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Sometimes I find myself bemoaning the plastic world we’ve created and wishing we could go back to a time before our disposable culture got the better of us. It's a simplistic point of view for sure, as I realized last night while reminiscing about my experience growing up in the 70's. No bottled water. Fewer disposables. But were things really better back then or just different?
Back to School on a Budget
In 1974, way, way, way back in the day, "Back to School" meant I finally got new clothes. Each year I'd fantasize about finally having a wardrobe that would make me popular. It never happened. Designer jeans? Forget it. My mom didn’t let me wear pants to school until I was in 5th grade. And invariably, my new duds would start out two sizes too big (to grow into) and be two sizes too small before I could have new ones. “No, I’m not preparing for a flood, you guys. Leave me alone.”
My younger sisters had it much worse. They never got new clothes as long as my hand-me-downs were still wearable -- “wearable” being a very subjective term. These days, I appreciate my mom’s thrift, and of course I recognize how much easier it is on our wallets and on the planet to reuse what we already have before buying new stuff.
Shopping for school clothes in 2010 can be just as green. Nicole at Thrift Store Confidential provides useful tips for shopping second-hand stores for kids' school clothes instead of going the retail route. And Eco-Women Protectors of the Planet advocate swapping instead of shopping.
1974: All About the Vinyl
While I might not have lucked out in the clothing department, I did, however, score a brand new Dawn Doll lunch box one year, complete with matching Dawn Doll Thermos (plastic on the outside, glass on the inside!) The lunchbox was covered inside and out in shiny white vinyl, the same material Dawn herself was made from. Now, sitting here at my desk at 1 am, I can still recall the smell and plasticky taste of my tuna sandwich after sitting in that lunchbox all morning. But I didn’t mind. It had the same smell as my dolls and all the other toys I loved back then.
In 2010, we understand the dangers of PVC, aka vinyl. Yet still, so many children’s toys, clothes, and school supplies (such as lunchboxes, 3-ring binders, backpacks & school bags, etc.) are made from it. Fortunately, the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice (CHEJ) puts out an annual Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies, so vinyl is easily avoidable.
Download the 2010 guide here.
2010: All About the Styrofoam
Not as easy to avoid these days is styrofoam. While I might have carried a toxic vinyl lunchbox most days in 1974, I did get to choose one hot cafeteria lunch per week (tater tots!), a lunch that was served on reusable plastic plates, with metal utensils, and durable plastic trays that the school washed and reused. Yeah, they were plastic, but at least we didn’t throw them away. What we did throw away were paper napkins, paper (yes, paper) straws, and cardboard milk cartons. Isn’t that enough waste?
Recently, I was shocked to learn that in the years since I was a kid, many schools have switched to throwaway styrofoam trays and disposable plastic utensils. (Thankfully, the ‘tots have remained the same.)
But parents, teachers, and kids are fighting back against styrofoam.
Portland, OR: Enviromom Renee Limon participated in a styrofoam lunch tray recycling challenge. She and a group of caring parents got together and handwashed tray after tray so that they could be recycled. Her conclusion? All that washing of styrofoam to be recycled is not sustainable. What is needed are durable trays and a high efficiency dishwasher.
Takoma Park, MD: That’s exactly what a student group at Piney Branch Elementary School in Takoma Park, Maryland are fighting for. For over a year, the Young Activist Club has been campaigning for durable lunch trays and the installation of a tray washer. The Club has raised over $10,000 towards the project and consulted with a design consultant to find out the exact cost of the project. In June of this
