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Sustainability December 21, 2018
It might surprise you how easy it is.
It'll make a big boom.It’s summer, which means parties, which means BBQ, which means food. And everyone loves food—especially when it’s Dad’s traditional pie or Mom’s grilled skewers. There’s nothing better than a feast of homemade goodies.
Except when all of those goodies come wrapped in plastic.
The insane amount of plastic we dispose wraps itself around lakes, beaches and our own lives. According to the Plastic Oceans Foundation, more than 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into our oceans each year.
During the summer, the beach is particularly vulnerable to plastic litter. Groups like Operation SPLASH, a non-profit with a mission to clean Long Island’s shores, are very aware of this.
In an interview with Fox news, president of Operation SPLASH Rob Weltner confirms, “Typically, the week before [Independence Day] and for several weeks after, we do see and remove quite a bit of fireworks debris from our beaches, bay waters and salt marshes.”
All of that plastic really puts a damper on our fun in the sun. Are you up for a challenge to change that?
Try going a month plastic-free.
It sounds scary now, but it’s possible! Here are some tips that will minimize your plastic use:
It’s easy to switch out a red solo cup for a glass when you’re in the comfort of your own home.
But what if you’re at the park or beach?
Don’t worry, you don’t have to pour out your beverage. (I know you’re pretty attached to that Margarita.) Put that drink in a reusable bottle instead!
The variety of reusable bottles online is vast and wide. Companies like S’well even make 40 and 64-oz containers. That’s a lot of Margaritas!
And after all of the Independence Day parties, you can keep this bottle and use it for years and years to come.
Stop using plastic straws. You might have already heard about the impact these relatively insignificant items have on our world. But if you haven’t, know that straws cannot be recycled, and we use over 500 million of them every day in the U.S. alone. The plastic ends up in our planet’s landfills, oceans and animals. In this particularly heartbreaking video, a straw is lodged deep in a sea turtle’s bleeding nose.
It’s time to suck it up and break it off with the plastic straw. Luckily for those of us who want to protect our lipstick, there are stainless steel drinking straws that can be used again and again.
We all use a single sandwich bag and then immediately throw it away. According to Plastic Oceans, “A plastic bag has an average ‘working life’ of 15 minutes.”
Replace that time bomb with something more sustainable. Organic, biodegradable food wraps are a great solution for a plastic-free summer month. Bee’s Wrap food wraps are eco-friendly, washable and last about a year. If you’re a DIY type, you can even make your own.
4. Compost it!
Say goodbye to plastic spoons and knives at your fourth of July party. If you don’t have enough metal silverware, compostable eating utensils are no-brainer replacements. The party guests might not know the difference, but the ocean will.
Next time you’re required to bring something to a potluck, tell the host you’ve got the cutlery and plates covered!
Even with all of your plastic-free items, you’ll probably have some cleaning up to do after a barbecue. Put all of that trash into some compostable waste bags for the ultimate finish to your plastic-free summer. And if you’re hanging out on the shore, don’t forget to take that bag with you! The beach has enough trash as it is.
Have fun with this plastic-free challenge, and don’t give up after a few mistakes. At the end of the month, tell yourself congrats for me, then see if you can handle another challenge: try going plastic-free for another day. Then another week, month, year… however long you can go.
If that sounds like too much, participate in annual beach cleanups. Read some more plastic-free articles. Continue to stay informed.
Whatever effort you make (large or small), the environment will thank you.
