Greetings from a windy and wet island! My apologies for falling off the blogwagon, but off-the grid writing has been a challenge during this adjustment period.
We have been living in a camper in the middle of our forest property without power or water since May 1. I remember going on some weekend camping trip last year and looking at other people’s’ camping wares. Plastic galore, for convenience, of course! Oh how that word makes my skin crawl! I am going to dress up as Convenience for Halloween! What would that look like?
Even on this extended camping trip, Nino and I are still pretty darn plastic free. Our main FAIL! has been tarps for our leaky “home” and shabby outdoor kitchen. I thought about all sorts of ways around this, but when the skies opened up, we relented. I can say this however. It is hideous and makes the camp look like a slum. And annoying to boot in the epic wind storms that rumble through our jungle. I can’t wait to be out of tarp phase.
Our other challenge has been to relearn how to shop for food…again. Contrary to the city, we no longer have every store you possibly hope for within a 10-block radius. In addition to the once-a-week summer Farmers Market, there is only one general store on the Island, which apart from the local food cooler, is your usual packaged offerings. Well, even the local produce is often pre-bagged. This should be an easy fix though; just leave it to me. I’ll have it deplastified sooner or later!
We go into “town” once a week and don’t have refrigeration. So you can just imagine. But there is a will and a way at this camp, and we still eat healthy, good, food- NOT garbage. Having said that though, cooking isn’t always a picnic. I had the option of making Nino lentils or lentils for his work lunch this morning. Neither in a rush, with tarp monster mocking my meager attempts. I went to the local cafe instead, where take out comes in cardboard. Phew! Lunch for a hungry guy, and one place that I don’t have to pester.
I have all kinds of stories that have been pent up in this brain, and now that I don’t feel like such a fish out of water, talk again soon! I hope you’re well and still keeping on keeping on.
In my usual style, a picture to illustrate the problem. I would send you a picture of our frightening camp, but because I am embarrassed, instead something else scary, provided by someone on the Plastic Crap Wall of Shame on Faceboook. Boo!
If you don’t know how to use a knife, get a life.
8 comments
Comments feed for this article
October 26, 2011 at 2:31 pm
planitgreen
Thanks for the update. I think of you all the time and have so many things that can be added to your wall of shame. Still refusing from over here..
October 26, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Jocelynn
Hey – I love your dedication to zero plastic! I’m just wondering – if the tarp has already been created and/or if we can find ways to use the plastic that already exists in our world (since it’s going to be around for a while) we should…no? I mean buying more is unnecessary, and getting plastic enveloped EVERYTHING is unnecessary! No doubt about that. But not wanting to use a tarp … If you already had it in your garage collecting dust (for example)? I’m confused about that one.
Another quick q – avoiding plastic is great BUT ….if you are getting a paper to-go container, is it lined with plastic? If not…hoorah! But, then, you’re still creating more waste and it takes energy to turn the tree into that paper,and more energy to pulp it back into something else to use…. I think reducing and re-using is key…and if you can re-use a plastic container to get your to-go items, multiple times (that you already owned) then I say – do it! Because you just saved multiple cardboard or papaer containers, or even better – pyrex
Don’t get me wrong, I love what you stand for and I love what you’re doing! And I thank you for taking the time to educate others, and holding yourself accountable for the plastic that may or may not come into your life. I’m just wondering if, in trying to desperately avoid plastic, other areas are being sacrificed?….just some food for thought.
November 3, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Nina
Glad you’re back! Are you going to build a house? Ooh, that’s going to be a whole new plastic challenge… Right now I’m having trouble finding (FSC-certified) wooden planks for shelving that don’t come shrink-wrapped. It’s ridiculous.
Jocelynn, I think Taina is trying not only to minimise plastic use, but also to demonstrate that it’s unnecessary. So the tarp’s annoying even if she managed to find an old one, because it seems that there’s no good alternative to plastic in that case. That’s my take, anyhow – maybe Taina could elaborate??
November 24, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Plastic Manners
Nina, try green roof without plastic! Someone suggested up-side down silicone pans siliconed together. I thought it was smart, but someone really needs to come up with a better alternative!
December 19, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Nina
What about a traditional thatched roof? I imagine thatchers do use some plastic now but they can’t have been doing so for very long. This summer I was in a village called Porlock in Somerset, UK, and loads of the houses were thatched. They look lovely, they’re carbon-neutral and biodegradable, and they’re supposed to be very insulating.
November 3, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Jocelynn
Yea, fair enough
and I completely feel that annoyance! It’s ridiculous…. just recently I was in T&T market and wow – that place is probably a plastic avoiders worst nightmare. Everything was so overwhelmingly wrapped in plastic, plastic, and then some more plastic. Individually wrapped plastic snacks, in a bigger plastic bag, in a bigger one – an then probably bagged at the till, if not double bagged. Like those dolls but with plastic – absolutely devastating. I almost had a panic attack. How can we stop this?
As for the tarp – well, there must be an alternative, since plastic didn’t always exist. I suppose something made out of big leaves …..woven into each other – rainforest styles. Leaves and/or trees provide such great protection! Love that nature.
November 17, 2011 at 1:27 pm
Nic
You can purchase tarps made out of canvas – like they sell at many army surplus stores. We use them to keep our sailboat dry in the winter and they definitely beat plastic tarps when it comes to the wind ripping them apart. As long as there is wind flowing through them they shouldn’t get moldy either.
Again the dilemma arises that if you already owned an old plastic tarp should you go out and by a new canvas one? or reuse what you have. I think when faced with having to acquire/purchase something you should try to opt for the best choice – in this case canvas. Otherwise re-using what you already have seems to be the right choice.
November 24, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Plastic Manners
We pre-owned the tarps, and friends left a few new ones. However, the plastic tarps are so bunk that I wish we would have thought about canvas ones. The whole move was a little overwhelming overall, and our frazzled minds did not always make the right decisions. Proves how quickly one can make excuses too..