The Oceans are turning into a plastic soup. Did you know that every piece of plastic ever made is still in existence today. They are becoming part of daily life here in Santa Teresa, washing up on the beaches as a constant reminder of their longevity. Plastic bags, straws, bottles, utensils, lids, cups and so many others offer a small convenience but remain forever. More than this, they get ingested by the fish in the oceans that we then eat. According to Surfrider’s recent study an estimated 12,000 tons of plastic a year is being ingested into the fish of the west coast of the USA. Plastics, or more importantly, single use plastics need to be removed and refused from our lives as opposed to simply being reused.
Here are 12 ways for you to take plastics out of your daily life. These little individual steps make a global impact.
Always carry a stainless steel water bottle with you, never buy water in a plastic bottles, it tastes terrible and is massive pollutant
Never buy soft drinks in plastic bottles
Buy your music and movies electronically. DVD”S and CD’s plus their packaging are a massive pollutant
Talk to your supermarket manager and demand they speak to their suppliers about packaging. Supermarkets do listen to what their customers want
Buy your vegetables loose and put them all in the same bag, they don’t mind.
Always carry your own shopping bag with you instead of using plastic bags in supermarkets. Six months after introducing a plastic bag tax in parts of the UK, there has been a 90% reduction in the use of plastic bags.
Refuse plastic straws. Do we really need them?
Do you really need a plastic bag and cutlery for your sandwich and/or coffee. No you don’t.
Shop at local farmers markets where there is little / no packaging and healthy from source produce.
Store all of your refrigerator food in glass containers. Food and plastic do not go together
If you have purchased something in a glass container, reuse it.
More importantly, spread the word and tell people how harmful plastics and their chemical components are.
This article was written by www.purasonica.com a local internet radio station that believes in using the power of music to raise awareness for the issues around ocean conservation, especially plastic pollution. Please also read more on the following websites:
http://plasticpollutioncoalition.org/
http://www.surfrider.org/programs/entry/rise-above-plastics
Here are some great ‘eco’ non plastic products for life:
