The Cal Polyethylene Problem

REFLECTIVE MEMO: I never realized how big of an impact my lifestyle played on the environment and on the future until I started learning about how impactful single-use plastics were .I had always been conscious about not wasting and minimizing plastic use, but soon realized that everything I seemed to do had some sort of plastic waste attached to it .Going to college emphasized this, as plastic waste seems to be something we cannot escape .When I realized how much plastic waste I had created solely from the dining hall food I ordered, I resorted to two options .The first was to cook my own food and source the ingredients from minimal waste companies, and the second was to find an environmentally conscious alternative dining station .From there, I found multiple locations that served food in cardboard and paper plates rather than plastic whenever they could .This then led me to the Vista Grande Express, a dining location that uses reusable containers in the Vista Grande to cut down on plastic waste .I encourage all Cal Poly students to try out the Vista Grande Express, working it into your dining routines at least once a week .Writing this essay wasn't entirely easy; I had to find a way to criticize the plastic use on campus when in reality Cal Poly has done so much to address this problem already .I suggested that the next step they could take in becoming more environmentally conscious in the Vista Grande was to switch from single-use aluminum and plastic containers to a reusable container system .Research for this essay was limited mainly to sources provided by Cal Poly .I was looking into how much plastic they use, how much plastic the reusable containers save, and what they do to limit their waste .In conclusion, I tried to appeal to the reader's emotions by presenting national plastic waste statistics and allowing the reader to realize that even the smallest changes in behavior create larger impacts, and by changing the way Cal Poly handles plastic waste and consumption, we can have a larger impact on how society handles them .Bright shining LED lights flicker overhead as I enter the Vista Grande.The Jamba Juice blender whirrs in my ear as I skim the rows of prepackaged California rolls, tentatively deciding what to eat for lunch.I turn around and am face-to-face with fifty packaged pastas, pesto, alfredo, marinara, and so on.The Jamba Juice blender whirrs to life once again as it prepares a smoothie, and then another, with orders coming in faster than I can count.Each cup receives a little plastic lid, followed quickly by a little plastic straw, and is thrown onto the counter to be picked up.I turn back to the open refrigerated wall of food, all prepackaged in little boxes, neatly lined up and ready to be purchased.As I reach for a package of rolls, I imagine the life of the box containing the rolls, mass produced, fulfilling a single purpose, and then quickly discarded.The low rumble in my stomach doesn't compare to