I’m back from my meditation retreat, where I slept many, many hours. Felt like I was straddling the line between flu and health. Maybe it was just ordinary tiredness. In any case, the takeaway was a profound lesson: “Don’t push the river.” I know what the phrase means to me. What does it say to you?

Before I get on with the week’s plastic tally, the random winner of the 2009 Earth Day Less Plastic Pledge Giveaway ^[1] is: Sharonus. Please contact me ^[2] with your mailing address. You will receive two beautiful GlassDharma ^[3] drinking straws as well as two ChicoBags kindly donated for this contest by Alline of Milkweed Mercantile who blogs at A Passion For Green Business ^[4]. You won’t forget and leave your ChicoBags in the car if you carry them in your purse or backpack!

And now, here is this week’s tally. Plastic acquired before the plastic project began:

• 1 PET plastic jar of Masala Chai instant spiced tea blend plus lid. Found in the back of the kitchen cupboard several months ago and finally used up this week. No longer will I buy this type of convenience food in a plastic jar. Whole Foods sells bulk loose leaf chai blend tea that I can scoop directly into my own glass jar. All I have to do is add local honey, which also comes in a glass jar.

And here’s the new plastic waste:

• 9 plastic envelope windows. Wherein I reveal my utter disorganization when it comes to bills and statements. We have solar panels on our roof, which is great. Because of the solar panels, we started getting these statements from PG&E, separate from the usual energy bills which I receive online. Not understanding these statements at first glance, I’ve been collecting them in a pile waiting for the day when I’d feel moved to challenge my brain a little bit. (Yes, I am very organized as an accountant for other people, believe it or not.) This week, I finally called PG&E, got the explanation I needed, and asked for online statements. Alas, the solar program does not yet offer them. Another of life’s ironies.

  In addition to PG&E envelopes were one from Safeco insurance… still not offering online only statements… and payment from a blog advertiser which I’ve now switched to direct deposit.

That’s it for last week.

Have you all noticed the EcoDriving ad on my sidebar, and if so, were you wondering why it’s there? May is both EcoDriving Month as well as Bike Month. So each day this week, I plan to write about modes of transportation, not only saving fuel but also the plastic issues associated with each of them. Some might surprise you.

Related posts:
Find out what envelope windows are made from ^[5].
Why I don’t just toss my plastic jars into the recycling bin and forget about them ^[6].