Who Wants to Pollute Paradise?
Imagine yourself on a remote island beach. The surf is gentle lapping against the sand, palm trees are swaying overhead, a sea bird cries in the distance. You see a shiny object wash ashore, it glitters in the sun…is it lost treasure or a rare sea creature? Nope, it’s a disposable plastic lighter! Would you believe that the shores of even the most remote islands in the world are littered with our garbage? On one island, thousands of miles from the closest human settlement, scientists counted nearly 1,000 pieces of rubbish along a one-mile stretch of beach! You have to wonder how much more is floating in the ocean!
You may not be able to put on scuba gear and gather all the litter by hand, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do! One of the simplest ways to help protect marine life, is to make sure you clip the plastic bottle rings you get with a 6-pack of soda or juice – this will keep fish and mammals from becoming entangled and trapped in the plastic! But most importantly, remember that up to 60% of the waste that ends up in the dustbin (and much of that, ultimately in the oceans) could be recycled – so recycle everything you can!
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12 Nifty Ways to Reduce, Reuse & Recycle
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- Use the envelopes you receive in the mail a second time by placing a new address label over the last address.
- Composting leftovers eases the burden on landfill, gives you great soil, and keeps your kitchen waste basket from smelling.
- Give old magazines and books to nursing homes, charities, schools, hospitals, etc.
- Stronger plastic bottles can be used to hold tools and nails in the workshop. Simply cut three sides, leaving one side longer, and nail to a wall.
- As a rainy day project, get a paper recycling kit and let the kids to rip up old used paper to make recycled paper – it’s fun!
- Printer cartridges, corks and cell phones can all be recycled.
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- Local farmers often appreciate any kitchen scraps that you can offer them for their livestock (pigs especially!). If you know any in your area, get in touch and find out if they’re interested in your kitchen scraps.
- After a party, take the time to separate the recyclables!
- Rather than throw away plastic shopping bags, place them in the bottom of plant pots and hanging baskets - they act as great drainage systems.
- Donate unwanted paint to community groups or schools.
- Buy a smaller rubbish container for the kitchen. This helps you remember to recycle.
- Favor products with a high recycled content, even if they cost a little more.
- (What the heck! Still plant a tree!)
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Visit these informative sites to learn more about what you can do:
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The Freecycle Network
The Freecycle Network is made up of 4,531 groups with 5,390,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who exchange stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each group is moderated by a local volunteer. Try it, it’s actually fun!
http://www.freecycle.org/
Recycling Guide (UK)
Part of the network of Guide sites, the Recycling Guide provides free, unbiased information in a simple, user friendly format. Developed by a small group of researchers and writers frustrated with being unable to find useful, everyday information easily on the internet, this guides aim to help users find exactly what they are looking for quickly and easily.
http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/
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Earth911
Earth 911 delivers actionable local information on recycling and product stewardship that empowers consumers to act locally, live responsibly and contribute to sustainability. This site centralizes information and resources into a single user-friendly, neutral and non-governmental network. Earth 911 has content for students of all ages, whether it’s games and activities for a school project or links to important environmental resources for a research paper.
http://earth911.org/
US Environmental Protection Agency’s
Kids Club
The EPA Environmental Kids Club is a comprehensive web site for kids to help them learn about Earth stewardship. With games, pictures, stories, art contests, a science room, activity books, and the Planet Protectors Online Coloring Book, including a guide to 7 Uses for a Jelly Jar – this site helps kids to explore their environment and learn how to protect it.
http://www.epa.gov/kids/
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Talk About Trash Island!
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Get this! There is a mass of trash that's the size of Texas floating somewhere between San Francisco and Hawaii! That’s right! It’s called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is comprised of 80% plastic waste, and weighs in at 3.5 million tons!
Trapped in a circular course by winds and currents, the patch has been around since the 1950’s, and grows tenfold each decade. Cleaning it up is unlikely, since the effort would cost billions, but it would be nice if we stopped adding to it!
If nothing else will convince you to reduce, reuse and recycle – the Garbage Patch should!
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