Comments on: How To Request No Plastic and Get What You Ask For

By: anonymous

anonymous — Sat, 21 May 2011 02:41:07 +0000

I work at the Oakland Zoo and while I am proud to say that our zoo does not allow guests to bring plastic drink-lids and straws (they are the most common trash item that we have to fish out of our animal’s exhibits) into our zoo, our food court still provides only plastic cutlery, our kids-meals come with plastic toys in plastic wrap, we have plastic cup/water cooler combos in our offices, our gift shop sells tons of plastic toys and gifts, and our marketing department often collaborates with companies that are less than environmentally conscious. In such a big, bureaucratic organization, it’s hard to make changes. Even at a place that purports to be conservation and education minded.

By: Piper

Piper — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:46:45 +0000

I asked our local Sierra Club if they would consider not offering plastic cups, plates and utensils at the annual Christmas potluck and instead publishing a reminder in the newsletter and in emails that people should bring their own service. Then we could have a few paper plates and cups and a few washable utensils in case people forgot. They basically gave me the brushoff and said plastic was easier and it would be discriminating against people who rode their bikes to the potluck to make them bring their own table service and a whole laundry list of excuses. I’ve given up with trying to get others to do anything too complicated. Not even environmental organizations care.

By: Joddle

Joddle — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 19:22:33 +0000

@juna the problems posed by making ‘the right choice’ are multi-layered and I think often of the ripple effect that you mention.

The main thing is that we should all try to our bit, I think, while recognising that other people have other priorities.

For example, my housemates choose not recycle even though I have offered to take anything to the recycling point for them. One said he didn’t know how!

I wasn’t gonna teach him. Surely everyone knows you can recycle newspapers…

Anyway, I think him saying he didn’t know how to do it was equivalent to him saying he couldn’t be bothered. Although I don’t understand it I would rather not get stressed about it. I offered help and it was rejected.

Getting annoyed at people working in shops or restaurants might not help either as they are just there to do their work and get paid.

People who are concerned by these issues should avoid shopping at places which use plastic packaging etc as this is the only way to have your conscience avoid the plastic waste issue

By: juna

juna — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 20:02:24 +0000

Joddle… I agree. I would feel very badly about wasting the food so my conscious was clear about not using plastic. And I would also have felt badly about the ripple affect of my actions, because I even feel bad right now to hear that the kitchen help was yelled at. Hopefully he didn’t lose his job, we all need one. The wasted food and perhaps the gasoline used to return it… unless on foot, is not worth the “environmental reasons.”

By: Joddle

Joddle — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:59:44 +0000

- rebeca

Your experience ordering food out is exactly the kind of uncomfortable
situation I wish to avoid. I would have felt awkward, and felt bad
about the wasted food.

Living in London, England, it is possible to avoid restaurants which
use excess or plastic waste packaging for convenience food in my
neighbourhood.

One thing I haven’t been able to avoid successfully, however, is the
plastic waste generated at events I attend. Even if I don’t eat the
catered food, I feel that my presence is contributing to the plastic
having been bought in the first place, and later wasted (as food is
ordered per person)

By: Marie

Marie — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 02:57:07 +0000

I love this! I work in a grocery store and I cringe whenever I have to ask “paper or plastic” but at our grocery store, we have a rewards card that accumulates to $5 then you get that $5 off your next grocery bill, and if you bring in your own bags to reuse you get 5 cents for each bag! I love it!

By: Kisha

Kisha — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:55:23 +0000

Ok, I’ll admit to being a doofus. I just read your plastic-free guide and it was VERY helpful answering my questions. Thanks!!!!! LOL

By: Kisha

Kisha — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:44:39 +0000

Ok, I’m new to all of this so…couple of questions I have are: Where can I purchase glass straws? What types of containers do you take into restaurants to wrap up your leftovers? What do you do in supermarkets with the plastic that is on meats or bags of potatoes (although I have a nice market to shop in that I could use my own bags but sometimes do shop at the store)? How can I encourage my place of employment to recycle? I notice we throw a lot of things away and I normally take it home to recycle but it would be nice if we participated as a business. Thanks! P.S. Beth, I am a friend of Ellen’s (love her)! :)

By: dottie

dottie — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 22:14:28 +0000

I just want to start out by saying that I DO really enthusiastically support (and go along with) what all of you are doing.

However, if you care about the environment and other issues (which you all obviously do), maybe you should think twice about going to restaurants so much in the first place. Usually the food has traveled wayy too far (travel=gasoline), is probably loaded with pesticides and other nasty chemicals, and was probably grown with not-so-environmentally friendly practices. Take a look at Michael Pollan’s often cited book Omnivores Dillemma, or just do a search for “sustainable community agriculture.”

So I guess what I am trying to say is maybe choose restraints who have the same ideals as you do, or just avoid them as much as possible.

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:20:55 +0000

Hi Carrie. I agree that it depends on how it’s done. I wouldn’t just whip out a photo of a dead bird without engaging the person in conversation first and gauging their receptiveness. But like Marissa said, her action of showing the photo prompted the server to start a plastic-free student club at his school. So apparently, showing disturbing photos works when done right. Plus, I’m more concerned about the real abuse we’re perpetrating on the natural world than offending a few delicate sensibilities.