Hey again. There’s a campaign that’s been growing yearly, which started in Australia, to make July Plastic-Free. https://www.plasticfreejuly.org. If you are wondering about how plastic relates to climate change, it significantly causes it:
- Plastic comes from natural gas and oil – methane is released during drilling;
- CO2 is released during manufacturing;
- There’s transportation to a place for dispersal;
- There’s transportation after use to a landfill, incinerator, or recycling;
- Plastic discard in the wild (on land) releases GHGs during degradation;
- The incineration of plastic = massive greenhouse gases; and
- Microplastic in the ocean hampers the ability of phytoplankton to photosynthesize. Phytoplankton are the main absorbers of CO2! and producers of O2. This is big!
Some plastic we need – such as IV bags for COVID patients. But do we need plastic bags to carry groceries from the supermarket home or to our car – or can we come up with something else? Can we protest about plastic packaging? Yes.
Another group I’m in, Green Neighbors DC, is working with an anti–plastic activist out in Nevada (her name is Den) on Plastic-Free July. Den has created a wonderful daily challenge for July on plastic, and shared it with us.
Den says feel free to share this!
Also, here are some other references that might be of interest:
https://climatesteps.org/2019/07/06/plastic-climate-change-part-1/
and
Love this. đź‘Ť On your mark, get set, ready to GO! Cheers, June
June T. Gardner 301-758-3301 Evers & Co Real Estate, a Long & Foster Co. 20 Chevy Chase Circle NW Washington, DC 20015
Platinum Award Winning Evers Agent Certified Negotiation Expert Eco-Broker Certified Realtor Licensed in DC, MD, VA
“Your referrals are always welcome and appreciated.”
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Nice way to get people involved and inspired! Just wanted to also point out that plastic can take up to 400 years to decompose in a landfill. This is a huge issue with the amount of plastic that is used so recklessly in our everyday lives. Every small act helps, which makes this month so exciting! Thank you for inspiring others!
Definitely! The start of the era Anthropocene may even be marked by a line of microplastic in the soil. Frustrating!
Some more posts will come out this month, with some resources hopefully! Ideas on actions to decrease plastic are welcome.
Great insight toward sustainability