If you haven’t taken the Show Us Your (Plastic) Trash Challenge yet, now is the time. The women from See Jane Do are up for it and would love some company!

See Jane Do is an inspirational multi-media project (web, radio, and now print) that seeks to highlight the successes of “ordinary women doing extraordinary things.” I was thrilled to be included in that list and have See Jane Do’s Elisa Parker come visit me, check out my plastic-free progress, and conduct an interview which will be broadcast on KVMR Wed.Oct. 7th from 1-2pm PST. You can listen online as well.

Well, I don’t know how extraordinary it is to collect your plastic trash for several years, or to create a web site about it. I’m just doing what I love. And in that spirit, I stayed up all night last night re-creating the Show Us Your Plastic Trash Challenge web site in WordPress and making it beautiful in the hopes that more people will be inspired to join in. Oh, and I got to learn more about WordPress, my new favorite geeky thing.

What is the challenge and why should you take it (besides the fact that I stayed up all night making a pretty web site?)

1) The challenge is to collect and tally a minimum of one week’s worth of plastic waste. That’s it. No guilt, agonizing, or apologizing. This is for educational purposes to learn how much plastic waste we are each generating, what it consists of, and what it is about our way of life that increases our plastic consumption.

2) Think you know how much plastic you go through in a week? You might. But most people who take the challenge find they are surprised at the unexpected plastic in their lives. Before we can understand the problem, we must clearly see the extent of it.

3) Think you aren’t ready to do it because you don’t have plastic-free systems in place? Forget it. This isn’t about that. Before we get our systems in place, we need to see what the issues are to begin with. Start where you are.

4) Think you don’t have time to do the tally and answer all the questions? That’s okay. Just collect all the plastic in a bag. If you have miscellaneous wrappers and containers and are worried you’ll forget what they are, label them with a marker before tossing them in the bag. That’s what I do sometimes. Then, take a picture and send it to me at the end of the week with a brief description. I’ll help you answer the most important questions. I’d rather have partial participation than none at all.

5) Worried about other people’s plastic? I’ve addressed that question and many others in the Instructions on the Challenge web site. Please check it out.

I’m hoping to add more features to the site as I learn how. Like for example, a discussion forum where participants can discuss their challenges and also give suggestions to one another. We’ll see.