Plastic emotions

Plastic emotions Safer for walking and cycling and were more compact – the traditional settlement pattern of the world's great cities and towns. This would help save open space and reduce energy use, as well. They said they loved the message, but just couldn't get themselves to take action. Instead, they launched an awareness campaign on to the more visceral problem of plastic in the seas. I realized later that all of the committee members lived in large, suburban homes and drove their cars everywhere they went. So my message of walking and bicycling and living in right-sized, more efficient spaces, just didn't connect with them. It was hard for them to take on an issue that they themselves were not ready to implement in their own lives.They went for the easy and visible over the much more meaningful but harder-to-tell story of changing our patterns of living to save energy, reduce water pollution, and preserve habitat. Another interesting dilemma is that the solution to plastic pollution is often presented as a total avoidance of plastic products by those of us in more developed countries.Yet developed countries are not the source of most of the plastic. We live in communities with central garbage collection, so that almost all of the plastic we use is safely recycled or landfilled. © Judith Scott The majority of plastic in the sea is flowing from several poor southeast Asian nations where millions of people live in slum cities with no central garbage collection. Because of that, refuse is simply dumped in the streets and allowed to wash into waterways and eventually the ocean. Developing a program that raises funds to bring garbage collection to these slums would have the greatest impact on the issue by far. But nobody has suggested that, likely because it seems too big and far-off as a solution when compared to simple little changes in our daily lives. Plastic in our waterways is a horrible issue, and we are right to be concerned about it. But it is really more of a symptom of our lack of balance with our living planet, rather than the cause. When we stop to take a breath, and apply rational thinking to any issue, the solution is clearer. As human beings, we are beautiful. We are also flawed, with emotions that served us well in making quick decisions in more primitive societies, but that don't translate well to a world in which we have access to data and information that allows us to make more informed decisions. As long as we continue our profligate use of fossil fuels and maintain a taste for animal protein, these issues will dwarf the more visible and tangible issues such as our use of plastic. We should continue to raise awareness about plastic in our waterways, but use the concern it generates to help create action on the issues that matter. So when the volunteers return from the local beach cleanup with bags of trash, thank them for their very good and important work.Then use the positive energy and connection of that moment to have an informed discussion about the much larger threats from fossil fuels and urban runoff. Only by acting boldly on the issues that matter most will we restore and maintain a living planet. Why not join the Marine Conservation Society? The Marine Conservation Society (MCS), the UK charity that protects our seas, shores and marine wildlife, needs your help. With one of the longest coastlines in Europe, the UK has around 1,300 beaches and 8,000 species of marine animals. Yet just 0.01% of o our seas are fully protected. By becoming a member of MCS, your support will help us to: • • • • Protect marine wildlife Clear beaches of litter Reduce pollution in our seas Promote sustainable seafood Join us today and claim your free Rapanui m marine-themed organic cotton T shirt. When you join you will also receive a welcome p pack full of information and gifts, plus four issues of Marine Conservation magazine every year.

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