Today, I’m introducing a very serious topic… plastics, particularly single-use plastics. Now, first let me share that not all plastic is bad… prior to plastics, we relied on ivory, tortoiseshell, wood, bone, iron, tin, silver, gold, etc to create a lot of the items we now make out of plastic. Products made from these natural resources put pressure on the environment. Plus, many medical advances are made out of plastic.
Plastic is a new invention, really only about 100 years old… with this miracle substance (created from fossil fuels) came great responsibility. And that’s perhaps where we’ve fallen a bit short.
Some stats…
Every year, 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations. This is equivalent to 5 garbage bags full of trash stacked high on every foot of coastline around the world.
About 50% of plastic that is discarded is only used one time.
By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish by weight in the oceans.
But let me add, that today, I don’t want to tackle the topic of plastics as it relates to the damage done to the earth… I’ll get to that later on in Project Peace. I’ve included these statistics to grab your attention.
Plastics are a problem… WE are contributing to this problem. Each one of us needs to reduce our use of plastic… single-use plastics.
What do I mean by single-use plastics?
grocery bags
ziploc bags
produce bags
water bottles
straws
to-go cutlery
Solutions to reducing single-use plastics:
reusable grocery bags… don’t go out and buy a new one. Find bags around your house or get one from a thrift store
use glass food containers instead of ziploc bags
find smaller bags to take to the store to put your produce in
skip the straw (unless medically indicated)… don’t even bother buying a metal or glass one
keep your own set of cutlery with you so when you are on the go or at the office, you don’t need to use that plastic fork or spoon
now, the water bottle… yes, there are emergency reasons to have the plastic water bottles on hand BUT that’s not what I’m talking about here. Invest in a double-walled stainless steel water bottle… keep it for a very long time, they are not cheap but they last!
Plastics and your health…
Single-use water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate. This type of plastic can be recycled but it is NOT to be re-used… this means once you use the water bottle one time, DISCARD IT… the plastics leach into the water over time. If you leave it in your car in the heat, the potential to leach plastics into the water is increased.
Peace is health and well-being. The abundance of plastics certainly has serious environmental consequences but it doesn’t stop there… plastics can also negatively impact YOU, your health.
Daily peace tip #6
Today, keep a log of everywhere you encounter plastic in your life... and I mean everywhere, each room of your house, transportation, every store you visit, outside…pay close attention. Comment below about your discovery. What amazed you the most?
Identify one action item you can implement to reduce your personal exposure to plastic. We are in contact with plastic all the time… we truly have no understanding of the long-term health impacts of this exposure.
If you’d like a little extra information, there is a great new documentary called “Straws.” If you want to know how to access it, google it… you’ll easily find it.
I hope you embrace this opportunity to increase your awareness of plastic in your world. If you truly engage in this activity, I think you’ll be aghast at what you discover.
peace,
Christina