I came across the kids version of the film "A Plastic Ocean," a documentary about the impact of plastics in the environment, especially in the marine world. Take a look and tell me what you think.
Our son who recently graduated college is back with us this summer. He knows we recycle at home. He knows we do not use plastic bags. He knows we do not heat food in the microwave, especially in plastic/Styrofoam containers. So, it has been interesting catching ourselves with more plastic than usual. But not putting all the blame on the poor guy, this week I realized the reliance of sandwich bags in our house, especially when it comes to storing cut vegetables. So, I started using aluminum foil to wrap the left-over peppers after cutting some for a salad, for example. For a while now, I have been storing herbs in glass containers, although I must say that the lid is plastic. I also store my kale in a glass container. I use aluminum foil as a lid. And to our son’s credit, yesterday for the first time ever, he came home with two bags of groceries not in plastic bags as usual, but on paper bags! It is a start for him. But I am glad he finally got the message. Please see a photo collage attached.
Did your estimated plastic footprint surprise you? How does it compare to the global average? After estimating your annual use, how did it feel to put a number on it? Did it inspire a sense of urgency, or something else?
I took the fashion footprint calculator for the first time ever, and I was surprised to learn that even though I have a low footprint, I still contribute 298 lbs. of CO2 annually. I hate shopping, so you would never find me in Mall aisles. When I make it to a department store it is because I am really in need of something. Clothes always look gorgeous on models, so I ignored the photos of skinny/happy people, and I set my goal on the fabrics or patterns instead. I do not shop online as this habit is killing the small shops in towns where you could really find quality of clothes.
Few years ago, they built an outlet mall near our gorgeous shopping mall in town. Today, the shopping mall and the outlet mall are out of business. It is hard to find clothes now, but I refused to order online. How about you?
By the way, I return catalogues to companies telling them of their environmental impact and asking them to take me off their mailing list. I do not use the term “footprint,” as this is one of those fossil fuel tactics to turn the blame on us for all the pollution in our world. British Petroleum came out with the term in 2000s as a rebranding strategy. How clever!
I came across this interview with Zoe Bystrov who at age 12 began a youth group to protect Lake Simcoe from plastic pollution. Please see the link below:
The University of Toronto and the World Health Organization (WHO) are hosting a workshop on Thursday, July 24th at 7:00 am CST entitled “Plastics in healthcare: Navigating the balance among access, health, and sustainability.” Please see registration information below:
The Aruba Conservation Foundation is hosting a screening of the documentary "Turning the Tide," on Wednesday, August 6th in Geneva during the UN Plastic Treaty negotiations in Geneva. I think I am going to host this documentary at my local library. I need to watch the entire film first to come up with an action plan. Please see few reference links below:
Please see a recording of today's presentation by Canadian environmental activist and artist, Benjamin Von Wong. He lists a calendar for his sculpture installation in Geneva which will be completed during the Plastic Treaty negotiations (INC-5.2). Spread the word if you have connections in Geneva. Thanks, Luz
On Saturday, July 12th I participated in a riverfront clean-up hosted by the Gateway Arch Park Foundation in St. Louis. They collaborate with Republic, our recycling service company. Republic brings their own staff to sort over trash, plastics, and other materials collected by volunteers to then separate metals/aluminum from plastics, for example, for material recovery purposes. We collected the following items in two hours with thirty-three volunteers. 139 lbs. of trash 30.20 lbs. of plastics 8.42 lbs. of mixed metals 5.60 lbs. of aluminum 6.70 lbs. of glass
For the past five years Canadian environmental activist and artist, Benjamin Von Wong and his team have been working on art installations to address many of the environmental issues phasing us today. He is currently working on his sixth sculpture installation for the Plastic Treaty negotiations in Geneva, and this effort requires partnerships and funding. I am in touch with Bejamin via his WhatsApp Geneva-based support team which allows for remote support. Today, July 17th, Benjamin spoke at a webinar hosted by the Geneva Environment Network where he called for financial assistance and volunteers, so I decided to go one step forward and donate to support this important work during INC-5.2 in Geneva. Please see a link to his work: https://unforgettablelabs.com/
How does working with others to clean up your community make you feel? What kinds of plastic waste did you find the most, and what does that say about local habits or systems?
I love participating in clean up events, especially when we engaged with community organizers in disadvantaged communities as this is a two-way learning opportunity to address the issue of plastic pollution, illegal dumping, and health concerns.
