The thing about plastic . . .
-10 million tons of plastic are dumped in our oceans annually. That's equal to
more than a garbage truck load every minute.
-50% of all plastic produced is for single-use purposes, and is used for
just minutes and then thrown away. Less than 9% of all plastic gets recycled.
-1 million marine animals are killed by plastic pollution every year.
-Humans will eat over 40 pounds of plastic in their lifetime
-It is estimated that by the year 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans
than fish.
Perhaps the facts about plastic above give you pause. Perhaps it is also a fact, that we need to think differently about our use of plastics. One way of thinking differently is by reusing and recycling plastics to make something else. Last month's blog post was about artists doing just this--helping our oceans and environment by collecting plastic debris, and then using it in a different way to create art. This month's post will feature 5 more of these ocean helpers and the incredible artwork that they make. You can click on the names below the images to learn more about each artist and their mission of helping our planet. Make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to find 5 more easy ways that YOU can also help reduce plastic consumption.
Tess Felix (also portrait at beginning of this post)
While it is amazing to see what these artists create with discarded bit and pieces and items of plastic, it also leaves us all to know one thing for sure: that there is surely way too much plastic in this world. The knowledge of this can often be overwhelming. We can't undo all the plastic that is already out there, so what do we do? Instead of just throwing up our hands and giving up, we can instead do things differently going forward. Here are 5 more easy ways to help reduce plastic use. Even doing just one thing from the list has an impact on the environment.
Buy foods in bulk if you can--which uses less food packaging.
Be sure to practice the 3 R's in your own household--reduce, reuse, recycle.
Like the old slogan says--"give a hoot, don't pollute!" Make sure to clean up your mess outdoors, and don't litter.
Instead of using those small, plastic bags for fruits and veggies at the grocery store, buy a set of your own reusable ones.
Instead of single-use plastic wrap, buy reusable beeswax cloth or plastic covers for your food items that need to be temporarily covered.
By the way, there is more hope(and help) on the horizon--literally. There are lots of other plastic-picker-uppers out there, not just artists. Below are a few groups that are also helping clean up plastic waste from our beaches, lakes, and oceans. Check them out!
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