a couple of my favorite pieces of plastic…
and the places they take me.
Given this scheme of ours to not bring any new plastic into our home for four months (and beyond), you might have thought this was easy for me. You might have mistaken me for some kind of hard core enviromama with a baby in wool nappies, a kitchen full of sprouting trays, and a candle lantern glowing in the background. Well, I won’t say that I haven’t tried any of those things, but let me just remind you that a few short months ago, I did most of my shopping at Trader Joe’s. Enough said. For the sake of balance, (plastic gets such a bad rap on this blog!) I’d like to give all my favorite plastic things (at least the ones I know of no alternative to) a little shout out:
:: Gloves, ski pants, parka. You guys are the greatest. Backcountry skis and tele boots. Adjustable poles. Hell yeah.
:: Vauum cleaner. Especially the hose…
:: Helmets! Bike pumps and tires. Carseat. Car, too.
:: Water bottle sport cap, I can’t believe the level to which I love you. Please do not break or start leaking any time soon.
:: Camera, computer, pens. Guitar strings and tuning pegs. Oh geez, the stereo!
:: PLU diaper covers. Snappi. Nylon backpack.
:: Ziploc freezer bags full of apples, tamales, green chile.
:: Buckets. Diaper pail. Salad spinner. Toothbrush.
:: Oilcloth – you of the incomparable beauty and usefulness.
Plastic is, as you no doubt know, amazing. It has given us many wonderful gifts in the last sixty or so years. As a nurse, I’ve used it to save lives. As a citizen of the world, I know the time has come for me to see how far I can go without it, if not to save the planet, then at least to stop harming it in the simple ways available to me. This list is short, yeah? Plastic is great, but it’s far from everything.
What’s on your list?
Kyce Bello 
AWESOME post! and just what i needed to read, because you are my no-plastic guru and plastics were something we struggled A LOT with last year when trying not to buy new. i have an appreciation for plastics for medical/health reasons as well.
everything in moderation. unfortunately, plastics, globally, are no longer used in moderation. what is with this disposable world?
nicola
http://whichname.blogspot.com
:: sewing machine
:: computer
:: telephone
:: baby monitor
:: digital, lit clock
i’m sure i’ve got others too, those are just the ones i could think of! and the computer includes accessories like the mouse, cords, speakers, etc.
oh!
::flashlights! : )
LOL! There are lots of plastics out there that are wonderful and necessary! Here’s my list of favorite plastics that keep life livable. And just so you know, I’m a civil engineer.
::sewer pipe
::water lines
::gas lines
::concrete forms
::steel reinforcement spacers
::those little thingies used to lay tile straight
::tank liners
Love my skis, my disposable pens I’m always scribbling notes with, 5 gallon buckets, tarps to weatherize summer camping trips, pots and trays for seed starting, ziplocs to hold the summer bounty and most of all, the myriad plastic tubing that saved my son’s life when he was born 3 1/2 months early.