Rethink

Climate change has been a bit of a hot topic lately – in the news, TED talks, Instagram stories; I even stumbled upon a climate change group seminar at a coffee shop. Pollution isn’t new, so why is it so popular now?

A few months ago, scientists released a statement with an ultimatum regarding our environmental footprint, that we have twelve years to counteract the damage we have done, or it will be nearly irreversible. Many have questioned this theory, whether it be an exact twelve years and if there is truly an environmental plateau we could fall off. I couldn’t test the validity of this theory if I tried, but no matter which side is true, it got people talking.

The overarching truth is that climate change is here. It is no longer a question of its existence or when to take action. It is a reality that must change if we hope to have any future. Change isn’t optimal; it is necessary.

Article written about climate change over 100 years ago

In the past, we’ve had that three-word alliterated mantra engrained into our brains. Reduce, reuse, recycle. And we’ve been allowed to believe this is enough. There are many great people doing great things about climate change, like corporations raising money or hosting ocean cleanups, but there aren’t enough normal people doing simple things. Maybe it’s because the common man doesn’t think his actions can make a difference. Maybe he thinks we have more time. Maybe he just doesn’t care.

“We have this idea, we humans, that the earth – all of it, the oceans, the skies – are so vast and so resilient it doesn’t matter what we do to it,” says ocean researcher Sylvia Earle. “That may have been true 10,000 years ago [but] in the last 50 years we’ve drawn down the assets – the air, the water, the life – that make our lives possible.” From the small bubble an individual lives in, it is hard to imagine the scope of their actions. The earth is so huge, with so many cities and so many people that it is dizzying to imagine. No matter its enormity, its resources aren’t endless. And when those billions of people are creating the same amount of pollution an individual is, the added total is bigger than our colossal earth can support.

“We have this idea, we humans, that the earth – all of it, the oceans, the skies – are so vast and so resilient it doesn’t matter what we do to it.”

Surprising Statistics

1. Pollution in China can change the weather in the United States

2. Half a million straws are used in the world every day

3. More than 1 billion people worldwide don’t have access to safe drinking water

4. 14 billion pounds of garbage is dumped into the ocean each year

5. Within 50 years, there could be no more fish or coral reefs in the ocean

6. Americans buy more than 50 billion bottles of water each year and only recycle 20% of them

7. Currently, 1.4 billion hectares of land (1/3 of the world’s total agricultural land) grow food that is wasted

Daily proteins and their greenhouse gas impact

8. For every pound of fish that goes to the market, more than 10 pounds are thrown away as bycatch

9. One out of every two sea turtles has ingested plastic

10. A single person in the US produces 4.4 pounds of garbage every day

11. We have eaten over 99% of the big fish in the ocean

12. Half of the coral reefs have disappeared

13. Approximately 40% of the lakes in America are too polluted for fishing, aquatic life or swimming

Great Barrier Reef impact of acidification

14. Every year we use 1.6 million barrels of oil just for producing plastic water bottles

15. Over 90% of people are breathing unsafe air

16. The ocean provides home for 97% of life on earth; no ocean = no life

17. Straws make up 0.03% of the ocean’s plastic; fishing nets take up 46%

18. Air pollution is the fourth largest threat to human health

19. Each year, 1.2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage, storm water and industrial waste are dumped into US water

20. Aluminum takes up to 200 years to decompose in a landfill

21. Fishing line takes 600 years to decompose in a landfill

22. Plastic can take up to 1,000 years to decompose in a landfill

23. Glass takes one million years to decompose in a landfill, even though we can produce new glass by simply melting down the old

24. Tinfoil does not biodegrade

25. Styrofoam does not biodegrade

It is easy to blame large corporations for pollution. They’re the ones making the plastic bags in factories. However, almost all of these statistics boil down to the decision an individual makes: to litter, to throw away glass, to eat fish, to waste water, the list goes on. Making a difference in the environment is not a blame game, but a personal responsibility. It is no longer an option not to care, because our actions have a direct consequence on ourselves. Making the choice to burn leaves in the backyard releases the dangerous chemicals that you in turn breathe. Humans are an extension of the land we live on, so when we hurt the earth, we hurt ourselves.

“Humans are an extension of the land we live on, so when we hurt the earth, we hurt ourselves.”

Case Studies

Due to wind and water currents in the Pacific, trash gathers in the North Pacific Convergence Zone to form a landfill in the middle of the ocean, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The patch covers about 1 million square miles and contains about 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic. Since 1945, **the patch has increased ten-fold…each decade.**

The most common sources of air pollution are factory emissions and transportation vehicles. The release of methane and carbon dioxide increases global temperatures, and if they continue to increase, scientists expect rising sea levels, acidic ocean water, fluctuating severe weather, and increased clouds (acting as a heat trap). Most alarmingly, the release of methane and CO2 increases the release of those same gases. Glaciers and the ocean have trapped methane and CO2 from the past, so when the glaciers melt and the ocean reaches its saturation point, the compounds will have nowhere else to go but into our breathing air.

Your Actions Matter!

It is easy to convince yourself that your actions don’t matter. Not only do positive actions make a difference, but negative ones too, even in simple daily routines like driving and eating. One gallon of gas produces 18.07 pounds of carbon dioxide, and food waste that ends up in landfills produces methane. These two simple actions – filling up your car and throwing away an apple core – put a dent in environmental consciousness. It is improbable that everyone is going to start walking to work and eating banana peels (some practices we simply can’t change), but it is important to be educated on the impact of our choices.

“Save our Earth” painted on remnants of the Berlin wall

One impactful choice that we make daily is whether or not to use single-use plastic. Single-use plastic includes items that you would use once and then throw away, like grocery bags or plastic water bottles. For what seems like something so simple, it is a huge deal for the environment.

Grocery bags are used for an average of 12 minutes – carrying food from the store to the car, and the car to the fridge. However, they take 500 years to degrade, and 4 trillion are used per year. Animals often mistake them for food, ingest them, and die. Plastic bottles pose a similar threat. Americans purchase 50 billion water bottles per year, averaging around 13 bottles per person per month. By simply making the choice to use refillable water bottles, you could save 156 plastic bottles per year.

Single-use plastic is often not recycled, and it rarely even makes it to the landfill. Twenty-five million tons of plastic is added to our ocean each year. This equates to dumping one garbage truck full of plastic into the ocean each minute. By 2030, this is expected to double, and by 2050, quadruple. If this trend continues, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

The numbers are staggering. Change not only starts with individual action, but it starts with changing your mindset about the way you live. This means creating habits. The average family uses 1,500 plastic bags per year. If that one family got into the habit of carrying reusable bags to the grocery store, they could save 15,000 bags in 10 years. For a visual, 15,000 plastic bags tied together could create a rope from the ground to an airplane at 35,000 feet.

Apply this to an elementary school of 500 families (the average public elementary school size in North Carolina) and that would save 7.5 million bags. Again, if bringing reusable bags became a habit, it would not be seen as an inconvenience but simply an action added to a daily routine. We would not be going out of our way to save the earth but integrating it into our lifestyle. There are tangible changes that can be made by doing simple things!

What to replace your plastic products with

Sustainable Ways You Can Change

Once you get started, the routine will flow smoothly, but many people aren’t aware of the sustainable options available to you. While it may cost a little extra at the start, it is worth the money because it will be cheaper in the long run. For example, one set of bamboo utensils can be reused, rather than plastic utensils which will be continually thrown away and bought again. Here are some great ways the everyman can change their practices to be more environmentally conscious.

1. Stop buying plastic water bottles and use refillable ones

2. Use a solar powered phone charger

3. Buy from companies who use sustainable or recyclable packaging

4. Use a water-saving shower head

5. Wash clothes in cold water

6. Use washable mesh produce bags for fruits and veggies at the grocery

7. Use cloth napkins

8. Use wool dryer balls rather than dryer sheets

9. Avoid polyester (which is made from oil), acrylic, viscose rayon, and other synthetic fibers that end up in the ocean (and in the seafood we eat)

10. Don’t overflow public trash cans – your litter won’t be picked up

11. Look for the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification on textiles, which labels products that contain more than 70% of organic fibers

12. Recycle or donate old school supplies like pencils, notebooks, and textbooks

13. Utilize natural light instead of turning artificial lights on

14. Rather than using plastic wrap for leftovers, buy reusable beeswax wrap

15. Compost! It’s more common than you think; the OXO compost bin is small and cute

16. Bring portable metal straws to restaurants

17. Use an e-reader rather than buying books

18. Pick up litter

19. Buy from places like Plato’s Closet that recycle brand name clothes

20. Buy compostable plates, cutlery, and bowls for house parties

21. Use biodegradable trash bags

22. Use rechargeable batteries

23. Use reusable makeup remover pads

24. Use biodegradable dental floss

25. Don’t buy exfoliators with microbeads in them; microbeads are small pieces of plastic that end up in rivers, lakes, and oceans

26. Use natural, plant-based laundry detergent

27. Use organic Q-tips

28. Shop online to eliminate driving

29. Only wash full loads of laundry

30. Use a shower timer to limit water usage

Positive environmental impact of going vegan for one day

31. Eliminate plastic sandwich bags; there is glass Tupperware, plastic Tupperware, reusable snack bags, or collapsible Tupperware that saves space AND the earth

32. Use natural cleaners – find some here http://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-natural-organic-cleaning-products.html

33. Stop smoking

34. Buy reusable coffee filters

35. Buy eco-friendly phone cases

36. Unplug and turn off what’s not in use

37. Use hygiene products that come in bar-form to eliminate plastic packaging; products include shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, body soap, and even self-tanner

38. Instead of paper towels, use cloth towels or reusable bamboo towels

39. Install solar panels

40. Instead of disposable plastic razors, use razors made from bamboo and aluminum which give an equally good shave

UN Environment’s Instagram video about turning plastic into fashion

41. Plant trees

42. Eat green

43. Use LED light bulbs

44. Use recycled aluminum foil

45. Use recycled paper

46. Use ballpoint pens made out of recycled water bottles

47. Support companies who support the environment

48. Use extra drinking water that would normally be poured down the drain to water plants

49. Use public transportation or ride a bike

50. Bring reusable bags to the grocery store

UN Environment’s Instagram video with a powerful message: “we won’t be able to say we didn’t know”

“We won’t be able to say we didn’t know”

Great Companies to Buy From

The next step after education is taking action. Here are some great companies to buy from.

Bambooee – sells reusable bamboo paper towels https://bambooee.com/
Trellis beauty – North Carolina-based beauty company that specializes in “clean beauty,” meaning environmentally conscious and cruelty-free https://www.trellisbeauty.com/
Strw – sells metal straws and reusable bamboo cutlery https://strwco.com/
Ethique – sustainable, plastic-free, cruelty-free bars of soap, hair products, laundry detergent, and more https://ethique.co.uk/?geo_redirection_stay=1
Green Toys – USA-made toys that don’t use batteries and are made from recycled materials https://www.greentoys.com/
Earth Hero – sells zero-waste household items like food wraps and food huggers https://earthhero.com/
Amazon – sells almost everything, just look it up! https://www.amazon.com/sustainable-products/s?k=sustainable+products
Plato’s closet – either make money off of your used clothes, or buy new ones https://www.platoscloset.com/
Lunch Skins – sells reusable sandwich bags for lunches https://www.lunchskins.com/
4Ocean – sells bracelets to raise money for ocean cleanups https://4ocean.com/our-products

Remember to reward yourself. For every few little things you do, treat yourself so you are not only doing good for the earth but for yourself too.

And here’s some more good news: saving the earth is trendy. Be that person who shares articles, who gets their friends and family involved, and most importantly who practices what they preach! Match your metal straw to your outfit and rock it.

It is not about your political views or what your friends do; it is about if your kids grow up having to put a mask on every time they play outside. We are declining fast but there is still time…as long as we take action now.