A World of Plastic

My latest post is a bit depressing but I encourage you to turn your mind set and use it as a powerful tool to encourage you to make a difference in the way you live.

Take a moment to think about the popular saying "think globally, act locally". A large proportion of people have trouble thinking globally. They only think about the effect of their actions in a certain vicinity. They don't think about the consequences of their waste thrown out of a car window will most likely aid in the death of a sea creature or end up in our oceans adding to the indescribable amount of waste, with no way of degrading in our lifetime or their grandchild's lifetime. Out of sight, out of mind.

chrisjordan.com

With my recent research into chemicals plastic are made out of, plastic pollution and how little of our plastic is actually recycled, I've become somewhat scarred. I think its a good thing, its a motivation to do something about it, to act locally (my family) but think globally! Looking around my house at the moment, although I consider myself to be more 'eco' than others, our cupboards and fridge are overloaded with plastics, not to mention the massive amount of plastic packaging from the food we buy. I try to buy products with the least amount of packaging, but I've never really gone out of my way to search for alternatives, only whats avaliable at my local Foodland or markets.

After being inspired by Gina's, A Plastic Free Year, I also want to take this vowel on October 1st and try to be virgin plastic free for a year and hopefully there after.

A Plastic Free Year Guidelines

REFUSE, RE-USE, & LET NO PLASTIC TO ENTER WASTE STREAM.

• Do not purchase or be gifted virgin plastic.

• Where a plastic free alternative to a product can not be found, plastic re-used or recycled item of that product can be purchased or borrowed.

•  If any plastic is (unwillingly) purchased or gifted during 2011, it can NOT enter the waste stream - it must be kept by me. The accumulated plastic will be weighed at the end of 2011 to measure what my annual plastic footprint is, and will be turned into plastic 'art'.

Please post me any suggestions you have on how I can survive My Plastic Free Year - I need all the assistance I can get! And feel free to join me - the less demand created for virgin plastic, the better for all of us!

Thanks for your support ;-)

 I'll post updates every now and then including thoughts, the amount of plastic accumulated and products I've found helpful. I encourage you to join me in this journey, if not to re-think your plastic situation and review the links on this post. Everyone is accountable!

MamaKoo

Also, if you have any ideas to help reduce plastic consumption to share them with me... this is going to be a hard task ahead!