Not all bags are created equal. Every time we visit a store we are making an impact on the environment in a myriad of ways. Currently the most talked about way is through how we choose to take our purchases home. In my last post we talked about how inexpensive plastic is to manufacture, so it makes sense that plastic bags became so popular and widespread. Now they are facing much controversy, New York just became the second state after California to pass a statewide ban, all of Hawaii’s counties have banned plastic bags resulting in a statewide ban, hundreds of US cities have implemented bans as well. What is surprising is that when considering the manufacturing process plastic bags actually have the smallest ecological footprint. Paper bags use 4 times as much water to manufacture, cotton is also a crop that requires a lot of water as…
I admit it, I have a problem. I drink a lot of soda, far too much, and fountain drinks are my weakness. I have managed to cut back, but not eliminate my soda intake. I have been very successful at avoiding polystyrene cups and by staying away from the drive through I am able to use reusable cups. Not plastic free, but I have definitely reduced my plastic use considerably! Next on my list is drinking straws. With 500 million straws being used every day in the US, I decided to join the 2018 plastic straw ban bandwagon. Plastic straws are among the top 10 plastics found in our oceans. They are a single use non recyclable plastic. We use them for only minutes and then toss them. There has been a lot of talk about straws, including how banning plastic straws is just a band aid. My thoughts? “…
I just dropped off what I hope is my last load of plastic bags for recycle! Years ago I bought reusable bags but I only managed to use them sporadically. Anyone else had that problem? Forgot them in the house, forgot them in the car, forgot I had them at all… I admit it was laziness, going plastic free takes commitment, I’m going to have to teach myself some new habits! Those old bags were also difficult to store and difficult to use, so I started my renewed efforts by looking to see what “advancements” have been made in the reusable bag market… I came across these Grab Bags, they clip right into your cart – the price was right and reviews were good! They even make insulated ones! I admit, we forgot them in the car… after a brief “we…
“Even if you never have the chance to see or touch the ocean, the ocean touches you with every breath you take, every drop of water you drink, every bite you consume. Everyone, everywhere is inextricably connected to and utterly dependent upon the existence of the sea.” ― Sylvia A. Earle, The World Is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean’s Are One Right now, according to Smithsonian Ocean, it is estimated that there are 5.25 TRILLION plastic particles or 244,000 metric tons of plastic in the world’s oceans. That is a lot of plastic! Some of you may be thinking, “What’s the big deal? I live a thousand miles from the ocean – it isn’t my problem.” But it is, it is all of our problems. Approximately 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic are…
