40 Days of Earth Day: Day 29

Posted May 16, 2010

A few additions but not a whole lot of difference from three days ago.

We've been collecting food packaging for a full four weeks now. I am appalled and embarrassed, and yet I sort of expected it to be worse by this point.

I know that our little experiment is having a positive impact on us. We are thinking of ways to significantly reduce our food packaging after the 40 days is over. We are planning on challenging ourselves by going a week without using any processed foods at all. Well, that's not true. We don't want to give up soymilk. We want to be able to bake. We'll used dried herbs and spices. Even if I switch from canned beans to dried beans, I'll need to use something to bring them home. I'll either have to buy them pre-packaged in plastic bags or take cloth bags to buy them in bulk. And what my husband will be willing to give up for a week remains to be seen.

Whatever rules we set up for ourselves, it will clearly be a challenge. Do we buy granola from the bulk bins at Right by Nature, or do I make my own from scratch? Even if I make it from scratch, I'll have to buy the oats and other ingredients -- in bulk. I could make my own almond milk, but I really like soymilk. Is that so wrong?

We don't buy bottled water! Does that count for anything?

I admit that I hope our little experiment is having a positive impact on other people. I hope that other people see my photos and realize that they are likely using the same amount of food packaging and be motivated to reduce how much they use.

But I'm finding that some people look at my photos and congratulate themselves for not having a bathtub full of food packaging. A few of those people very well may be using less food packaging than we are. But I suspect that the average American family uses more food packaging than we do. Every item in my bathtub is recyclable. Now, that's no excuse. And it doesn't make it much better. Maybe it's just something I remind myself of to make myself feel a little better.

And maybe my experiment is something other people can use to make themselves feel better. If you aren't saving your food packaging, you don't know how much you're really using. I didn't know until now.

This past week, I had no trash to put out on garbage collection day. The kitchen garbage bag was only half full after a week. I didn't want to waste half a bag, so I kept it in the kitchen.

Let me tell you, I've been feeling ashamed and embarrassed every time I pick up food that comes with packaging at the grocery store. I cringe as the cashier scans item after item. I even cringe at the fresh broccoli and asparagus in produce bags.

I was out with the kids one afternoon and was just desperate for something to drink. I had not been planning on being out then. I thought I'd be picking them up from school and coming straight home. So I didn't have my reusable steel bottle of water with me. And I refused to buy a drink for myself. Thinking about my bathtub at home, I just couldn't bring myself to buy a plastic cup or bottle of anything. So I remained thirsty until we got back home.

Talk about guilt.

I don't want to feel guilty. I don't want anyone to feel guilty. But here I am, exposing my buying habits to strangers, being reprimanded and mocked and feeling more guilty than I've ever felt in my life. A plume of oil that's 10 miles long is erupting like a volcano in the Gulf of Mexico. And I'm regretting every petroleum-based product that enters my home.

This experiment was not intended to be a confession. It was intended to be a call to action, even just for myself. But it has indeed turned into a confession. And what I crave now is absolution.

Posted in Environment
Tagged as 40 days, 40/40/40, earth day, environment, recycling, sustainable, food, packaging, and processed foods

Comments

1 Cathy May 16, 2010

I am shocked and appalled that anyone would seriously take it upon themselves to say anything negative about this project at all.

Leaving aside the fact that this is NOT that much packaging for a large family for a full month, the whole point of this is to bring yourself awareness of what you're consuming. Badgering you about it is like telling a very slightly overweight person who posts their "before" photo that they're fat. Umm, first, you aren't that packaging "fat" and second, checking your packaging "weight" is the whole point.

I think the movement to eat more natural, earth friendly foods has a lot of good points. I know I've improved both what I eat directly (by purchasing more natural foods than I used to) and indirectly (by benefiting from food industry changes due to the demand of earth-friendlier-than-me consumers). I'm so grateful for that!

On the other hand, I'm incredibly annoyed by the self-righteousness and judgmental attitude that I've seen from some natural eaters, to the point that I've stopped allowing their posts to be visible to me on facebook and stopped talking to them about food IRL.

(No offense meant to you here, Kelly, or my many other kinder foodie friends. I'm a Christian who used to have to explain Jerry Falwell to people, so I understand that not everyone is a belief system has to be judgmental about it.)

Anyway, the point of this rant is: good for you! I'm amazed by your dedication to taking a long look at what you consume, convicted by the certainty that my family uses even more, and moved to make changes in my own life thanks to your example. Well done, and thank you!

2 Laura May 18, 2010

Don't feel guilty! You aren't doing anything wrong - you are doing something neat, and learning from it, and most importantly, sharing it and teaching with it. I am amazed how much trash comes from food. Every time you post a pic, I am in awe of the amount. It's not a reflection on you, or your family. It's our culture, our food industry, our way of living that we've come to think of as ok. The problem is our acceptance of it, our inability or unwillingness to make changes.

I'd love to do this experiment, too, if I had a second bathtub to store all the packaging. I'm fairly certain our(somewhat smaller) family would have almost as much stuff (and depending on the month, even more) in the tub.

I posted questions once, but can't find them now. My questions weren't intended to pry or offend, but really were for me to learn and maybe make my own changes based on your experiences. I think you answered some of them, about potential changes, in this post.

I'd love to read more about what you change, or don't change, in your family based on this experiment. I'd probably incorporate some of those changes into our family, too.

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