Austrian Family Lives a Life without Plastic

[marmar]

from Der Spiegel:



Is it possible to live modern life without plastic? One Austrian family, concerned about dangers to the environment and health caused by the material, decided to find out. What was meant to last a month has evolved into a new way of life.

Try to imagine living without plastic for just a single day. No computer, no mobile phone, no car and certainly no pre-packaged food. Modern life, marked by the ubiquity of plastic, makes avoiding the synthetic substance a nearly impossible undertaking. But concerned by a growing number of health and environmental problems that arise from constant contact with plastic, one Austrian family decided to go without.



In a new book published in German, titled "Plastikfreie Zone," or "Plastic-Free Zone," Sandra Krautwaschl details how her family of five got rid of many of their plastic items and now rarely buys anything made of the petroleum-based material.



It began as a month-long experiment, but has since turned into a way of life, says Krautwaschl. During a 2009 vacation to Croatia, the 40-year-old physical therapist was struck by how often her three children asked where all of the trash on the beach came from. The experience led her to consider her own responsibility for the problem. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/austrian-family-lives-without-plastic-a-840955.html

[benld74]

1. If they took their own photos-they missed something plastic,,,,,just saying,,,good for them

[Nihil]

2. If you'd read the article, you'd have understood a little more ... just saying ...

[benld74]

3. Article was read, photos in article looked at.

[Nihil]

4. Shame about the comprehension then.

>> The key to making it work is pragmatism and not taking the lifestyle to extremes

>> The Krautwaschl-Rabensteiners, who live outside of the southern Austrian city of Graz
>> in the 3,000-strong village of Eisbach, still use electronic equipment and other
>> necessities like bike helmets, but they share a car with another family and
>> attempt to buy second-hand products whenever possible.

Nit-picking about a camera is fairly pointless given the scale of the change that
they've undergone - especially after they noted the compromises they've chosen
to accept.