It is well known that plastics are harmful to our world, and yet there is so much confusion and grey area when it comes to how we manage our plastic waste and can reduce our plastic use. I believe that the reduction of single use plastic consumption should be at the top of everyone's to do list when it comes to building a more sustainable world #unleashvalues.
I envision a future where we no longer need to feel guilty everyday when we go to buy the groceries that we need to survive because they are no longer wrapped in harmful plastics. I also hope that one day we will be able to feel safe eating seafood because the harmful chemicals released by our plastic waste is no longer creeping it's way up the food chain disrupting endocrine function.
To combat this issue I think that we need to intervene by banning single use plastics and by creating laws which protect us and our invaluable ecosystems from endocrine disrupting pollutants. We need to encourage lawmakers to enforce laws that hold producers responsible for the proper management of the waste they create so that we can move towards a safer future.
Recently I had someone tell me that we literally have no system for transporting lettuce that doesn't involve being packaged in plastic less than 5 times throughout the journey... it really makes me wonder how we have progressed in so many ways, but failed to come up with innovate solutions for food packaging and transport.
Thank you for your input, I really agree. I hate the feeling of looking all around and feeling guilty, while powerless at the same time. I hope that our voices are enough to rally for the action of lawmakers in the near future
Hi, Sofie. I agree with the idea that we need to ban the single use plastics ASAP. It harms the environment in plenty of ways. In Vancouver, it has been carried on well and citizens are contributing to the ecology, locally and globally. However, it is not enough for people only in Vancouver doing this, there is a must to engage people around the world to do the same. Barriers that impede this change could be solved by the entire world.
I agree with you, unfortunately many times it is difficult to improve the environmental hazards caused by plastic production by public consciousness alone, laws and legislation are mandatory but they are very useful.
Hey Sofie!
I strongly relate to what you said about guilt. Everything at the grocery store always seems to be stored in plastic! I try to find ways to re-use plastics, such as using plastic bags for my lunch and my garbage, but more often it feels like a losing battle.
I agree with your idea that lawmakers should hold producers responsible for their waste. You mentioned that we should encourage lawmakers to create these laws. How would we do this? Perhaps a first step would involve mobilizing support for changes locally before bringing them to a lawmaker's attention. A lawmaker is more likely to pay attention to collective concerns than individual concerns among his/her constituents.
I agree that changes in laws and legislation need to happen in order to ban single use plastic!
Hey Sofie,
I can definitely agree that when I see grocery store products, I feel guilty when I see the amount of plastic that is used to package them. Holding producers responsible for waste management would encourage them to re-think their usage, I think.
Me too! I feel bad about buying things wrapped in loads of plastic and I hope we no longer need to worry about it in the future.