On Earth Day, my seven year old daughter and I did a roadside clean up in our small town. Looking around, as you drive down the roads of this idyllic place, you wouldn’t guess that there was so much litter hidden under the leaves and grasses. It was surprising to me. Most of the litter was food and drink containers, especially alcoholic beverages. That’s disturbing on two levels. First, clearly there are lots of people drinking while driving, and disposing of the evidence out the windows of their cars. That’s dangerous. Second, some people care very little about themselves, others, and the environment.
Clearly, we need a paradigm shift so that people care. What is the underlying issue that leads people to not care? What do you think? Or is it something else? Is it just too difficult to care? There’s too many other things to think about, to manage, to accomplish, to handle? Either way, we need to make it easier to care — for ourselves, others, and our earth. (more…)
April 22, 2018 — I’m thinking about how I can make a bigger impact than just in my own home. If everyone made the same changes I’ve made, then the world would have much less plastic pollution going forward. But these changes have been really hard, and not everyone has the time, money, energy, or motivation to make the changes. What we need is a paradigm shift, so that reducing use of single-use plastics is easy.
As we approach Earth Day, I am thinking about additional activities that will help reduce plastic litter. One good idea is to participate in a litter clean-up. My town of Washington, CT is having a town-wide roadside clean up. And we (my daughter and I, and some of our friends) are going to participate and pick up litter along our street. We will recycle any recyclable items that we find, and throw away the non-recyclable items. It’s not a perfect solution, but it does help.
Not bringing single-use plastics into the house for an entire month, or at least reducing what I’m bringing in, has been very challenging. I am fortunate that I live in a place that has good health food stores that offer bulk items. I am also fortunate that I do not face housing insecurity or food insecurity. I am fortunate that I can afford to buy organic foods and foods in glass containers because they cost more. And I am fortunate that, although I am busy as a mom, lawyer, and writer, I don’t have to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet. If I was not so fortunate, I might not succeed at reducing my plastic.
One of the side benefits of not buying food items in plastic is healthier food. I can’t buy most pre-made, packaged foods because they are ALL in plastic. No frozen green beans. No crackers. No cereal. So that means I am buying fresh, whole food. Sometimes, this means I am actually saving money. For example, I often buy pre-cut butter nut squash and melons. But they are, of course, wrapped in plastic wrap or in a plastic container. So I had to buy the whole fruit. Same was true for carrots; I bought whole carrots instead of baby carrots in a plastic bag. That’s less expensive anyway, and the food will last longer because it tends to spoil much more quickly after it is cut. So that’s a plus. Whole, healthy foods that actually cost less!
If you are anywhere near Washington, Connecticut, join me and many others for the Washington Environmental Council’s and Steep Rock Association’s Earth Day 5K on Saturday, April 21, 2018. Here’s the info direct from the WEC’s website:
Jamie Jackson Spannhake 