Welcome to my first Civic Issue Blog! I am going to be writing about choices regarding sustainability and how the average consumer can make informed, educated, and sustainable choices. In 2019, I became increasingly interested in the health of the planet and what Earth would look like for future generations. After extensive research and generally having a presence on social media and following young activists, scientists, and politicians I learned that as a human race, we sure do have a lot to worry about. Being a part of Gen Z, I already had a lot of anxiety, just about my own future; but to think I may not have one as long as generations prior, my concentration shift. My future relies on Earth having a future.
Plastic has become a widely used material in our extremely consumer-based society. According to the Science History Institute, the creation of plastic began when John Wesley Hyatt, became determined to create a substitute for ivory when a NY firm offered a reward of $10,000 to anyone who could do so; this was a response to a shortage of natural ivory, as it had become exploited in the growing industrial attitude of the late 1800s in the United States. Later, in 1907, the first wholly synthetic plastic was created by Leo Baekeland.
Following WWII, the use of plastic continued to grow – as it had been greatly utilized during the war for Plexiglass, body armor, helmet liners, etc. By the later decades of the 1900s came, plastic had hit its stride as the plastic bag, plastic water bottle, and even combs were becoming common. What couldn’t this material do?
As the Earth’s population began to grow, the number of consumer products began to grow, as well. The 1980s saw a resurgence in fast food, which carried chicken nuggets, cheeseburgers, and soft drinks in containers, cups, covered with lids and inserted straws made of what other than plastic. It has been found by the Natural Resources Defense Council, that single-use food and beverage packaging is a prime source of the estimated 269,000 tons of plastic pollution. For a better frame of reference, one ton is equal to two thousand pounds; therefore, there are approximately 538,000,000 pounds of single-use plastic pollution caused by single-use food and beverage packaging. Fifty-three million eight hundred thousand pounds of plastic pollution. Furthermore, it has been found that in the United States $11 billion of recyclable materials are wasted annually.
This is utterly ridiculous. However, taking on the weight of the world is NOT feasible nor healthy for any one individual. I would know, as I have tried and ended up crying about how my future children may not have the same opportunities to play on a clean shoreline or swim in safe oceans. But there are small changes that can add certainly make a greater impact if they are widely practiced throughout the world. A little can most definitely go a long way.
Over the last year, I have made it a priority to cut down my own personal plastic waste, so I have tried all of these practices and made them habits of my own.
- Investing in a Reusable Water Bottle
As previously mentioned by everyone and your mother, disposable plastic water bottles are not sustainable and even though you may be responsible for recycling your sea of Poland Spring water bottles, they are being dumped in landfills, burned, or even stockpiled. This isn’t just for plastic water bottles, but all plastic in general. And the recycling that supposed goes to China? It’s not being recycled, either.
The benefits of using a reusable water bottle are not only ecologically responsible, but also economically responsible, as water bottle filling stations are becoming increasingly popular throughout the United States, and the one-time purchase of a water bottle will quickly pay for itself, instead of buying packages of water bottles.
2. Reusable shopping bags
For goodness sake’s stop using plastic bags! My hometown has banned them ( !) but sadly the rest of the nation is lagging in this department. Well soon enough, I’m sure that there will be an imposed charge for using plastic bags, nationwide. To reduce your plastic waste, and spare some hard-earned money, why not invest in some bags? I don’t just mean grocery bags, but it is definitely a good place to start. But some bags can be multi-purpose, this one being my personal favorite.
3. Fast Food and Beverages
I need caffeine, you need caffeine, we all need caffeine. However, we can all do without the harmful plastic it comes in. Nowadays, we are especially fortunate as chain coffee retailers such as Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are now offering discounts off of beverages if their consumers bring their own reusable cups. This also goes for fast food restaurants such as Just Salad.
4. Toothbrushes
In the United States, over a billion toothbrushes are thrown out each year. That is equal to 50 million pounds of waste. But I am in no way suggesting that anyone abandons basic dental hygiene. Instead, there are environmentally friendly options. One popular option would be bamboo toothbrushes. Bamboo is a natural plant and therefore entirely biodegradable, meaning that there is no waste from this product to pollute our earth. They are also very affordable.
5. Straws
If you’re not always sipping from a reusable water bottle with its own straw, getting a reusable straw is a must. According to the US National Park Service, Americans use 500 million drinking straws every day. This is enough straws to circle around the Earth 2.5 times and they never fully biodegrade. Instead of throwing away plastic straws, simply purchasing an easy to carry, and economical reusable metal straw.