MY DAY OF NO PLASTIC

Is that even possible? One man went to extremes to find out.

- A.J. Jacobs

 FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

On the morning of the day I had decided to go without using plastic products or even touching plastic-I opened my eyes and put my bare feet on the carpet, which is made of nylon, a type of plastic. I was roughly 10 seconds into my experiment, and I had already committed a violation.

Since its invention more than a century ago, plastic has crept into every aspect of our lives. It has made possible thousands of modern conveniences, but it has come with downsides, especially for the environment. In a 24-hour experiment, I tried to live without it altogether in an effort to see what plastic stuff we can't do without and what we may be able to give up. (As a journalist who loves a good lifestyle experiment, I have written books about some of my endeavors, including The Year of Living Biblically and My Life as an Experiment: One Man's Humble Quest to Improve Himself.)

At the start of my no-plastic day, I made my way toward the bathroom, only to stop myself before I went in.

"Could you open the door for me?" I asked my wife, Julie. "The doorknob has a plastic coating."

She opened it for me, letting out a "this is going to be a long day" sigh.

My morning hygiene routine needed a total revamp, which had required detailed research and preparations in the days before my experiment. I could not use my regular toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo or liquid soap, all of which were encased in plastic or made of plastic. Fortunately, there is a huge industry of plastic-free products targeted at eco-conscious consumers, and I had bought an array of them, a haul that included a bamboo toothbrush with bristles made of wild boar hair. Instead of toothpaste, I had a jar of gray mint-charcoal toothpaste pellets. I popped one in, chewed it, sipped water and brushed. It was nice and minty, although the ash-colored spit was unsettling.