10 Things You Can Do
Personal plastic management guidelines.
These ten tips will start you in the right direction to reduce your personal plastic footprint. One important consideration of these actions is that if enough of us follow these guidelines we will compound our impact by influencing buying habits and therefore manufacturing habits acting as role model for the consuming world.
1. Become aware of your own plastic habits!
Take an inventory of the plastic you use in one week, everything. Toothbrush, straw at In-N-Out, lid on take out coffee, , wrapper to new paper towels, bag for the chicken, packing peanuts for the new toy, bubble wrap for the new cushion on the patio furniture, you get the point.
Weigh it, write it down. Multiply it by a week, month and year. Post it on your refrigerator, or on Face Book. Think about it. Become conscious of it. Are you above or below average? Look it up.
Now you are educated and face a classic moral dilemma. If I fail to take action, am I accepting this? Is this acceptable? Can I ignore this? Ask yourself, What, can “I” do about this? Then do that.
Weigh it, write it down. Multiply it by a week, month and year. Post it on your refrigerator, or on Face Book. Think about it. Become conscious of it. Are you above or below average? Look it up.
Now you are educated and face a classic moral dilemma. If I fail to take action, am I accepting this? Is this acceptable? Can I ignore this? Ask yourself, What, can “I” do about this? Then do that.
2. Become environmentally literate
Before you take sides in this discussion, check your facts. Listen to all sides of the story. Pay attention to who is telling it and who pays their salary. It takes extra effort to become informed, but it feels fantastic to get respect for your researched point of view.
When it comes to the environment it’s useful to ask, “what if they’re right? That doesn’t mean you believe them. It means you want the truth. Sometimes you must answer your own questions.
Usually in science if someone tells you that certain facts are indisputable, they are full of it. The scientists who are always questioning their own answers are the ones that are worth listening to.
When it comes to the environment it’s useful to ask, “what if they’re right? That doesn’t mean you believe them. It means you want the truth. Sometimes you must answer your own questions.
Usually in science if someone tells you that certain facts are indisputable, they are full of it. The scientists who are always questioning their own answers are the ones that are worth listening to.
3. Become aware of your surroundings
Take a look around you. What is going on in your neighborhood, home-town, favorite recreation area etc. Are the streets and parks clean of plastic litter? How about the stream and river banks? Is this ok with you? Does anything need change? Are you the right person to do something, or raise awareness about this problem? If not, then who is?
The first step to taking-action is recognizing a problem exists and how it affects you and your loved ones and community. Some solutions are simple and inexpensive, others are complex and demand incredible resources. Each has their own level of urgency and resources can be expensive. Consider becoming involved in your community. That will clean the entire planet.
What difference can you make?
The first step to taking-action is recognizing a problem exists and how it affects you and your loved ones and community. Some solutions are simple and inexpensive, others are complex and demand incredible resources. Each has their own level of urgency and resources can be expensive. Consider becoming involved in your community. That will clean the entire planet.
What difference can you make?
4. Make conscious choices
When we purchase anything, we write public policy. We dictate the market because we are the market. If we collectively choose to eschew plastic convenience that market will diminish. That trend can be the end of the line for that product because they are not profitable without the demand. Be conscious that the double cello wrapped bananas may be convenient but there is a price to pay for management of our waste and right now those who are profiting are not paying that cost. Our children’s environment and their health are paying for it.
5. Consider bulk shopping
As a consumer you help write store policy. If customers want to buy in bulk the store will provide what they ask for or lose their business. It may take a while but it will work.
You need to convince others to ask for it too though.
Bulk can be much cheaper, it is usually much fresher and of higher actual quality than pre-packaged food. Bulk food does not add as many preservatives and waxes into your diet. Bulk food provides more local jobs than items packaged many miles away.
Bulk food keeps money local too. The only ones losing out are the trash collectors.
You need to convince others to ask for it too though.
Bulk can be much cheaper, it is usually much fresher and of higher actual quality than pre-packaged food. Bulk food does not add as many preservatives and waxes into your diet. Bulk food provides more local jobs than items packaged many miles away.
Bulk food keeps money local too. The only ones losing out are the trash collectors.
6. Consider powdered laundry and dish soap
These can be transported with less plastic. If you must use liquid consider refillable.
7. Take your own containers and utensils everywhere
This is a bit “Hippy” but the pandemic redefined what is “cool”. Forks in the glove box and personal chopsticks used for sustainable sushi are still in, of course the personalized coffee mug and the well-travelled stainless steel water bottle are Hollywood’s own standard procedure now.
Your own glassware instead of plastic “Tupperware” for restaurant leftovers is pretty hard-core but that will soon be mainstream and we will laugh to think we ever did it differently.
Your own glassware instead of plastic “Tupperware” for restaurant leftovers is pretty hard-core but that will soon be mainstream and we will laugh to think we ever did it differently.
8. Get involved
This is the tough one, more difficult than giving money. But seriously, if we are concerned about the air we and our children breathe and the water we drink we need to be on it now!
There are threats to our groundwater that are irreversible and long term. (Fracking) The profiteers are betting that eventually they will be sued and stopped, but if they can get away with it long enough the profits will outlast the penalties by billions.
Air in the US cities was improving before 2016, but the global CO2 count is just shy of 400 parts per million and many experts feel we need to drop below 350 to break even. Statistical ties between CO2 emissions and global temperature rise are difficult to dispute in the real world. The longer we wait to take meaningful action the more our next generations will be constrained by weather upheaval, larger and longer fires and migration of familiar species to higher latitudes.
Please choose issues that are meaningful to you and give them attention for your own benefit. The goal is to make a difference and you will do that when it matters to you.
If plastic pollution is your concern, there are groups that want to affect public policy and there are groups that want to educate everyone about the issues. There are also groups that want to take personal physical action, suchj as beach cleanups. COI is a bit of a combination.
Clean Oceans International is working to provide practical plastic waste response options to be used by informed and motivated communities at local levels on a global scale.
These communities are the front-line defenders of a sustainable life on our beautiful planet.
It will certainly require more than one answer to a question the size of the oceans.
There are threats to our groundwater that are irreversible and long term. (Fracking) The profiteers are betting that eventually they will be sued and stopped, but if they can get away with it long enough the profits will outlast the penalties by billions.
Air in the US cities was improving before 2016, but the global CO2 count is just shy of 400 parts per million and many experts feel we need to drop below 350 to break even. Statistical ties between CO2 emissions and global temperature rise are difficult to dispute in the real world. The longer we wait to take meaningful action the more our next generations will be constrained by weather upheaval, larger and longer fires and migration of familiar species to higher latitudes.
Please choose issues that are meaningful to you and give them attention for your own benefit. The goal is to make a difference and you will do that when it matters to you.
If plastic pollution is your concern, there are groups that want to affect public policy and there are groups that want to educate everyone about the issues. There are also groups that want to take personal physical action, suchj as beach cleanups. COI is a bit of a combination.
Clean Oceans International is working to provide practical plastic waste response options to be used by informed and motivated communities at local levels on a global scale.
These communities are the front-line defenders of a sustainable life on our beautiful planet.
It will certainly require more than one answer to a question the size of the oceans.
9. Support those working on your environmental goals.
Many of us believe that we could be happy on the front lines of a favorite environmental cause, saving whales or cleaning up oil spills. Most environmental responses are noisy, smelly and dangerous in the short and long terms, and paychecks are as rare as that great white whale.
Not everyone can really work like that, but the job is important. So, show a little support for those who fight for you every day. The size of the support is completely personal, try to make. Regular manageable donations that mean long term grassroots support. Set up autopay!
Not everyone can really work like that, but the job is important. So, show a little support for those who fight for you every day. The size of the support is completely personal, try to make. Regular manageable donations that mean long term grassroots support. Set up autopay!
10. Don’t be too hard on yourself
When something you love is in peril you do what you can to provide protection.Sometimes we are able to make a big difference; sometimes we are of lesser means. We can only do what we can and we don’t have to do that in public, ever. If it matters, you will act to the correct level.
Taking-action is powerful. You will feel rewards from making the right choice immediately. Greater sense of community and self-esteem are tangible benefits, and teaching our children the right way is one of our greatest responsibilities. Try it and see. I’m confident you will agree.
“The world experiences constant change; Let’s make it positive!”
Taking-action is powerful. You will feel rewards from making the right choice immediately. Greater sense of community and self-esteem are tangible benefits, and teaching our children the right way is one of our greatest responsibilities. Try it and see. I’m confident you will agree.
“The world experiences constant change; Let’s make it positive!”
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