#WATWB – How to Reduce Your Plastic Footprint
I don’t really remember ever taking a walk along a beach that was littered with plastic. It could be a case of being in the right place at the right time, or maybe I’m just lucky. There are zillions of pictures on the internet showing the extreme nature of the plastics problem — whales with their guts full of plastic, sea turtles getting tangled in nets, six-pack plastic rings choking birds — but since I didn’t take any of them, I’d rather show you how I’d like to see the world, enjoying plastic-free clean water:
Peaceful, right? Just rocks and water…
and lily pads.
Just because I don’t have any firsthand knowledge, though, doesn’t mean this isn’t a serious problem. It takes 1,000 years for plastic to break down (yeah, I’d like to know how they figured that out, too), and “only nine percent of plastic in circulation is recycled,” so it’s in our best interest and that of the planet to use as little plastic as possible.
But where do we start? If you’re feeling quite ambitious you could take up the challenge to make your home plastic-free, but it’s a steep climb, really radical, and quite nearly impossible so – nah.
Instead, how would you like to do something simple that’s not going to drain you of all your time and resources? Well, the people at Well + Good have an idea to help keep the world’s beaches and rivers plastic-free and it’s super easy. It involves contacting your local grocer, or maybe the corporation from which you buy the most products, and telling them you’ve had it with single-use plastic and could they please look for other alternatives and take some dang responsibility already. Easy peasy.
Then we can have nice places like this:
and a place on the beach where we can all get together and soak in the deliciousness of a sunset without the ruinous effects of plastic.
[photo credit: Deb Bosin]
So grab your pen, or your computer, and let the local grocer know what you want — less plastic and more recyclable options. It’s your right, and your duty as a citizen of the planet.
Let me know how it works out.
Once again, here are the guidelines for #WATWB
1. Keep your post to Below 500 words, as much as possible.
2. Link to a human news story on your blog, one that shows love, humanity, and brotherhood. Paste in an excerpt and tell us why it touched you. The Link is important, because it actually makes us look through news to find the positive ones to post.
3. No story is too big or small, as long as it Goes Beyond religion and politics, into the core of humanity.
4. Place the WE ARE THE WORLD badge or banner on your Post and your Sidebar. Some of you have already done so, this is just a gentle reminder for the others.
5. Help us spread the word on social media. Feel free to tweet, share using the #WATWB hastag to help us trend!
Tweets, Facebook shares, Pins, Instagram, G+ shares using the #WATWB hashtag through the month most welcome. We’ll try and follow and share all those who post on the #WATWB hashtag, and we encourage you to do the same.
Have your followers click here to enter their link and join us! Bigger the #WATWB group each month, more the joy!
This month’s delightful co-hosts are: Sylvia Stein, Inderpreet Uppal, Shilpa Garg, Damyanti Biswas Simon Falk. Stop by and see what they’re up to.
Green Life Blue Water 
Recycling and limiting your plastic use should be a no-brainer. It’s so easy to just bring your own cup or straw with you, yet I’m amazed at how many people just don’t think about it. I found the “why”. I love the beach and our oceans and would like to continue to see them in a healthy and happy state for the remainder of my life. Let’s not be selfish, as this is so, so important. THANK YOU.
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I totally agree. I have my travel water bottle and my travel coffee bottle – super easy and no waste in the ocean!😘
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So easy!
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I know some states have stopped using plastic. When I went to Hawaii last October I took cloth bags with me because I heard they would charge you more if you didn’t bring your own. So that’s a good way for the stores to do it.
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Yes, I agree, Michelle. It’s really just a matter of changing behavior. :0)
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That is so true. These days so many beaches are littered with plastic bottles and so much more, and that makes walking along beaches difficult. Here in Melbourne, Australia, many grocery shops no longer give our plastic bags and we are encouraged to bring our own green bags to carry our goods. It’s a step in the right direction to make us more aware of how to use plastic and when we can avoid using it.
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We can start a wave with these small steps.👏
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It never occurred to me to tell my local grocer to use less plastic! This is great! Thank you for this post’
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My pleasure, Daniela.🙏
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Thanks for this idea! I’ve never actually seen plastic littered beaches either, thankfully.
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🙏👏
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Hi PJ – yes solutions to the plastic things are being thought up – trouble is … so many of us are so lazy – and just dump, or just can’t be bothered to do without. The lack of single use plastic bags has made us and in Canada develop bags that are strong – so presumably they’ll never biodegrade. I see people are doing things with plastic bottles too … I only buy that sort of drink when I’m on a long trip and don’t want to carry liquid with me … so may buy very very occasionally. I haven’t been the best since I came back to the UK – but have been thinking that I really need to restock my thoughts … there’s a veggie and fruit shop nearby that doesn’t use plastic and I’ll be going there in future.
A necessary reminder for all of us – plastic is frightening … thanks for the excellent notes and thoughts – Hilary
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Thanks, Hilary! Baby steps are progress. 😘
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And while you’re at it you should tell your town council persons and state legislative reps to pass laws prohibiting single use plastic bags. There are a couple towns in New Jersey that have done this and there is a proposed bill in the state legislature.
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NJ is so progressive! I can never understand why everyone gives NJ a hard time. :0)
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Maybe it’s the highway culture.
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Possibly…🤔
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It is sure worth a try, but sadly convenience often trumps nature … but lots of folks bombarding them with this request may put a dent in that thinking Pam.
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Let’s hope so, Linda! :-0)
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Menace of plastic pollution is huge. In many cities of India, plastic bags, plastic disposables etc are banned. It’s a very small step in beating the plastic pollution but it’s a beginning and we have a long way to go!
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Wonderful to hear that cities are taking steps to do this. In San Francisco, single-use plastic bags have been banned for several years. Hopefully the rest of the world will start to catch on!
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The plastics problem is immense. Maybe a plant-based substance will be developed that can take the place of plastics, something that is sturdy and nonbreakable.
Enjoy the weekend. See you!
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That would be amazing, Neil. Wouldn’t it be great if we spent our time dreaming up solutions to intractable problems rather than trying to fence our country in?! xo
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Yes, thank you! I forget where I read that…was it a state or town? But they flat-out said no plastic bags can be used by stores anymore. And honestly, they suck. They’re super thin so they can’t hold anything, which means you use 2-3 layered together in order to hold a load. They really are a waste. If places like Aldi’s can thrive without any plastic bags, then other stores can follow suit.
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Totally agree. Costco doesn’t give you a bag either — you have to bring your own. And it’s true that those bags have gotten so thin that they’re worthless. Now sometimes it doesn’t work because people forget their bags (looks at the ceiling, around the room, anywhere but at the computer — yes, guilty), but you could then charge for the bags and pay that money into a fund that cleans up the ocean or something, not just put it back in the grocer’s pocket. In Europe they’ve been carrying their own bags to market for years. xo
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Yes, right! Plus many grocery stores sell reusable bags at the checkouts now, so if you forget, you can buy them, and then you’ve got more bags to keep in your car. 🙂
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Both of our cars have them.👌
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How lovely to focus on the beauty Pam! Refreshing! There are many shops that seem to have done away with plastic and they’re getting my custom. You probably know that recycling of plastic entails a huge footprint so it’s clearly best not to use it AT ALL! And, as you say, let your local grocer or whoever know that it is not acceptable – they MUST be more responsible … Have a great weekend! x
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Thank you, Susan. Although I doubt plastic is going away anytime soon as it’s in practically everything from cars to toaster ovens. But if we could get rid of the dang bags, I think that would be a huge step forward. You have a a great weekend as well! xo
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You are right it is almost impossible to rid our lives of plastic, but we can at least make forays into being plastic free wherever possible. Most supermarkets in this country have stopped supplying single use plastic bags, but still sell products produced by companies who put their stuff into plastic. My pet peeve is cucumbers with a plastic shrink-wrap around them (right beside a host of unwrapped capsicums, so the claim its for hygiene reasons simply doesn’t wash!) I like your peaceful zen-like pool, that’s absolutely the kind of image that should be pulling our attention. ❤
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Oh my gosh, Pauline, the shrink-wrapped cucs are so annoying! The stores do it for zucchini and squash and bunches of other stuff, sometimes packaging them together as, what, a dinner combo idea? It’ so wrong on so many levels! I never heard people refer to peppers as capsicums. I know that’s the active ingredient in them (that helps with inflammation and what not), but didn’t know that was a term. I feel smarter now. :0)
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I read somewhere that some folk gathered up all the wrapped cucumbers, loaded them into a shopping cart which they took to the enquiry desk and asked that the assistant de-wrap them as they didn’t wish to purchase the plastic. Sometimes I think we should all do this! Here we call chilli’s ‘peppers’ and capsicums by their botanical name. It’s a thing to be aware of when travelling 😀
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😂😂😂 Forewarned is forearmed.
Great story about the cucs!
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