Plastic is taking over the world

[Mesogen]

http://www.bestlifeonline.com/cms/p..._oceans_are_turning_into_plastic_are_we.shtml

Our oceans are turning into plastic.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/albatross_meal.php

Plastic has invaded all parts of the biosphere and is infiltrating many ecosystems.

This guy had all this plastic in his belly.

Next time you go to the store, think about what you are doing with those plastic bags.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/08/10/plastic_bags/

http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Ocean/Trashing-Oceans-Plastic4nov02.htm
There is a huge section of the ocean just littered with plastic bags and other plastic goodies.

So while everyone is worried about global warming, they have largely forgotten about all the other environmental problems facing us. The government isn't going to do it for us. Hell, they dump chemical weapons in the ocean!

It's up to each individual to start using canvas tote bags and avoiding all plastics except #1 and #2 and then recycling those. It sounds damned near impossible, but the tote bag thing would really cut down on plastic bag usage. They only cost a couple bucks or come free with a logo. Give it a shot.

 

[Stacey S]

The trick is to keep them in your car, so you actually have them wherever you go. It has been a hard habit to form, but I'm getting better!

 

[constituent]

you've got it all backward mesogen...

the world is taking over plastic...



gaaah.

 

[Electric Church]

thanks for the post. Recently I've started to reduce my use of plastic. Now I think I'm gonna redouble my efforts.

 

[Nefertiti]

I thought this thread was going to be about credit cards and how we should be ditching them in favor of gold.

I don't use a canvas tote (although I did when I lived in Egypt) but I avoid putting my fruits and vegetables in plastic bags when it isn't necessary and reuse most bags I get from stores in the trash can or for lunch or storing things. Those I don't use I take to our local supermarket that has a recycle bin for bags. I reuse the paper ones at the store where they give me 10 cents back, until I use them in the kitchen trash can. I also recycle my plastic and glass bottles in bins at our local supermarket. We reuse both sides of paper in our printer and when I am done with paper I take it to the local university to recycle. Just wish there was a way I could compost here.

 

[Mesogen]

reusing is ok, I guess. I do it too.

I really wish I could stop using them altogether. Once they are made and consumed, they are with us for a long long time. The plastic bag you brought home from the store may not be here longer than you, but there will be bags that will be here longer than you, and the plastic in all the bags will certainly be on this Earth longer than you will.

Whenever I go into a big store, Wal Mart (been a long time), Target, or even the mall, I tell myself, "Everything here, everything, will eventually be in a landfill or the ocean."

The tote thing was a hard habit to start. The hardest part was remembering to bring them to the store. And it's a hassle. The checkers have a hard time dealing with them and if you self-check, the machine doesn't know what to do with the weight of the bags. But to me, it's worth it.

I really wish grocery stores would start putting their logos on canvas bags and having them as an option. Maybe offer discounts for using them.

Hmm, maybe I need to send a letter or two to some corporate offices.

 

[SlapItHigh]

yeah, not a plastic fan here. It is hard when you have children because everything for kids is made out of plastic. We do stainless steel sippy cups. We use wood, correlle, glass and metal plates and bowls. I go for wood or wool toys, but the in-laws still send us plastic ones. We also do cloth diapers with wool covers and cloth wipes.

We use cloth grocery bags as well and we recycle like crazy. I try to choose items not packaged in plastic whenever possible.

 

[Ninja Homer]

I do all my grocery shopping at a co-op (all organic) and I get a discount for bringing my own bags. They also sell canvas bags with their logo on them. If I don't have enough bags with me, I always get paper, and then either use them to start my weekly bonfires in the back yard or recycle them.

The real solution to the plastics problem is to legalize hemp. Currently, almost all plastics are created from petroleum oil. Plastic can also be created from hemp oil, which is a renewable source as well as biodegradable. Henry Ford even made a plastic car built almost entirely from plant material in 1941, and would swing an ax at it to prove how durable it was.

Call me a conspiracy theorist if you want, but I believe that the main reason for the "War on Drugs" was to outlaw hemp so that oil companies would have a monopoly on plastics. (if you're interested in researching it yourself, look into Rockefeller and Dupont's part in making hemp illegal)

PS - Choosing paper over plastic isn't the answer, because paper takes a very, very long time to decompose in a landfill. The organisms that cause decomposition can't keep up with the rate that landfills are filled. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

 

[Mesogen]

yeah, not a plastic fan here. It is hard when you have children because everything for kids is made out of plastic. We do stainless steel sippy cups. We use wood, correlle, glass and metal plates and bowls. I go for wood or wool toys, but the in-laws still send us plastic ones. We also do cloth diapers with wool covers and cloth wipes.

We use cloth grocery bags as well and we recycle like crazy. I try to choose items not packaged in plastic whenever possible.

Wow! Way to go on the cloth diapers.

I asked someone I know if they would consider switching to cloth diapers and stop using the plastic ones for environmental reasons. He said that washing them would waste water so it was worse for the environment. Yeah, so that's why we should all use paper plates and plastic cutlery and wear disposable clothes too.

People.

Oh! Another thing I've heard and noticed is that kids that use cloth diapers tend to be potty trained earlier. The thing is the highly engineered plastic diapers are too effective. They make it pretty comfortable for the kid to just go on themselves and not worry about it. Why bother with the potty?

I do all my grocery shopping at a co-op (all organic) and I get a discount for bringing my own bags. They also sell canvas bags with their logo on them. If I don't have enough bags with me, I always get paper, and then either use them to start my weekly bonfires in the back yard or recycle them.

Hey! There is actually a store that gives you a discount for using canvas bags? Where is this and what is the store?

 

[Ninja Homer]

Hey! There is actually a store that gives you a discount for using canvas bags? Where is this and what is the store?

http://www.freshandnaturalfoods.com/

It's a great grocery store! It costs a little more for groceries than the big commercial stores, but in my opinion it's worth it for poison-free food.

Little natural food stores are popping up all over the place, and I think many of them give discounts for using your own bags.