December 15, 2019

by drplasticpicker

I am writing to you from the far off lands of Newport Beach, California. Mr. Plastic Picker and I are at a corporate meeting for our organization to celebrate 10 years.  We are staying at a super fancy hotel where they have valet parking at $30 a night, but the hotel room is covered as are our meals for the day’s programs.  Ten years ago when we started with this organization, the corporate rah-rah and indoctrination used to scare me. Others would ask me half in jest, “Did you drink the kool-aid?” But in all seriousness, all large organizations have similar models and I do believe that ours is more egalitarian. I do believe that here independent thinking is encouraged if you work through the system. I have been able to enact positive changes as a middle manager. But I remain in my heart drplasticpicker wanting to take my own path. But I am here, and I will partake and enjoy. We will sit with our friends who started as young physicians with us together 10 years ago and hear about how the corporation will take care of us.  But I will be thinking the entire time, how can I take care of the earth?  Because in the end, we cannot rely only on large organizations but also must make the changes within ourselves. 

As we celebrate 10 years in our professional physician group, there are about 10 more years for me to plastic pick and try to enact positive environmental changes in my own life and blog. And try to do what I can to decrease ocean plastic pollution! So, what will I do today as I sit at these various meetings?

1. Use my own reusable coffee mug: Yes! I brought the same reusable coffee mug that I also brought to New Orleans at the AAP https://drplasticpicker.com/drplasticpicker-goes-to-the-aap-national-conference-in-new-orleans-and-tries-to-use-less-plastic/. I will need to drink coffee and I will use my mug if ceramic mugs are not available.  In a fancy hotel like this, they usually will have real mugs. But I am prepared!
2. Brought my own shampoo: This was a short trip as it is only about 1.5 hours north of our home. But Mr. Plastic Picker https://drplasticpicker.com/mr-plastic-pickers-environmental-journey/and I spent the evening as our organization sprung for the hotel room. I have to admit waiting to take a shower here in OC. Do other people do that? I thought why not use Orange County’s water and save some for our town! I grew up during the horrible drought in the late 80s where we were reciting in Junior High, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” As we were leaving the house, I asked Mr. Plastic Picker “did you find the shampoo?” In habit, he replied “Just use the hotel shampoo.” I was in regular person mode and was about to leave but then I remembered, “I’m Dr. Plastic Picker!” I actually muttered that under my breath as my tall high school son looked at his middle-aged mother in sympathy. So I made Mr. Plastic Picker https://drplasticpicker.com/mr-plastic-pickers-environmental-journey/ wait a few more minutes as I found our reusable travel shampoo, grabbed 2 cloth napkins, and some fruit as well. This traveling and using less plastic and disposables after New Orleans and San Francisco is definitely getting easier!
3. Pick Vegetarian Options: Because we are a large health care organization, they usually will have vegetarian food options.  I will try to pick these today if they are left. I am beginning to accept that we all have to change our food choices for a more sustainable and plastic-free ocean. One of our younger pediatricians was telling me at work yesterday that she is trying vegan cheese. That sounds great to substitute for some dairy when we eat it with crackers! I will have to check it out the next time I’m at the bulk grocer.
4. Talk to my friends about Toilet Paper: We will be here with two friends who also started at the same time.  They are 1% income bracket super specialist specialist.  I will covertly try to change their toilet-paper buying habits and talk about our recycled and bamboo toilet paper adventures! It will be an interesting addition to our conversation about what we are going to do when we retire.
5. Pick up Plastic at Newport Beach: I’ve heard of this beach but have never been to this beach. Our Middle-School daughter will be at her school event until 900pm, and our High School son is usually immersed in his de-stressing program on a Friday evening in his room Skyping and playing video games with his friends.  Our event ends at 5pm on Friday, and we will need to drive down 1.5 hours to home. My mother-in-law can feed our son and he has his grandparents and our crazy black puppy to keep him company.  In previous years, Mr. Plastic Picker and I would rush out early to try to beat the traffic. But there will be traffic no matter what. Now with the kids older, there really is no rush. I am hoping to enjoy the entire day’s program, and see if we can’t stop by this famous tony Newport Beach and see if they have any plastic!

So that are my goals as drplasticpicker today in Newport Beach, as we are celebrating our 10^th anniversary with our professional group. I’ll let you know in tomorrow’s blog post how it went!

Click here to read what happening at the Newport Beach corporate meeting https://drplasticpicker.com/dr-plastic-picker-agitates-for-the-ocean-at-a-regional-meeting/