Want to vote again? Vote on "Lazy Plastics".
There’s no doubt there’s a lot of people feeling a bit helpless these past few days. Especially with the stand the new leader of the free world takes on climate change and his openly low level of respect for the environment. There’s no doubt things are looking a little bleak when it comes to environmental policy changes. On the bright side, prop 67 passed and plastic bags are banned in California.
But before you start to bitch and complain about the lack of enormous changes being made in high levels of government. Have a little look at your own life. Sure the man in the oval office has a powerful pen stroke but we, the masses, manage supply and demand. Maybe the vote didn’t go your way but that wasn’t the only vote you’re making this year. You vote every single day with your dollars and your demand. Here’s how you can vote today, tomorrow and every day until you cast another paper ballot in 4 years.
Plastic is really shitty for the environment. There isn’t really an argument here, I think we can all agree on that. Every piece of plastic that was ever created still exists in some micro form wreaking havoc on an ecosystem somewhere. Like any commodity, plastic will continue to be mass produced if there is consumer demand. Stop demand, stop production - simple.
Lets put this perspective…
In the next SIXTY SECONDS, around the world, humans will use ONE MILLION plastic bags.
In the next ONE HOUR, Americans alone will throw away 2.5 MILLION plastic water bottles.
In the next 24 HOURS, in Los Angeles alone, 10 METRIC TONNES of plastic will make it’s way into the pacific ocean.
As you read this, there is BILLIONS of pounds of plastics floating around in the ocean. It now takes up about 40% of the oceans surface.
“But I recycle!”
Nope sorry, not a solution, we currently recover only 5% of the plastic we produce.
I could go all day, just google it. The statistics are astounding.
The problem seems way too big for you to make a difference right? Wrong. You are just lazy and so am I, and because of this laziness we’re contributing to the problem. Eliminating plastic completely is extremely difficult, especially without dramatic influence from the policy makers - eliminating “lazy plastics” is not hard - and they are biggest part of the problem.
“Lazy Plastics”:
1) Plastic Bottles
2) Plastic Bags
3) Straws
Instead of making the effort of carrying in a re-usable grocery bag we’d rather carry out plastic bags.
Instead of carrying a reusable drink bottle we’d rather buy disposable drink bottles and toss them out straight after.
Feeling guilty yet?
I just don’t get the straw thing, you claim you don’t want to drink through the dirty cup at a restaurant. It went through a dishwasher than would melt the skin off your bones. Still concerned? Wipe the glass. Ladies your lipstick is not more important than our planets future. (If you really can’t live without straws there’s reusable ones)
These three things are not difficult, do it for two weeks and it’ll be a habit. Grab a re-usable bottle, grab a hemp bag (you’ll look cool as shit) and sip from your glass (again cooler). I’m not perfect, I still forget to say, “no straw” sometimes. My company, Lifestyle Over Luxury Co. plastic packages our shirts. Unfortunately there’s not another cost feasible solution available to keep them clean until they get into your dirty mitts (if I’m wrong about this hit me up, cause this physically pains me everyday.) We offset our impact by cleaning up a full bag of trash off beaches with every purchase but we’re still not perfect.
Sometimes you won’t have a choice, we’re a world addicted to plastic. But you do with lazy plastics, it’s just a tiny bit of effort. Do it so our kids don’t have to paddle out back through our trash.
- Your mates are Lifestyle Over Luxury Co.
Stats: Ecowatch.com
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