Imagine, every plasticbag, toothbrush, hanger, everything made out of plastic that you have thrown away would lie in your basement and in your flat or house.
Well that`s how our Earth is feeling. The whole plastic waste, romps in the forests, oceans and nature in general. It is very important that we are aware of its existence although it may be out of sight.
Now some might say what`s with the other waste; cardboard, glass and other materials. Well for all we know plastic is one of the lenghthiest materials in the world, it takes more then 500 years to dissolve and we are not even sure of this.
Recently I have tried to find out more about this topic and read more about it. My goal is to reduce my plastic waste and consumption by changing little things and not only by donating money. I think we have to start cleaning up at home if we want to keep the oceans clean. I really have my difficulties with this topic, because I am very forgetful and a little lazy but I am convinced that little changes can have a big impact. Therefore I have decided to give you some tipps that I am trying to put into action at the moment and some of them where also recommended from 4Ocean because I bought the bracelet last week.
- I have bought myself a toothbrush with an exchangable head, so that I don`t have to throw away a whole toothbrush every 3 months. But if you are looking for another great alternative I`ve discovered also toothbrushes made out of bamboo, which are 100% biodegradable. Every year one billion of toothbrushes are thrown away, corresponding to 50 million pounds of plastic waste.
- I have bought some reusable shopping bags that I am trying to take with me whenever I go shopping and I even have special cotton bags to weigh my vegetables and fruits in at the grocery. I found those here in Basel at the Migros. Either way I am not very happy that most of the organic food I want to buy is in plastic packaging to prevent them from being exchanged with non organic food, so I often have to make compromises. I intent to do more shopping at the local week market and hopefully try out the new shop „Unverpackt“, which means unpacked and only sells unpacked groceries. Of course I will tell you more about it once I have been there. I really look forward to visit the store. Tell me what they do in your country in the comments or write me a personal message if you prefer that. Daily there are over a million bags being used, which annually sum up to an amount of 500 billion bags. We have to reduce that amount, in order to protect the environment.
- Water bottles; I absolutely love water bottles and I can`t leave the house without one in my bag. I always have the feeling that I will get into a situation where a water bottle will save my life. The fact that my homeland is full of fountains to refill my bottles makes my life so much easier. I never have to buy something to drink. So please buy a reusable water bottle it is a great investment, looks good and makes you live healthier. (Even if you can`t refill your bottle at a fountain you can fill it at home and save up) Just one person can save as much as 170 bottles from being produced a year, that makes an amount of 850 bottles if you get a family of 5 to do the same.
- Our dear plastic cutlery, it is true, it makes our lives really easy sometimes but are also very inefficient. How about you bring your own cutlery from home or if you just take the food home then you can use your own silverware instead of using the plastic cutlery. I myself have always a fork and a spoon with me, these are the most common cutlery I use. I know at the beginning it sounds a little inconvenient but in the end it doesn’t make a big difference in your handbag but it does make a difference for the environment. Just try it out! The same thing with plastic straws, there are more then 500 million straws used a day and to keep it real, unless you are old and have difficulties drinking, you only want that straw because it makes your drink look fancier so please don`t use a straw and if you have the necessity of drinking with a straw, why don`t you use one of the great alternatives such as bamboo, glas or steel, which you can take with you and reuse.
I really don`t want to hold a big moral lecture here, it`s all about having fun, doing something for the environment and make every day count. I think it is very difficult to follow every recommendation and always make the right choices and I think that no one should feel pushed to do something they are not happy with. I only wanted to tell you what I am currently working on and maybe motivate you to do some things as well or to push me a little harder.
I`m excited for your thoughts on this topic so tell me your thoughts in the comments and I will keep you updated.
A nice sunday evening and a beautiful week
Naomi
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