The Plastic Challenge

[Krista Harris / Edible Santa Barbara]

Thank you to all who participated in the Plastic Challenge. It has
been a fascinating experiment. I can't say that I managed to live
without plastic for the month, in fact the biggest result of the
challenge for me was that I became aware of just how much plastic
surrounds us on a daily basis. From the plastic keys on my computer to
the plastic plant markers in my organic vegetable garden, I've never
given it so much thought until now.

Reducing the plastic that packages our food was my primary focus, and
I think I had some success and some failures. Sometimes I was forced
to make a decision between local, organic food vs. food not packaged
in plastic. These were the difficult choices. But sometimes the
choices were easy: not using a plastic straw, bringing my own cup to
get coffee and, of course, carrying my reusable bags when shopping.

I hope I have developed some good habits that will stay with me. I
love the taste and quality of milk in a glass bottle, and I've found
that it is easier than I thought it would be to bring my own mesh
reusable produce and bulk bin bags.

Please feel free to share any of your thoughts, results and
suggestions for this Plastic Challenge.

best,
-Krista