Sunday is Earth day, not the most well know of holidays but surely one of the most important, after all we all live here on earth and we all should not only be taking care of her but enjoying her as well. This year the “theme” of Earth Day is to end plastic pollution.
I wrote a post about plastic pollution and its effects on animals, the ocean an the rest of planet Earth a few weeks ago and frankly I was and still am shocked at how much plastic is produced and how destructive it is.
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| Image Pinterest via Etsy |
Until I wrote that post I really never gave plastic that much thought or thought about the many kinds of plastic that we use on a daily basis that are have such detrimental effects on the planet.
Lately, I have been much more conscientious of the plastic in my little world and am trying to eliminate them. I stopped buying products in plastic, and purchase the same items in glass containers. I never get my groceries in plastic sacks, I even switched my water bottle that I take to yoga each morning to a metal one. These are just a few of the small changes one can make in their life to help rid the world of plastic.
In Europe and many countries in South American you cannot get plastic bags at the grocery store, and you must take your bottles to bottle recycling receptacles. Small changes that over the years have hopefully made a difference in the plastic pollution of their countries.
If we each make changes and at the same time demand that companies make changes as well perhaps we can reverse some of the damage to the planet.
Many innovative products are slowly coming on the market to replace plastic utensils, plates, bowls, cups and even the rings around a six pack of soda/beer and they are all biodegradable and edible as well.
And I read this week that some cities are trying to outlaw straws. Change is not going to happen over night but it will if we make it a priority.
As with anything I think unless the dangers of straws, plastic bags, bottles and the likes are constantly advertised or marketed people do not realize the damage they are doing to our planet.
Do you uses plastic? We you aware of how much damage it does to our environment? Are you willing to stop buying it? I hope that you rethink the use of plastic in your life and joing the movement this Earth Day.
Have a great day!
P.S:
On a side note, I was sad to read yesterday that Barbara Bush, the former first lady and the mother of a president of the United States. I always admired her. In fact, I was lucky enough to have her give the commencement speech at my University when I received my Master’s Degree.
I cannot remember the entire speech, as it was years ago but I do remember that she spoke about the importance of family.
She was a wonderful, fierce, loyal mother and very classy lady. I love that her platform was literacy and that she worked tirelessly her entire life for her causes. In fact she used to joke that she had never worked a day in her life so she could not understand why people wanted her to come and speak.
How blessed her children, grandchildren and her husband were to have her. Rest in peace Barbara Bush.
Re plastic, A Beautiful Mess had the most adorable dollhouse/castle recycled out of cardboard boxes. She painted it pink for her little girls (actually, she wisely let the girls paint it themselves) but it would be easy to do a unisex version in gray or brown and draw the stones. It was so much better than a plastic, pre-decorated castle.
I have started composting. We (people in rich countries) throw away so much food.
And I'm looking for plants that will make bees, butterflies and birds happy.
Great post, Elizabeth. Unfortunately, I use a lot of plastic. I feel guilty about it too. So sad about the great Barbara Bush. Have a great week.
I would certainly have no problem with straws coming to an end, for instance- I never use them.
Barbara Bush was a class act. A fine First Lady.
I try to be as Earth-Friendly as possible, but I do use straws because I cannot drink out of a can, and I love Diet Coke. But, I've given up all meat and all dairy products because I cannot stand the inhumane way we treat livestock, and I've decided putting something in my mouth is not worth some living, breathing, heartbeating animal dying. I seriously love cheese, but won't eat it ever again because we take baby cows from their mothers, etc, etc, etc. I could go on and on. Both my adult kids recycle everything. My photographer son even uses old wood for frames on his photographs + "found" objects. We should all behave like the younger generation, all of whom take this very seriously.
First, thank you for your lovely tribute to Lady Barbara Bush, as I like to think of her. Second, about all that plastic stuff: Yuck. I refuse to accept a store's wimpy plastic bag and always take my own canvass bags, sometimes the store's own heavy-duty brown paper sacks until they wear out. I do continue to use heavy plastic food storage containers at home, however; they last forever if I take care of them.