Project Plastic: Our Rules and Goals


      The motivation for People for a Plastic Free Planet for me started after I stayed up way too late watching the documentaries Bag It and No Impact Man on my Netflix account at the start of the summer. The Pacific garbage patch now makes me real nervous. Thankfully my dear friend Ella Harvey was equally enthusiastic to make a difference, and together we formed PPFP and project plastic was born. Equipped with reusable shopping bags (and mesh bags for produce), a nice collection of water bottles, and the will power to resist unneeded purchases, we plan on radically reducing our trash production next semester.  

Our Rules  
1. We will not be purchasing any food products packaged in plastic
2. We will not be using plastic cutlery, plastic cups, or disposable coffee mugs. 
3. We will also be greatly reducing the amount of items we buy in plastic packaging. 
4. We will be keeping any trash we produce with us in a collection box throughout the whole semester, so that we can access what items could be recycled, reused, or avoided in the future at the end of the project. 

Sadly this means I am now looking at an entire year with no packaged candy, but I am up for the challenge. It's going to be well worth it...
 
      We are hoping that the challenge will accomplish a few things.
  1. Give the earth a little break
  2. Prove that a more sustainable lifestyle and the reduction of our consumption is possible for a college student and potentially even fun with a whole lot of creativity
  3. Highlight the fact that our society's production models are in need of a huge redesign in terms of disposable plastic, in order to make sustainable living more accessible for everyone

         It is our hope that this small challenge will bring us one step closer to the day when everything humanity produces is recyclable, so we no longer have to worry about plastics in our oceans, the waste of non renewable petroleum, or the horrible health effects surrounding plastic chemicals in our bodies. My projected start date will be August 18th, 2012 when I officially move into my dorm room in Virginia. Ella is planning on starting when she gets to her dorm in Toronto. Here goes nothing!


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