....said Mr. Mcquire to Benjamin Braddock (played by Dustin Hoffman) in the classic film, The Graduate.
You can watch that scene on You Tube, like I did, but a better use of your time would be to watch the documentary on Netflix, The Plastic Detox.
Spoiler Alert: Six "infertile" couples participated in a study in which they ditched as much plastic as possible. It took several months, but the film ends very happily.
Since I'm long out of the demographic in which fertility is an issue, I'm stepping into this project with an eye to avoiding diseases caused by petrochemicals, but more importantly to pass on what I'm learning to my grandchildren. And being somewhat an evangelist when it comes to topics like these, to anyone else who will listen.
The problem is so enormous that it's daunting to think what we do in our kitchens and bathrooms could have any impact. But this film provides more facets to the story, some of which are hopeful--if we act responsibly in our own homes and grocery stores.
As I was taking out the trash this morning, I wondered how much plastic went into the recent acquisition of huge garbage and recycling bins in just this one neighborhood. Maybe some portion of these mammoth plastic containers is recyclable? But as the film highlights, many plastic items marked recyclable are not entirely so.
If you've ever put "100% cotton" in the search bar looking for clothes, you already know that what comes up is almost entirely polyester.
Plastic water bottles, polyester clothing and sheets, time-release capsules stored in plastic pill containers, plastic bags and food storage, spatulas and spoons and baby toys--these are just a few of the things most of us never even think about anymore. We grew up with metal ice trays with levers--now our ice cubes are made in plastic. We went to school in cotton clothes and carried canvas book satchels with lunches packed in brown paper bags; now kids carry elaborate plastic everythings.
I'm a baby in this subject, just toddling around asking questions at this point, doing further reading and research, but I'm sincerely hoping to reduce my carbon footprint as much as I can.
One little thing I've been doing for a long time is using KIND detergent; it comes in little sheets, no big plastic bottles, no fragrance. (Regular detergent minus the water doesn't require plastic gallon containers.) I hope to do a lot more as I learn more--about nonstick surfaces, fragrance and packaging of toiletries, and where to buy all-natural-fiber clothes.
Rethinking the brand of air fryer I just bought, by the way. Glad I haven't used it yet.
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