Plastic Convenience
853 words
5 minute read
Since the end of 2016 I've had this overwhelming urge to be at the beach. Not anywhere in particular, just to have the sand between my toes, sun on my skin, my hair salty, only to be contained by the hat on my head.
A number of months ago I stumbled across a documentary called 'A Plastic Ocean'. For some reason I found myself booking tickets to see it, which is typically unusual for me. Walking in I knew it would be good, I just didn't realise how much of an impact it would have. So here, I have reduced my learning of an almost three hour documentary and cut it into bite size, scrumptious pieces for you.
Plastic is damaging:
- This earth
- Our Oceans
- Animal habitats
- Humans
in a catastrophic way I was unaware of. The trailer I've embedded below could be perceived as too advertorial or as just another typical documentary. To be honest, there were a number of things in here that shocked me, surprised me, and then gave me hope for what we could potentially do entering our future and the longevity of our environment.
Other notes: plastic left in the environment never breaks down. NEVER! It may turn into microplastics, which are more easily spread and consumed (yes, consumed) but it never leaves. After watching A Plastic Ocean I was disgusted with the lack of education I had received about it through our government systems.
Naturally, my sister and I have become anti-plastic people and are trying to come up with ways to avoid buying it with everyday products. ~ Do you know how incredibly hard this is!? ~ Entering any local supermarket or market for that matter, it is impossible to buy all necessary products plastic free. Majority of products are packaged in throw-away, non-recyclable plastics. Plastic that is only used to get a product from A to B to C, used once and thrown away in general waste... This makes me incredibly sad, because now that I have a little more knowledge on the topic I feel as though I am now extremely limited as a consumer. I will however, continue to shop for alternate options.
Small actions can create the biggest change if we all pitch in. Some plastic-less things I do and can suggest are:
- Take your own shopping/grocery bags.
- I take my breakfast to work in recycled glass jars.
- Opt. for cardboard or glass at every opportunity.
- Use a coffee mug instead of accepting plastic cups.
- Buy a glass/aluminium water bottle, it's better for you.
- Make sure you are actually recycling all possible plastic within your home.
- Up-cycle what you can, you'd be amazed with what you come up with.
- Trade glad wrap for aluminium foil.
- Avoid buying products with microbeads (facial scrubs, soaps, shampoos).
- Start saying no to straws.
In 2016 I went to The Planting Festival as a performer. In my time off I wondered around and stumbled upon a talk about the effects of microbeads in everyday beauty products. They're advertised as though you are helping yourself and your skin, when in fact you are damaging the ocean and our marine life within it.
Plastic isn't an issue we can stop overnight or in a week. If we consume less products that use plastic as a means of convenience then eventually the companies producing it will have to shift to something we as a consumer want to consume. That's a fact.
If we individually start saying no to the simplest everyday items, such as a plastic bag, then the ramifications can be enormous. It might seem silly to some of you that I am so passionate about it, but what you neglect to realise is that this will begin to directly affect you whether you choose to take action or not. For instance, if you love seafood, those creatures are consuming microplastics on a daily basis and it does not exit their stomach. Fish, and many other creatures including dolphins, birds and turtles are feeling the effect of this. Many of whom are not living out their original life expectancies because of it. With so much plastic in the pit of our wild animals it's only a matter of time before it ends up back on our shores and potentially on our plates.
"Available information indicates that at least 77 species of marine wildlife found in Australian waters have been impacted by entanglement in, or ingestion of, plastic debris during the last three and a half decades (1974-2008). " - C&R Consulting, 2009
I don't have solutions, simply suggestions. This post is more about starting a conversation and raising awareness for myself and those around me. Try saying no to plastic or at least dispose of it a little more thoughtfully.
As something that is so important to me, thank you for getting this far.
CA