From Us to Sea: Week 1
Welcome to our Plastic Free July challenge! Please listen to our first microdOcean episode as this blog will serve as an additional resource to the episode.
Plastic Free July began as a small initiative in Australia, and has turned into a global movement. As the name implies, this month is our opportunity to refuse single-use plastics. By taking part in the challenge, you have the opportunity to:
1) Build awareness and reduce dependence on plastic use.
2) Develop habits to reduce your waste.
3) Be part of a collective movement to clean up our environment and shift our societal values.
Each week, we will release a new episode that will give you additional actions you can take that week to further challenge yourself to reduce plastic waste and become aware of the damage single-use plastics have on our environment and communities.
THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE:
Conduct your own waste audit. We suggest using our friend Krystina’s* that you can access here.
This audit is in not meant to shame or judge you! It is simply a starting point to understand how much waste you are generating on a regular basis. We encourage you to do a waste audit because while plastics are a very significant and harmful form of waste, we may find that
You may decide to not change any habits this week to truly know how much waste you may be contributing, but in the spirit of the month, we suggest to do your best in reducing plastic use where you can.
*Check out our episode with Krystina on her sustainability journey and starting her own zero-waste small-business, aptly named A Drop in the Ocean. Check out her blog for heaps of resources!Bring your own water bottle and coffee cup whenever you leave the house (or smoothie jar/whatever you are likely to get).
According to Food and Water Watch, 64% of bottle water is actually municipal tap water. And despite being marketed as safer, the US federal government requires more rigorous monitoring of municipal tap water than bottled water. In Australia, a water expert from NSW said in a Guardian article that ““there is no public health or water quality advantage in drinking bottled water.”
It wastes your money, and puts it straight into the hands of companies like Nestle, who continued to steal millions of gallons of water in California two years ago during a significant drought. Australia has the most expensive bottled water on the planet, yet, they are the second highest consumer of bottled water.
Finally, most of us are not drinking enough water per day. If you have a water bottle, I promise you’re more likely to drink from it. Increased water intake supports body functions, helps you eat healthier (when you think you want a snack - you’re probably just dehydrated), and improves your physical abilities.
While coffee is often a necessary vice, use this week as an opportunity to either reduce your consumption, brew at home, or bring your own mug. If you want to really step up your sustainable coffee game, get started with this article by Biome.
Business owners: identify where your customers are likely to create waste from your products or services.
Check out Plastic Free July resources for businesses here.
Get started with one of the resources below to increase your knowledge and awareness on plastic pollution.
Websites:
https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/
https://plasticfree.ecochallenge.org/
https://plasticoceans.org/ - research papers and reports available
https://adropintheoceanshop.com/blogs/blog/plastic-free-july-getting-started
Films:
Dark Waters (2019) - available on Netflix
A Plastic Ocean (2016)
The Smog of the Sea (2017)
The Story of Plastic (2019)
YouTube:
“Ask a Scientist” - Marine Litter (UNEP)
How Can We Beat Plastic Pollution? (UNEP): interesting on the focus around “profitability” and the focus on capital gains…
The Story of Plastic (animated short)
"Plastic Pollution in Santa Luzia, Cape Verde" by CaptainDarwin is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
microdOcean episode
Listen here: https://www.bigfightbluesoul.org/2007415/13137477
Resources:
Azoulay, D., Villa, P., Arellano, Y., Gordon, M. F., Moon, D., Miller, K. A., ... & Kistler, A. (2019). Plastic & health: the hidden costs of a plastic planet. Geneva, Switzerland: CIEL.
Higgs, Kerryn. (2021, January 21). How the world embraced consumerism. BBC Future; BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210120-how-the-world-became-consumerist
Lim, X. (2019, May 16). The Deceptive Way Ads Got Us Hooked On Plastics. HuffPost; The Huffington Post. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vintage-ads-plastic_n_5cdb1768e4b01e9bd3540ffa
Maes, T., McGlade, J., Fahim, I. S., Green, D. S., Landrigan, P., Andrady, A. L., ... & Turra, A. (2021). From pollution to solution: A global assessment of marine litter and plastic pollution: Synthesis. United Nations Environment Programme. Nairobi. https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/36965/POLSOLSum.pdf
Plastic Free Foundation (2022). Plastic Free July: Impact Report 2022. Retrieved from https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Plastic-Free-Foundation-Impact-Report-2022.pdf
Rangel-Buitrago, N., Neal, W., & Williams, A. (2022). The Plasticene: Time and rocks. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 185, 114358.
Stubbins, A., Law, K. L., Muñoz, S. E., Bianchi, T. S., & Zhu, L. (2021). Plastics in the Earth system. Science, 373(6550), 51-55. https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10277422
United Nations Environment Programme. Division of Early Warning, & Assessment. (2012). UNEP Year Book 2012: Emerging Issues in Our Global Environment. United Nations Environment Programme.
Woodford, Chris. (2022, May 16). Plastics. Explain That Stuff! Retrieved from https://www.explainthatstuff.com/plastics.html
reflection questions:
Thank you so much for choosing to participate. You are very welcome and encouraged (!) to share your answers here, commenting in our Facebook Group or on Instagram, or by sending voice messages to be shared on the podcast. Really, these questions are just meant to get your brain thinking about your interactions with plastic, how you are being affected by the system around us that contributes to it, and how you are feeling by taking on this challenge.
We want to build a sense of community in tackling these large scale issues, so please share your thoughts with us, your friends or family, or your peers and acquaintances. You never know who might be sharing the same ideas!
Have you ever done anything like this before? If no (or yes!), how do you feel after this week? Are you surprised, shocked, or excited?
If you’re feeling something around shame or judgement, remember that this is just the beginning of what can be a beautiful and transformational journey! It’s never too late to make a change.
Do you feel like you have a different thought process when you toss things into the bin? Are you thinking more about the fact that it’s not just “tossing it away,” but that it actively has to go somewhere else?
Did you start any conversations with friends or others about Plastic Free July or your intentions to reduce your waste? If so, what was their response? How did it feel to share?
Are you excited or anxious at the thought of potentially changing your habits? Why?
Are there any experiences or topics you encountered this week that you want to investigate further?
For example: I found myself almost exclusively throwing away food on a daily basis. All other items were a tally of 1 here or there. I’m hoping to investigate potential community composting options, as starting one at my own home isn’t a great option for me right now due to my work schedule.