September 2019
"If I were to choose one thing everyone would do, it would be to inform yourself. Try to understand the situation, and try to push for political movement that doesn't exist. Because the politics needed to 'fix this' doesn't exist today. So, I think what we should do as individuals is to use the power of democracy to make our voices heard and to make sure that the people in power actually cannot continue to ignore this." – Greta Thunberg, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Damn. Plastic.
To change your impact on the plastic problem,
focus on the "Reduce" part of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!
A Series on the Environment from the QL Duo
In our Recycling Wake-Up Call, we wrote about the problems with plastic recycling in the U.S. and around the world, and we encouraged you rethink how you use plastic by being a part of the Plastic Free July Challenge.
If this is new information for you, here's some "back story" to get you up to speed:
Most folks — even the most diligent and informed among us — do not recycle plastics correctly. Lots of recycling is contaminated, ending up at the landfill anyway. Much of the plastic trash we're passing off to other countries is not being recycled at all. Some of those countries have simply had enough, and they're not taking our trash anymore. Can you really blame them?
If You Don't Know, Now You Know: Asian Nations Reject Western Trash
[The Daily Show]
Reducing (and eliminating) our use of plastics, primarily single-use plastics, isn't just a project for the kids over summer break. These are important changes to make and keep up with. Often, once you've made a change, it gets easier and easier. And others will learn from your example
To help and encourage you, here are loads of examples of what others are doing at home, at work, at school and in their communities. You can even submit your own plastic-free story.
Plastic Free July: What Others Do
"At the end, we want to be able to say to ourselves and our children: We were on the right side of history. We took responsibility for changing our patterns and rhythms which resulted in a life that added balance to the larger picture rather than perpetuating the problem." — Be A Change Maker with Nature, Your Partner in Life's Garden
The Environment Series | Global EoP Biodiversity Process