Plastic is so much a part of our everyday lives that we often neglect to think about the impact it has on our environment. I will not attempt to forsake plastics innumerable uses or deny the fact that without plastic we might not be as advanced a civilization as we are. [Just think about all of the plastic used in the healthcare field...staggering.] What I will say is that we have become too familiar with abusing this material in our day to day life.
Of course I'm referring to single use plastics; or those plastics which are used once and then discarded. Items like straws, wrappers, cigarettes and disposable utensils are all considered single use plastics. Could you potentially re-use some of them? Of course. But that wasn't the original intent. See, the issue with our society is that we want convenience and we want it fast. We want to be able to have our cake and eat it too...on the go...with disposable utensils so we don't have to carry around pesky "regular" utensils...
The positive side to all of this is that the remedy is simple: actively choose to use re-useable materials, rather than single use items or forego the single use items altogether. For some this could mean bringing their own mug for their daily caffeine dose. For others it could be as simple as neglecting a straw with their soda. These simple changes can really make a difference in the amount of trash that ends up in landfills and possibly our oceans.
Surfrider challenges you to reduce the amount of plastic you use this month; we challenge you to Rise Above Plastics. So will you take the pledge? Will you vow to reduce the amount of plastic you use everyday? Then click here! And don't forget to share your pledge on our Facebook page!
Click here for more information about Rise Above Plastic month and here for upcoming RAP events!