Baby’s first blog post
A zero-waste blog: how original…
As I’m sitting here writing this, my very first blog post, I’m rather annoyed by the cliche I’ve become. I’ve always been a big proponent of the mindset that we shouldn’t try to force our opinions on each other; that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. I’ve always hated being lectured about why I should or should not do something, and prefer to form my own opinions based on my own observations of the world around me. But the deeper into this movement I get, the more I realize how important it is to educate my community about the importance of consuming less and being more aware of how our actions and choices impact our planet. There is SO much information that we are not made aware of as consumers, and unless you really dig for it, it’s easy to feel like you’re doing your part to help by simply making sure to put your plastic water bottles into the recycling bin… but it’s not.
In 2018 alone, 3 million TONS of plastic were created, and only 8.7% of that was recycled. That means that there are still about 2,739,000 tons of plastic (created in 2018 alone) that are still hanging around somewhere on earth, whether in a landfill, the ocean, or the stomach of one of our furry, scaly, or feathery friends. Not to mention, it’s not like that 8.7% that was recycled just disappeared. Most plastics can only be recycled up to 3 times, a lot even less than that. Eventually, all 3 million tons will end up in the same place: waiting for 450+ years to decompose. This means that plastic created today will be around for 336 years LONGER than plastic has even existed.
While these numbers are absolutely staggering, the volume can be difficult to wrap your mind around since most of us have no idea what 3 million tons of plastic waste looks like. Here are a few statistics that break it down into numbers I’ve found easier to digest:
The average American individual produces about 5 ¼ pounds of plastic waste per week.
The average American family takes home 1,500 plastic shopping bags per year. Only about 1% of these get recycled (about 15 bags), which means that each household is putting about 1,485 plastic bags into a landfill each year.
From a carbon emissions standpoint, it only takes about 14 plastic bags to equate to the amount of gas used to drive one mile. (On a side note: did you know that plastic is created from fossil fuels? I had literally no idea this was the case until about a year ago and it absolutely blew my mind!) Most families will use this many bags in 2 trips to the grocery store or less. And then of course, you have the miles you drove in the car to and from the grocery store to add on top of that…
Ok, ok, we get it, we get it! There’s a lot of plastic waste!
Phew, ok, glad we’re on the same page there. Even if you don’t care about the people or creatures who inhabit this planet, and don’t give a flying fart in space about what happens to future generations, surely you can see that with this volume of waste, at the rate it’s being produced, there soon won’t even be enough space on earth for you as an individual to move around without being bombarded with trash. Clearly, we have a problem. Which brings me back to my original dilemma in starting this blog in the first place: forcing my opinion on others. However, the more I look at the facts that I now know well, I realize that asserting that we have a problem is not an opinion. It’s a fact, supported by data, collected by scientists around the world. It’s disappointing that I need to point that out, but there you have it, folks.
So, I guess this blog will be me trying to educate you, reader, in the best way I know how: through data, humor, sarcasm, and a liberal use of my idiosyncratic behavior (of yanno, being the person everyone knows will go collect all the glass bottles and jars from the recycling bin to hoard in a cabinet for re-use and participating in hobbies like beekeeping when I’m actually a little bit allergic to bees…whatever). As an incredibly goal-oriented, future thinking individual, I think it’s important I share with you my goals for this blog:
First and most importantly, my goal is to educate, both informationally and practically. I plan to include statistics and facts about what is going on with people and planet in addition to providing accessible DIY tips and tricks for things literally anyone can do to produce less waste at home
Second, and I guess this goes hand in hand with the first one, I want to provide you with resources. Whether that is places you can go to get information, or my unfiltered reviews of zero waste products I’ve tried so that you don’t have to go through trying out as many things as I did before you find one that works for you (because let’s be honest, I’ve tried a lot of things I’ve really hated)
Third, I want to create a community that reaches beyond your typical zero waste groups and sustainability activists. I commit to making this blog accessible and not judge-y. I heard somewhere recently, “you have who you have, you need who you don’t” – meaning, I don’t need to convince the people who are already part of the zero-waste movement… that’s already done. If I’m doing my job correctly as an “influencer” (ew, gag me at that term, but it’s pretty much what I’m doing here… so call a spade a spade, I suppose), I need to incorporate the people who aren’t already thinking about their impact on the earth into the fold and show ways that a regular person can make small changes in their lives that will make a huge impact
Anyway, if you’re still reading, I’m thinking that means you haven’t completely dismissed my premise, for that I, and my friend, Mother Earth, thank you. I hope you will continue to join me as I take my journey towards zero waste!
As part of my commitment to providing transparent, relevant information to you, here’s where today’s facts have come from…