21-days-to-sustainability - Tumblr blog

[21-days-to-sustainability]

My 21 Days

I feel like my action plan made some difference, because even a small change can have major impacts. Having said that, It’s not like I physically get to see any change. I don’t think that doing this challenge was impractical and inefficient, because it helped me get back on track with the lifestyle I lived before, it helped me find who I want to be again, and inspired me to do some additional research and fully understand the issue that is being caused by so many different factors. I feel as though I could definitely maintain this challenge for longer, now that I have set myself up for success, I feel like I could do this forever. The changes I made are so small that it really feels like nothing changed. Some of my family members adopted a few of my habits, for example, my sister has purchased the same water bottle I got because I raved about it so much, and my parents have embraced using the reusable pods for coffee. I feel like my family is already pretty eco-conscious, they always try their best to find good products that aren't overly packaged, and they love to compost, having said that, they think some of the switches I made were ‘extreme’, which is fine by me. I feel like this could easily grow into something bigger, because like I’ve said before, a small change doesn’t mean a small result or impact. I really wonder if I made any difference that was observable for the environment, I worked hard to try and preach sustainability to those close to me, and I really hope that it meant something.

[21-days-to-sustainability]

Coffee

Since the emergence of instant coffee systems like Keurig, single-serve coffee pods have been flowing into landfills. Reusable filter pods may be used with these machines to reduce waste and save money by allowing you to buy coffee in bulk and brew only what you need. Single-use tea bags are comparable to coffee pods in that they are quickly consumed, and despite their small size, they pile up quickly. Reusable tea infusers, like reusable coffee filters, can help keep tea bags out of landfills.

Since my little blunder at Tim Hortons I began making my own coffee, using reusable coffee pods in a Keurig, as well as a French press, and let me just say, probably one of my best decisions. I’ve saved money, and it’s helped me stay on track with my goals, despite my overwhelming schedule. Not to be overconfident, but the coffee I’m able to make now probably surpasses Tim Hortons, as it’s going now I don't think I’ll ever go back.

[21-days-to-sustainability]

Conquering the Bathroom

While many people are aware that plastic water bottles are harmful to the environment, they may overlook the fact that many other types of bottles end up in landfills rather than being recycled, and that they, too, are a source of wasteful waste. Bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, and soap are among examples. Environmentally aware packaging and products offered in bar form rather than liquid form, as well as packaging that is 100 percent biodegradable, meaning fewer bottles will wind up in landfills, and the eco-friendly things that are thrown will decompose much more quickly. 

I’ve been using shampoo and conditioner bars for almost a year now, but then, tragedy struck, the small business I bought them from shut down, I didn’t know what I was going to do, until, after weeks of searching, I found a new store I could buy from, and they were even better than the previous business I bought from, this company has shampoo and conditioner bars, AND moisturizer bars, as well as toothpaste tablets that come in a glass jar, in fact, all of these products come in packaging that is sustainable, and recyclable. I’m so happy I found this company, and I’m so glad I can support them. Hopefully they don’t close down shop aswell. 

[21-days-to-sustainability]

Tim Hortons

As I’ve mentioned in past posts, plastic straws are bad, they are a major contributor to global pollution, and they lead to many casualties for both marine, and terrestrial life. As this is becoming more known, more companies are transitioning to paper products, which are easily biodegradable, and much better for the environment. Tim Hortons is a very recent example of this. Back in 2020, the company announced that they will be introducing paper straws in its 4,000 restaurants in Canada and plans to complete the transition from plastic by early 2021. At the time of the announcement, about 90 Tim Hortons establishments in and around Vancouver had already stopped using plastic straws. Tim Hortons locations in Canada are expected to eliminate about 300 million plastic straws over the next year as the business completes the shift to paper straws. 

“We take seriously our responsibility to help contribute to a cleaner Canada and we know our guests are eager to support us on our mission to reduce waste, encourage the use of reusable cups and dishes when it is safe to do so, and recycle and use recyclable materials,” said Hope Bagozzi, chief marketing officer.

During my second week I sort of broke, I went to Tim Hortons on my break at work, I was having a bad day so I went for it. I went and ordered an iced Capp. On one hand, they had their paper straws, on the other hand, the entire cup is plastic, so, really, what difference is it making? I feel bad about it, but I feel somewhat better knowing that I'm supporting a company that’s making an effort. 

[21-days-to-sustainability]

Companies, they love plastic

According to a recent study, twenty corporations are responsible for manufacturing more than half of all single-use plastic garbage in the world, fueling the climate crisis and wreaking havoc on the ecosystem.

According to a thorough new investigation, state-owned and multinational enterprises, including oil and gas majors and chemical industries, are responsible for 55 percent of the world's plastic packaging waste.

The Plastic Waste Makers index identifies for the first time the corporations that make the polymers that go into throwaway plastic goods like face masks, bags, and bottles, which pollute the seas or are burnt or dumped into landfill at the end of their brief lives. It also indicates that Australia, ahead of the United States, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, generates the highest single-use plastic garbage per capita.

The Minderoo Foundation of Australia, in collaboration with Wood Mackenzie, the London School of Economics, and the Stockholm Environment Institute, believes that ExxonMobil is the world's largest single-use plastic trash polluter, contributing 5.9 million tonnes to the global garbage mountain. Dow Chemical, the world's largest chemicals giant, produced 5.5 million tonnes of plastic garbage, while Sinopec, China's oil and gas major, produced 5.3 million tonnes.

These companies thrive on plastic, there’s probably little chance that this will change. I’m no scientist, but I feel pretty confident in saying, if these companies either stopped, or even decreased their plastic use, it would greatly better the environment. I really do hope that someone, whether its government, or whoever, holds these companies accountable for the damage they’re doing, maybe even have them decrease their output. But again, that's just my hope. I’ve committed myself to finding companies that are eco-conscious and sustainable, I have started buying from small businesses that focus on sustainability on etsy, and in addition, I have found some larger companies such as H&M, who have lines that are dead set on sustainability, which I have begun to purchase from.

[21-days-to-sustainability]

Plastic Bags - They really suck

Plastic bags are used to transport products such as food and clothing purchased at stores. Even though we know that plastic bags are bad for the environment, they are widely utilised. Plastic bags have become prominent waste items in the urban solid waste system. This has had a number of negative environmental consequences, including animals choking, pollution, channel, river, and stream obstruction, and landscape degradation. As a result of these consequences, the general public, activists, and legislators have expressed concern to the point that some national governments have outlawed the use of plastic shopping bags.

The problem of plastic bag waste in Nigeria and other nations has a variety of root causes. South Africa, for example, has enacted legislative legislation that restricts the manufacturing and use of plastic bags. Several European governments have enacted plastic bag fees in response to the deleterious impact of plastic bags on agricultural produce. To reduce manufacturing and usage of plastic bags, the Japanese government has imposed a tax. When compared to putting pressure on people's production and usage of plastic bags, restrictions on the use of plastic bags and the development of alternatives are a highly welcome move. Even if a charge on plastic bags has a favourable effect on safeguarding and conserving agricultural soil fertility, the levy's benefits or advantages would be negated by the tax's ongoing and dominating usage of plastic bags.

Plastic bags have a significant environmental effect since they take a long time to degrade. Furthermore, as plastic bags decompose in the sun, hazardous compounds are released into the soil, and when plastic bags are burned, harmful compounds are discharged into the air, generating ambient air pollution. Plastic bags are thrown into landfills all over the globe, taking up thousands of hectares of land and emitting harmful methane and carbon dioxide emissions, as well as extremely toxic leachates, as they decompose.

Plastic bag waste represents a severe threat to human and animal health in the environment. Plastic bags can pollute the environment by producing trash and clogging stormwater drains if they are not properly disposed of.

Animals can also become entangled in plastic bags and drown. Animals frequently mistake the bags for food and eat them, obstructing their digestive processes. Starvation, choking, laceration, infection, diminished reproductive success, and mortality can all occur when animals become entangled in marine debris, especially plastic bags. There have been reports of giant endangered tortoises suffocating after inadvertently ingesting plastic bags mixed with seaweed.

Plastic bags in ocean waters are a major and rising source of worldwide pollution. It's becoming a bigger problem since it's either introduced during processing or absorbed from the air. It has been discovered that compounds seeping from plastic bags are to blame for rising levels of reported toxicity. When assessing the impact of plastic pollution in the seas, it's also important to consider the toxicity of leaching from plastic debris.

Not only do plastic bags endanger aquatic life, but they also endanger agricultural land. Plastic bags are to blame for the deterioration of the environment and agricultural land, as well as the unintended depletion of important earth resources, particularly oil. This has now become a huge environmental and agricultural productivity concern. Discarded plastic bags that have already found their way into the field are not only inconvenient for farmers, but also dangerous. The so-called developed global society's environment would deteriorate as a result of this.

I work at a grocery store, I probably have handed out millions of plastic bags to people in my 2 years working there, and I feel horrible about that. I see so much waste being made there every day, and it really sucks. But what gives me hope are the customers who bring their own bags, even bring their own bags for produce, the ones who talk about how they hate getting plastic because of the impact on the environment, that gives me hope. I have always had a collection of reusable bags, as I see them as more reliable, I have one I bring everywhere now, just incase. Doing this helps me stay on track, and makes me feel a little better about my impact.

[21-days-to-sustainability]

Water Bottles

There isn't much going for single-use plastic water bottles from the point of manufacture to where they ultimately wind up. Purchasing a reusable water bottle benefits the environment in all of the ways that disposable water bottles do harm. Reusable water bottles benefit the environment by using fewer resources, generating fewer harmful gases, and safeguarding water resources and aquatic species.

When it comes to plastic water bottles, much of the reliance on natural resources occurs during the manufacturing process. According to Hydration Anywhere, the United States uses over 17 million barrels of oil every year to produce more than 50 million plastic water bottles. That quantity of oil could power 190,000 houses or run 1.3 million vehicles for a whole year if it were utilised for something else. The quantity of oil required to create plastic water bottles is far from trivial, and it should make you think twice the next time you go for a single-use bottle out of convenience.

According to Ban the Bottle, it takes more water to make a plastic bottle than is placed in the bottle for drinking. To begin with, most bottled water originates from areas with inadequate water supply. In Pakistan, Nestle caused a water scarcity. Much of this plastic winds up in the oceans, killing an estimated 1.1 million marine species each year, according to Biofriendly Planet. 

I have a reusable water bottle that I have fallen in love with, since buying it, I have not touched a plastic bottle. And I’m kind of proud of that, I used to use them every day, before I knew better, which is kind of insane to think about. Not using plastic bottles feels really good, especially now, knowing more information about, essentially, how horrible they are. Making this change is something I’m very proud of. 

[21-days-to-sustainability]

The Impact of Plastic Straws

Although plastic items became readily available to consumers in the 1950s, the actual surge in plastic – and, as a result, plastic garbage – has only occurred in the last twenty years. Plastic made up less than 1% of our waste in the 1960s, but by 2005, it had risen to 10%, according to an analysis of plastic manufacturing. Concerns have grown in recent years about the growing number of single-use plastic objects that are becoming part of our daily life. The plastic drinking straw is one of these objects; every year, billions of them are given out at cafés and restaurants, or as part of takeout meals.

The first issue with plastic straws is that, unlike natural materials like paper, wood, or cotton, most single-use plastic straws are not biodegradable. This implies that microscopic animals like insects or bacteria won't be able to break down plastic straws once they've been discarded. Instead, the straws will simply deteriorate over time, breaking down into smaller and smaller particles known as microplastics. This might take up to 200 years. As the plastic degrades, hazardous chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) are released, which have been linked to pollution and health issues.

Plastic straws are not only non-biodegradable, but they're also difficult to recycle once we've used them. Only 9% of the 8,300 million metric tonnes of plastic generated throughout history has been recycled. Polypropylene plastic straws are also classified as a category 5 plastic, which is recycled even less frequently. As a result, consumers have a difficult time finding straw recycling facilities, and local councils or authorities refuse to take them. Furthermore, even if plastic straws are permitted for recycling, they are so little and light that they are frequently filtered out at mechanized recycling plants and discarded.

I recently bought a new set of reusable straws, they’ve proven to be really handy for me. The set I bought is by a company called eco tribe, which is a company that focuses on being as eco-conscious as the can which is something I really appreciate. Finding this company was a blessing, as it’s a goal of mine to find companies to support that have same values as I do.

[21-days-to-sustainability]

Single Use Plastics

In Canada, an estimated 3.3 million tonnes of plastic garbage is created each year, yet only 9% of it gets recycled? You might be startled to learn that billions of pieces of plastic debris are being dumped into our rivers, seas, and lakes. Plastic pollution is a serious problem. In truth, the environmental implications of single-use plastic are not only unattractive, but they may also be disastrous to species and ecosystems. Single-use plastic is often used only once, yet it takes hundreds of years in landfills to decompose. In addition, around 86 percent of Canada's plastic trash is disposed of in landfills. The remaining 5% of plastic is burned to generate electricity, causing major pollution issues or ending up as litter in the environment. Plastic straws, bags, coffee stirrers, food packaging, and soda and water bottles are examples of disposable plastics that never totally degrade. Instead, they decay and turn into microplastics, polluting the environment. 

Thousands of animals are killed each year as a result of plastic pollution. Fishing gear or plastic bags have been discovered in the stomachs of seabirds, fish, turtles, and marine animals. Furthermore, plastic has harmed nearly 700 species, including endangered species. Starvation or entanglement are the causes of death for animals. Microplastics have been discovered in more than 100 aquatic species. The plastic has the potential to penetrate organs or obstruct the digestive track, resulting in death. Animals with plastic-filled stomachs have no desire to eat and starve to death. Plastic bags are commonly mistaken for food by animals, especially sea creatures. Currently, 60 to 80 percent of marine trash is plastic, which implies that many sea species are eating this poisonous saltwater soup filled with deadly compounds from plastic degradation at some point.

Floating plastics abound in the world's oceans, and the number is steadily growing. Wave movements, bacteria, and seasonal variations all have an effect on the characteristics of plastic in the water, converting it into so-called microplastics, which are then devoured by plankton. These microplastics sneak into fish, shellfish, and birds' mouths, stomachs, and digestive systems, making it difficult for them to breathe and feed. All of these plastics do not decompose, and they form part of the aquatic and human food chain.

The Pacific Trash Vortex is a clump of plastic litter in the North Pacific Ocean. The concentration of single-use plastic caught by currents in this vortex is very high. It is believed to be twice the size of Texas and has had a destructive effect on marine ecosystems. Plastics and microplastics absorb and emit chemicals that are detrimental to marine life. Plastic materials or harmful substances absorbed by plastics may accumulate in the environment over time.  

This is day 1 of my new attempt at becoming more eco-friendly, for the second time, I’m committing myself to make changes that will help me reach my goal, and help me improve my footprint. In these next 21 days, I will be cutting single use plastic out of my life in as many ways as I can.