic in the recycling bin and the problem is solved. But it's not that simple. Plastic recycling (or downcycling as many people have started to call it) is frought with problems. Each kind of plastic is different and if one of the wrong polymers gets into the batch it can destroy the whole thing. Also, plastics can often not be recycled to produce the same item that you started with, and must be used to produce other types of products many of which are not recyclable at all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_recycling
http://www.grrn.org/resources/terrain.html
http://blog.lohas.com/blog/lohas-trends/recycle-or-downcycle