With that said...

[conuly]

I routinely (well, when I'm in the habit of watching TV) see ads from the Plastic Counsel (or whomever) talking about how "plastics make it possible" in reference to saving peoples lives via bulletproof vests, inhalers, blood transfusions, and, of course, saran wrap. (They don't mention duct tape, oddly.)

Which leads me to this question: What is plastic actually required for? What could substitute for plastic in various items that tend to be made of plastic around here? They don't have to be crucial things - if you want to go back to wooden dice, that's terrific! They just have to be things that are commonly made of plastic, and don't have to be.

Because I honestly was surprised for a while to realize that this or that thing could be made of something, well... non-plastic. A lot of games, really.

In a not-at-all-related note, I often hear people pontificating about what "children need to know" in "today's world", usually in the context of teaching children something wildly inappropriate before they're developmentally ready (just because I could read at 3 doesn't mean most children should be reading before they even enter the first grade. Trust me, by 10, you really can't tell). I always feel like pointing out that their kids won't be living in today's world, they'll be living in the world of the future, but this alternately depresses and amuses me.

So, if you don't want to answer question A, answer question B: What skills will kids of today actually need when they're adults?

Comments

Lightweight=wood.

[marveen.livejournal.com]

I've seen the most gorgeous steampunk tower mods and screen frames, I'm sure thin sheets of wood would answer for a lot of plastic junk (also insulating the electronics much better then metal).

A lot of stuff could better be made of glass (beverage bottles) or wood (handles to just about everything) or metal (hairpins/combs/clasps) than the everbedamned plastic.