A start

I want to see if I can eliminate plastic from my life. Please follow my journey and join in if you like.
Last week three things occurred that made me start this blog.
Firstly I came across a group called Rethink Plastic http://rethinkplasticalliance.eu/  that challenges people to live plastic free for a day.  I  foolishly chose to do this on a day when  I was travelling and failed almost immediately as I instinctively bought a magazine and a snack to take on the train and  didn’t  clock both were wrapped in plastic . Not a great start, but easily done by any of us. 

Secondly, there was a video doing the rounds on facebook of a river of plastic, which was eye poppingly awful and recalled those  photos of albatrosses feeding their babies with plastic and that poor  dead whale on the beach with a stomach full of our plastic waste.

www.facebook.com/iBanPlastic/videos/667057933503894/ 
The third incident was quite ironic considering my new mission in life and explains why I am wrapped in bubble wrap. 
Our outdoor furniture on our deck was falling to bits and I was determined not to buy a new plastic outdoor set.  Instead, I ordered 20 reused apple crates that I can turn into furniture. Already made, already treated. I smugly awaited their arrival.
Three giant cardboard boxes appeared in my garden but on opening them I discovered that the crates had all been wrapped in bubble wrap.  There was metres of the stuff. Enough in fact to wrap me up entirely. And there is quite a bit of me.  
We’ve gone plastic mad. It’s not like I’d bought glass baubles. I’d bought packing crates.




This made me think that perhaps I should start a facebook group/ blog for any other people out there like me who want to see if they can go plastic free for life, not just one day.  It will be a challenge to see if I can do it.  I’ll need your help.
Yes, we should sign petitions calling on governments and industry to reduce, reuse, recycle but we also need to prove we can live happily without plastic. Certainly with a lot less. Humans survived for 1000s of years before it was invented, so I am pretty sure we can carry on into the future without it. 
I’ll post my successes and failures and hopefully build a list of useful substitutes to plastic (there will be shopping opportunities) and any behavioural changes we need to do too and useful tips to share.  I can’t imagine I’ll be able to do this quickly as some things just have not been invented yet. For instance I am not aware of a plastic free mobile phone. Maybe there is one out there?
I won’t have all the answers and certainly not immediately, but maybe together we can start something.

Who’s in ?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts