My Day in Plastic

Kobe Thomas-Joshua

Reflection Paper: My Day in Plastic

Write a 750-1,000 word paper reflecting on the plastic in your own life using the Week 5 Exercise as your starting point. Your response should be carefully edited and clearly organized into a coherent whole. Please double space, use 12pt font, and be sure to provide in-text citations for course materials (include page numbers for specific quotes/paraphrased materials), and a list of works cited at the end. The content of the paper should do three things:

1) Reflect on the list-making process itself For example, you might address SOME of the following: How many items are on your list? Interesting observations about the contents? Was this exercise easier/harder than expected? Were there any surprises? Is it actually possible to figure out what everything is made from? Were you temped to change your routine to avoid having to list something?

2) Thoughtfully consider responsibility For example, consider SOME of the following: Is the plastic our lives simply the result of individual choices? Is it possible, as an individual, to avoid plastic in your daily life? Why or why not? Which items might you have control over or not and why? What other factors might limit individual interventions? (time/money/knowledge etc) Who or what else might be responsible? Who do you think should be responsible?

3) Connect your experience to broader issues via the readings by incorporating and properly referencing (with in-text/parenthetical citations) "the Story of Bottled Water" video AND at least one of the Maniates (Week 5) or De Wolff (Week 6) readings. How might plastic connect your daily life to global consumer culture/environments? How might these connections influence how you think about responsibility?

List of plastic items in 24 hours (Week 5)

1. Plastic cups

2. Straws

3. Trash bag

4. Trash can

5. Plastic sack

6. Toothbrush

7. Toothpaste

8. Water bottle

9. PlayStation

10. Plastic Cutlery

11. Ziplock bags

12. Paper plates

13. Bowls

14. Body wash

15. Mouthwash

16. Laptop

17. Cell phone

18. TV

19. Remote control

20. Shoes

21. Food storage containers

22. Milk container

23. Juice container

24. Light Switch

25. The car’s dashboard

26. Pill bottle

27. Bleach container

28. Mask

29. Fan

30. Fruit cups

31. Cold cuts

32. Bread package

33. Mop

34. Mop bucket

35. Laundry detergent