On the morning of the day I had decided to go without using plastic products — or even touching plastic — I opened my eyes and put my bare feet on the carpet. Which is made of nylon, a type of plastic. I was roughly 10 seconds into my experiment, and I had already committed a violation. Since its invention more than a century ago, plastic has crept into every aspect of our lives. Plastic has made possible thousands of modern conveniences, but it has come with downsides, especially for the environment. Last week, in a 24-hour experiment, I tried to live without it altogether in an effort to see what plastic stuff we can’t do without and what we may be able to give up. …I woke up the next morning glad to have survived my ordeal and be reunited with my phone — but also with a feeling of defeat. …I had made 164 violations. [to access the full story a NY Times subscription is required]