“Plastic,
like diamonds,
are forever.”
-Capt. Charles Moore, Algalita Marine Research Foundation
As a hopeless thrifter and freebie magnet, I love to walk down the beaches looking for good trash that has washed up from the ocean. I've found a lot of good stuff- rope, buckets, sand-polished bottles, my new lunchbox (an old tacklebox)- the list goes on. But for every one piece of good, reusable refuse I find, I see a thousand other items whose only use now is to end up strangling some sea turtle or ripping apart some seabirds insides. Since I can't pick it all up, I focus most of my energy on two things: mylar balloons and plastic string (the colorful kind used to wrap gifts). These two seemingly innocent man-made creations are now, to me, the work of the devil of carelessness and consumerism. Along with other plastics, such as plastic bags and fishing line, they are responsible for the deaths of countless animals. I fill my pockets with the stuff, but at each step I see another little purple tapeworm of string poking its head out of the sand, another faded plastic sheet of "It's a boy!" blowing in the wind. So I decided to learn more about plastics, and the love hate relationship we have with them. I probably wouldn't be alive without the use of plastics in the medical industry, and use various kinds for all sorts of things in my daily life. I realize that I can't blindly condemn them, so I decided to learn more about them and their effect on the environment and our health.
Here's an interesting interview from Fresh Air on plastics:
And an info pamphlet outlining the safety level of different types of plastics and the environmental impacts:
A nice article about the toxic effect on the land and sea, with good photos:
And one on estrogen levels in plastics:
We might have really messed things up, but there's no use crying over spilled milk. Here are some things we can actually do about it:
Consider alternatives to plastic in food/drink preparation:
Stop buying/avoid using single use items: bottled water
Use tap water- carry stainless steel bottles
Cook and store food in glass, stainless steel, porcelain
Cover leftovers in bowls with a plate
Avoid Teflon pans – use stainless steel
Avoid canned food
Use stainless steel/wood/bamboo/ vs plastic utensils, cutting boards
Use bioplastics and bagasse instead of paper or plastic plates, cups &
cutlery
I wish I could see the day that our garbage goes away, but for now, happy Earth Day everyone. This will all start with awareness, one person at a time.
(please no balloons to celebrate)
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