The blog formerly known as   Fake Plastic Fish

Category Archives: Travel And Transportation

January 21, 2008

Plastic in Paradise

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Yep, even I ended up using plastic in paradise. I tried so hard all day to avoid it. My folks are fast food people, and on a road trip, McDonald’s is the “restaurant” of choice. I filled up my Klean Kanteen with water all day. I avoided plastic straws and cups and wrappers at every stop. Finally towards the end of a day of beautiful views and picking up garbage, I caved in and ordered a sundae at McDonald’s. I thought I was safe. After all, I had my reusable travel utensils, so I wouldn’t need a plastic spoon.

Duh! McDonald’s sundaes come in a plastic cup with a plastic lid. And it’s not like this is a new phenomenom. They’ve been sold this way from the very beginning, late 70’s? Early 80’s? Certainly since I had my very fir… Read the rest

September 13, 2007

My Disney Adventure Part 3 – Racing and Riding

Thanks to Michael (er… I mean, the polar bears) for filling in for me yesterday. I’m wide awake and ready to write the final installment of my Disney adventure story. But actually, I’m having a hard time coming up with the words. All I really need to do is talk about plastic and environmental issues at Disneyland and during the Disneyland Half Marathon. But every time I start, I’m stopped by a kind of cognitive dissonance. Part of me is repulsed by the whole corporate engine of Disney and the vulgar consumerism it promotes.

But another part, the little kid that loves dolls and stuffed toys and pretty lights and music, is fascinated by the park itself and all the make-believe worlds within it. I and my inner child had such a good time with our friend David, and his inner child, rushing from ride to ride and laughing and screaming our heads off, that it’s hard to settle down and get serious about recycling bins and plastic con… Read the rest

September 11, 2007

Going to bed now…

I know I promised stories of fun and adventure in Disneyland. But I had to work late tonight, and I have to go in early tomorrow. So the fun will have to wait a day. Until then, ponder page 43 from the August 2007 issue of the Southwest Airlines in-flight magazine, “Spirit”:

Click the image to see it larger and read the text. I’m not sure what to make of this. As I said, I saw a lot of plastic on my Southwest flight, and I saw it being collected in plastic bags. I’ve sent a letter to the company via snail mail inquiring into their environmental practices. Does this one page in their magazine reflect the company’s thinking on environmental issues or simply those of one magazine contributor? We’ll find out…… Read the rest

September 10, 2007

My Disney Adventure Part 2 – Eating and Sleeping

As I mentioned in Part 1 of My Disney Adventure, I rushed to reserve transportation and accommodations at the last minute without planning ahead. This is not recommended.

LODGING

If I had done some research, I might have found a more eco-friendly place to stay. Instead, I went for availability and price, booking a room at the Alamo Inn & Suites on Katella Ave simply because it had the best rates through Hotels.com.

On the plus side, the hotel is located just across the street from Disneyland, so no driving is required to get to the park. As far as I can tell, that is the only environmental plus. And since there are so many other hotels also within walking distance, there’s sure to be another with a better eco-philosophy.

Now, here are a few negatives:

Coffee service in the lobby with Styrofoam cups and plastic stirrers. Plastic drinking cups in the room. Plastic-lined waste cans in the rooms and no means of recycling. Plastic packets of shampo… Read the rest
September 6, 2007

My Disney Adventure, Part 1: Getting There

That’s me with the sun in my eyes after running/walking (and by that I mean dragging my sorry, untrained butt) 13.1 miles in the blistering Socal sun. The temperature was already 80 degrees at 6am, the start of the Disneyland Half Marathon. And our group didn’t actually start running until 6:30. By mid-day, the temperature soared to 108. I don’t know what it was when I crossed the finish line at 9:30am, but it was definitely somewhere between hot and fully baked.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. This isn’t the blog about running. It’s the one about plastic. And I have some things to say about avoiding plastic waste while traveling.

My one piece of advice is: Plan ahead! I give this advice after finding out what happens when you don’t do it. It never occurred to me to research the environmental policies of airlines or car rental companies or hotels or other cities. My friend David and I signed up for the race i… Read the rest