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ONE MONTH, NO PLASTIC

Before reading

1) Look at the text, where is it taken from? Whos the author? When was it published? Are there

any pictures? What are they about?

2) What words do you expect to find in the text: academic, standard or slang? formal, semi-formal

or informal? Why?

3) Look at the structure of the text. Are there any subtitles? What do you expect to find under each

of them?

4) These are some words from the text. If you dont know what they mean, look them up in the

dictionary.

Plastic-free challenge February single-use shampoo bottles packaging necessary

slow down powerful experience reduce

5) Organize them into a paragraph telling what you think the text might be about (you can use

them in any order). Remember to use the title, subtitles and pictures to help you.

Read your paragraph to the class, is it similar to your classmates? Read the text and find any

similarities to your paragraph.

1 Month, No Plastic: How Real People Did It

byAmanda Wills

Published on March 7th, 2011

No plastic in your beauty routine? Editor Leah Zerbe committed to bar soap and homemade scrubs. Photo: Leigh Ann Adams

WhenRodalestaffers came up with the idea of aplastic-free challengein an editorial meeting, they had no

idea the concept would go global.

As these editors pledged to live a plastic-free life for the month of February, so did swarms of their Twitter

followers and Facebook fans from the U.S., to Mexico, to Abu Dhabi.

But it was obvious from the beginning that daily interaction with some plastics was simply unavoidableinthe car, on the computer, even in the furniture.

http://earth911.com/news/author/awills/http://earth911.com/news/author/awills/http://earth911.com/news/author/awills/http://www.rodale.com/http://www.rodale.com/http://www.rodale.com/http://www.rodale.com/plastic-freehttp://www.rodale.com/plastic-freehttp://www.rodale.com/plastic-freehttp://earth911.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Plastic-free-haircare.jpghttp://www.rodale.com/plastic-freehttp://www.rodale.com/http://earth911.com/news/author/awills/

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Our main focus is the single-use plastic, Editor Leah Zerbe told Earth911 in apre-challenge interview. Ithink you can make a big difference with all of these other little things you come across during the day that

you dont need.

Were they able to do it? We caught up with Rodale Editors Emily Main and Leah Zerbe to get the full story.

Leah Zerbe: For beauty products, less is more

Editor Leah Zerbe, who lives on a farm, was

able to plant seedlings for spring without

plastic cases. Photo: Courtesy of Leah Zerbe

Leah Zerbe lives on a farm near Philadelphia, and commutes to her

office in Emmaus, Penn. In her pre-challenge life, Zerbe says she

considered herself a conscious consumer, but when she surveyed the

products in her bathroom, she found plastic everywhere.

My major focus for the week was not using plastic shampoo bottles,she says. It was actually easier than I thought, and my hair felt

healthier at the end of the week. In the beginning, I thought I looked

like a bag lady not using my products. But it turned out tobe OK.

In our January interview with Zerbe, she predicted toiletries to be her

No. 1 challenge, but she quickly found that it was the little things she

overlooked.

The one night I went out for Happy Hour, I was writing on Facebook not to use straws, but before I couldthink of not to order a drink without them, the bartender came out with straws, she says.

Zerbes initial goal of cutting out plastic toiletries was a success, and she didnt have to sacrifice her personal

pampering routine. Zerbe went to a local salon and learned how to make a homemade sea salt solution, anexperiment she says turned out great. Plus, once she got used to washing her hair with bar soap, she

learned how to style it sans mousse and hairspray.

I went on NBC 10, and I was nervous to go on TV without using my products, she says. But I was stilltrue to the challenge, and I looked great.

Emily Main: Slow down and enjoy things in dishes

Editor Emily Main reveals that she tried a similar plastic-free challenge a couple of years ago.

For Editor Emily Main, living without single-

use plastics forced her to slow down and dine

on dishes. Photo: Courtesy of Emily Main

Then I looked around my house and thought to myself that isimpossible, she recalls with a laugh. When the challengepresented itself this time around, Main was equally as apprehensive,

so she was surprised to find that implementing it was actually easier

than she thought.

Before we started this challenge, we all collected our plastic trashto see where it came from, and most of mine was food, so that was

my primary focus, she says.

Mains major hiccups came in her grocery shopping routine. As a

cheese- and meat-lover, plastic packaging was virtuallyunavoidable. Main explains that while she could have gone to the

butcher and have her meat wrapped in paper, the organic beef she

http://earth911.com/news/2011/02/02/rodale-editors-go-plastic-free-for-one-month/http://earth911.com/news/2011/02/02/rodale-editors-go-plastic-free-for-one-month/http://earth911.com/news/2011/02/02/rodale-editors-go-plastic-free-for-one-month/http://earth911.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Emily-Main.jpghttp://earth911.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Leah-Zerbe.jpghttp://earth911.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Emily-Main.jpghttp://earth911.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Leah-Zerbe.jpghttp://earth911.com/news/2011/02/02/rodale-editors-go-plastic-free-for-one-month/

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often buys was only available in plastic.

So it was a trade-off, she says. But I wasnt going to compromise on my own [eating] habits and beliefs,so that was frustrating. I wish that grocers would give more options.

Along with her organic meat and cheese, Main also struggled to find packaging alternatives for her contact

lens solution and other personal-care items.

For the things that I couldnt avoid, I just tried to use less,she says. Plastic may be good for some things,but it isnt really necessary for others.

For Main, the go-go-go lifestyle typical of New Yorkers is commonplace, but she found that cutting her

single-use plastic habitsunexpectedlyforced her to slow down.

Plastic is kind of a crutch for the life that we created one thats fast, on the go, she says. If you just slowdown, you can enjoy things in dishes. I found extra time in the morning to make breakfast, drink coffee and

read the paper. Not being in a rush was a nice change.

Lessons on a smaller scale

We never wanted to make it an all or nothing thing; that would be hopeless, Zerbe says. [The challenge]was about making the biggest impact where you can with everyday single-use plastics. Once you get into

that mindset, it can be a positive and powerful experience.

Both Zerbe and Main says the week-long challenge was a much-needed jolt for their jaded attitudes, and they

plan to carry on the same resource-saving habits.

We both have been writing about this stuff and have fallen into the dark green category, and I felt like Ihad done everything there is to do, Main says. But this challenge woke me up, and I can no longer rest on

my laurels. Theres always something more you can do to reduce your impact.

Taken from:http://earth911.com/news/2011/03/07/1-month-no-plastic-how-real-people-did-it/

After reading

6) Answer:

a) What was the objective of the challenge?

b) What was the result?

c) Did Leah Zerbe and Emily Main find it difficult? Give examples

7) Whats the purpose of the text? Who is it addressed to?

8) Imagine you are the editor of the e-magazine and you dont like the title. Change it.

9) Look at the text and find the words the author uses to introduce reported statements. Underline

them.

Language focus: reported statements

Look at these sentences taken from the text:

I went on NBC 10, and I was nervous to go on TV without using my products, she says.

When we quote what other people say we use direct speech.

In her pre-challenge life, Zerbe says she considered herself a conscious consumer.

When we report what other people say, we use reported (indirect) speech.

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In direct speech we say the exact words the other person says; we also use inverted commas to

show they are the exact words.

Direct speech / Present tense

Im happy, she said.

Director: You are very talented, Jason.

Reported speech / Past tense

She said she was happy.

The director said Jason was talented.

You can say:

He said he was tired. or He said to me he was tired. or He told me he was tired.

Report what these people said.

1) You look very worried, Brad said.

2) This sandwich is very good, Tony told me.

3) I really like your work, she said.

4) Im very hungry, Carlos said.5) My father isnt very well, Diana said.

6) Ill phone you, Steve told me.

7) I cant find a job, Ann said.

8) I dont like my job, replied Angela.

9) My sister has gone to Australia, Peter said.

10) Im going to the cinema, grandma told me.

Look at the reported statements below. What are Clints actual words?1. He told the interviewer that the rain had washed away the snow.

Rain washed away the snow.

2. He said the dog didnt like water.

3. He said he was using a special trailer on that trip.

4. He said that if the dog felt secure he would do whatever you wanted.

5. He told the interviewer that he had been to London twice.