In September of 2019, I made a conscious choice to eliminate any and all unnecessary plastic from my life. I bought everything I could in bulk (refilling glass jars), put my shopping habit aside and became religious about my use of products such as cloth produce bags and beeswax wraps . For about a month and a half, I confined all my trash to two mason jars, inspired by zero-waste influencer Laura Singer. (She’s doing a much better job than can I am- you can hear her words here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF72px2R3Hg)
Before this point, I had been gradually reducing my plastic consumption. Becoming increasingly aware of just how toxic this material is to our planet began to fill me with dread and anxiety. I can remember having my mind blown when I learned that every piece of plastic ever created still exists today, and that micro-plastics are literally ingrained in the fossil record. However, I grew up with ziplock bags in my school lunch kit and plastic nurdles* inside my beloved Webkinz collection. This is to say I internalized the idea that plastic is simply part of the world we live in, not a substance chocking the earth.
Over recent years, however, I began to tap into the fact that society hasn’t really hasn’t know plastic for that long. With the mass manufacturing of plastic getting it’s kick start during the second World War, we don’t need to look too far back in history to find out what life was like without plastic.
I talked to my maternal Grandma, Elizabeth Ward, on the subject. Born in Cornwall, England in 1929, she grew up at a time of tremendous conflict. Although she suffered through limited food supplies and lack of luxury goods, plastic was not something she felt she was worse off without.
“When plastic was invented, it was quite a big deal.” she told me. “But it is not something that we need, we’ve done without it before and we can do without it again.”
She has a great point. As someone who does not consume great deals of processed food and has already adopted simple habits such as carrying a metal straw in my bag and bringing a reusable mug to coffee shops, I found that reducing my day to day plastic use required thought, but not an overwhelming amount of effort. As a matter of fact, I being continually blow away by the non-environmental benefits of the zero waste lifestyle; I was spending basically peanuts on bulk dry goods and spices, I fell in love with the quality of my reusable razor (needing to shave my legs less? yes please!) and my roommates and I had so much fun customizing the scents of our bulk soaps and detergents with essential oils. I was living with virtually no plastic, and absolutely loving it.
All this changed however, when I began purchasing “teacher materials” for the projects in my classes. Art supplies, trifold boards, glue gun sticks and paints began making their way into my life, each item packaged in shiny plastic that will stay on this earth for centuries.
I can remember one day in November particularly well. As peeled off the plastic back from a sheet of contact paper I had purchased for my year end Gallery Walk project, I realized that the waste produced from the materials I had purchased for my presentation was about equal to that in those two small mason jars that represented all my waste from the months before. Sure, I could live a zero waste life- but could I ever be a zero waste teacher?
Although I anticipate most areas of my teaching practice to differ greatly from those of the early 20th century, I think it it worth noting that teachers ran their classrooms without so much as a sheet of cling wrap until the 1950s. To go further, commercially produced plastic classroom accessories can be more than unnecessary- they can distract from the authenticity of education and distract the learners.
One way to cut down on the use of plastic in our classrooms in by following the educational philosophy of Reggio Emilia. One element of this approach to teaching is the use of authentic, natural materials in the classroom. This philosophy is practical for those working with a tight budget as well- choosing durable wooden furniture over plastic and hunting for authentic materials in the forest and in thrift stores if a great way to save money. And last but not least, these plastic barren classrooms are beautiful and peaceful places for children to learn.
When we mindlessly purchase plastic goods for our classrooms, we are not only creating unnecessary waste, but also sending a message to our students that normalizes the grotesque plastic consumption that is already present in other areas of life. Thusly, I am passionate about committing to work towards a plastic free teaching career.
I’m exited to explore this topic further as to best prepare for future practicum and teaching jobs in a sustainable way. But until then, you can find me in the bulk store, continuing to focus on minimizing my personal plastic footprint.
Until next time,
– Katie
*Commercially produced micro plastic pellets- about the size of a lentil and deadly to marine life
