Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Revealed
I’m such an idiot. Such a complete and total idiot that for decades I have bought the “let’s save the environment through reduce, reuse, and recycle” line. I have patted myself on the back each week as we haul mountains of recyclables out to the curb in our big plastic bins, dwarfing our little garbage can destined for some poor landfill. “I’m dong such a good job,” I told myself as I sat around feeling all eco-superior to the neighbors who recycled far less than I. And really when you think about it, isn’t “recycle” the “R” that is pushed to most Americans? I mean, c’mon, everybody has a recycling bin and yet how many communities encourage their citizens to actually forego their soda or re-tool their empty milk containers? I am just such an idiot….
Earlier this week, I stumbled across this article about plastic and how it is, quite literally, taking over our planet. The article, featuring the work of Captain Charles Moore, was published about eight months ago and I’m quite certain that the news was not entirely groundbreaking back then, but where was I? Why on Earth wasn’t this on the front page of every newspaper and the lead story on every newscast? Where’s the damn documentary winning awards for this environmental death sentence? Actually, I found it. Here is a documentary that was aired on the BBC. I suggest that you watch the trailer as well as the “extras” which run along the right side of the screen. It is a revealing film, featuring Captain Moore, and takes an up-close look at plastic and its impact upon the Hawaiian Islands and their ecosystem.
The above-mentioned article is lengthy and fairly dense. Nevertheless, I strongly encourage you to read it in its entirety, even if it takes you multiple sittings. I warn you that both the article and the movie contain graphic images that I found to be disturbing. If you are particularly sensitive to such things, please take care to avoid seeing more than you wish however, I think that “disturbing” can sometimes really propel us out of ignorance and into action, so take a peek if you can.
I then suggest that you try to decide if you want to cry first or vomit first (that’s the question I’m wrestling with as I write this). And next, I think we should all get up off of our behinds and do something meaningful to protect ourselves and our children from this carcinogenic, hormone disrupting, fertility-stealing evil that we are eating, breathing, and drowning ourselves in every day. The time has come to let go of “Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.” We need to emphasize the reduce part, and take on new words like “reconsider” and “responsibility.” While we’re at it, let’s remember the impact of our decisions and how they extend far beyond ourselves. We have a moral obligation to humanity now and for generations to come, and we are dropping the big fat bouncing rubber ball on that one.
I think that I’m still in shock. I need a while to process this further, but I don’t want to just dump a giant problem on you and then walk away without any sense of hope or direction. Since I’m still way too overwhelmed, here are the best suggestions that I can offer you for the moment; refuse to purchase or to accept any plastic toys for your child, period. I know that this sounds harsh and that you risk offending Aunt Edna or whomever, but it’s your job as a parent to look out for your child’s health and wellbeing today, tomorrow, and for the rest of their lives (and that’s only a fraction of how long that toy will last in some form in the environment). If you absolutely must smile and politely accept a plastic gift, pass it along to someone else. At least that keeps the plastic out of your home and maybe keeps the new recipient from going out any buying another plastic object since they now have yours. Along those lines, avoid buying plastic as gifts for others. Set an example and send a message to the universe that we don’t want all of that unnecessary plastic any more.
Ok, next, go here for some ideas on how to replace the plastic in your home with safer alternatives, or here for information, resources, and products to support a plastic-free or greatly plastic-reduced lifestyle, or here to buy some kickin’, plastic-free, cute, and compact re-usable grocery bags at a great price. Lastly, for motivation and information from “EnviroWoman”, someone just like you and me who is already living plastic-free (or darn near close) take a look her blog “Living Plastic Free in 2007“. And now, I’m gonna go cry….
September 4th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Thanks for the blog. I read this article a couple of months ago and immediately forwarded to many friends and family (though some of them thought I was too preachy, oh well). In June, I went on a family cruise in the Adriatic sea. One day I stood on the deck for an hour trying to see how much plastic trash I could spot. Mind you, there was no land to be seen in the horizon. Literally every 1 minute, I would see a floating plastic object! My two toddlers were with me and I imagined the plastic world they would inherit from us. I literally cried on the deck.
September 4th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
I love this post. I have felt this way about so many things lately. I get it. I also like your new 3 R’s: Reconsider, Responsibility, Remember.
September 5th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
I had to stop after the second page, it was too much…wow…I was nauseated, but didn’t throw up.
September 6th, 2007 at 7:10 am
[...] affected by the recommended article Plastic Ocean which was in Best Life Magazine. As the CruchyParent blog recommends, you may want to either cry or vomit after or while reading the article which tells us [...]
September 11th, 2007 at 8:34 am
The amount of waste that our society generates is scary. Much of this is plastic. The problem is that plastic also provides convenience and that is why it is so commonplace. Thank you for opening our eyes to the situation. If everyone followed some of these suggestions we would be taking a step in the right direction.
January 11th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Great blog!
If the economics don’t work, recycling efforts won’t either.
Http://LivePaths.com blogs about innovative entrepreneurs that make money selling recycled items, provide green services or help us reduce our dependency on non renewable resources. These includes some very cool Green online ventures, great new technologies, startups and investments opportunities.