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Some info, resources & solutions to the plastic crisis

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Hello Everyone,

Plastic was once a miracle material but now it is the enemy. And we are the last generations who can do anything about it. If we want future generations to experience the world in all its amazing beauty like we have: we have to make a difference. We have the power to change the world for the better or for the worst. There will always be people who don't care about the environment but we do and so we need to do what we think is right. So join the campaign and fight for a better future. For our planet to return to its natural way with incredible biodiversity and amazing ecosystems. We have to make a difference now because all around the world animals are suffocating, drowning, and dying because of humans. You may think it isn't your problem but ultimately you are human and humans make plastic.

Honestly, I can't believe that it has gotten to this point. We just have to change something because there is obviously something we aren't doing right.

You may or may not have heard about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. And I guess you don't want to know because to be honest, it is pretty depressing. The simple fact that it is made up of purely plastic and is 3 times the size of France is a shocking discovery. It's estimated (meaning it could be much more) size is about 1.6 million square kilometres. There are 5 other garbage patches, across the world. Although the Great Pacific garbage patch is the largest of them all. It does contain 46% fishing net and has a lot of fishing gear in it but also has consumer plastics mainly in the form of micro-plastics. It is estimated to contain 200 pieces of plastic per person. That is a lot because there are a lot of people in the world! Especially when that is just in that patch let alone the other patches and the rest of the ocean!

The patch is so big it is called Trash Island with its own currency and flag!

This is appalling and I really believe we can do something about it.
A scheme I really like is Refill. Why do you need a plastic bottle of water? It is much more expensive than simple tap water and if you think it is better for you then you have another thought coming because a recent study shows that it may contain plastic fibres from the bottle. If you are worried about the quality of your tap water you can cheaply buy a water purifier but you probably don't need one as the UK's tap water is one of the cleanest in the world. If you need to travel, buy a reusable metal bottle and download the refill app. it tells you where nearby places you can refill your bottle for free! It's a no-brainer! Surely no one needs a plastic bottle now. And if everyone in the UK did it, it would be 7.7 billion plastic bottles a year no longer thrown out!


An experiment was carried out as part of the program War On Plastic, which is available on BBC IPlayer. In the experiment, Hugh pulled a trolley of bottles of tap water around a town and when people bought it they said it was really nice and were shocked to find out it wasn't industrially processed water but water straight out the tap!

This proves that there really is no need for plastic bottles and that we can find alternatives.


I am going to tell you about an amazing book that might help you get to grips with going as plastic-free as you can. It emphasizes how small gestures can build up to something bigger than just you picking up a plastic bottle from outside your house and putting it in the bin, it focuses on the fact that that plastic bottle won't become poisonous micro-plastic in a Garbage Patch or the stomach of a seabird or even a not so good new home for a fish who then becomes trapped. I like to think about this idea in the form of a tree - the actions start small like a seed but grow big and the branches reach out to more and more people, and the tree grows taller and taller, each leaf an action.

The book is, of course, No. More. Plastic. by Martin Dorey: the founder of the #2minutesolution. I think his principle is great: if everyone spent 2 minutes picking up litter it would add up to make a huge difference. This book is really handy: it covers everything you need to know from different types of plastic to easy changes you can make in your home.  He talks about how important it is to protect the environment and what the worst offenders are as well as facts and statistics. This is a must-have book for every budding environmentalist who is determined to find a plastic-free path in life.

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Comments

  1. Unknown05/08/2020, 20:50

    Hello Elsie, Zoe and Freya. Thank you for your note about your blog. There are so many interesting ideas here. We would love to encourage hedgehogs into our garden. Sometimes a barn owl flies around near our house; it's lovely to watch as it criss-crosses the field looking for food. Good luck with your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Zoë07/08/2020, 10:00

    Thank you! I hope you can get some hedgehog visitors! The barn owl sounds amazing. Thanks again, we really appreciate it!

    ReplyDelete

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