Our world is contaminated with plastic. The time is now to break our plastic dependency.
We must work together to reduce our plastic usage for our planet and our lives. For too long, we have looked away while big businesses have convinced us that single-use plastic is convenient. We have been conditioned to believe that plastic is worthless: worthy of being used once, then thrown away and not thought of again.
It just doesn’t make sense to use a product once and have it linger on our planet’s surface or oceans forever.
Unfortunately, we are all paying the price for this petroleum-based product that does not decompose. Plastic breaks down into microplastic fibers that can now be found in fish, wildlife, air, water, and even our bodies.
A meeting of the UN Environmental Assembly in March of 2022 stressed the importance of putting a stop to plastic pollution. This colition recognized the growing evidence that plastic has disastrous consequences for our planet and public health. Meeting participants agreed to create an international, legally binding agreement by the end of 2024 to stop plastic pollution. The meeting was attended by 175 countries who acknowledged the need for global progress.
Today, no area of the planet is left untouched by plastic pollution, from deep-sea sediment to Mount Everest. The planet deserves a truly multilateral solution to this scourge that affects us all. An agreement that speaks from source to sea.
Some countries, such as Kenya, the UK, and China are leading the way with plastic regulations already in place. In the US, several states have enacted state-wide bans, such as California and Hawaii. Cities and towns across America are taking action. It’s a great start, but we still have a long way to go.
Join the One Planet Life community and reduce your plastic usage today!
The One Planet Life app was designed to empower individuals like you to make small, meaningful changes in your life for our planet. Select a Journey, then take steps to complete Joyful Changes and turn your small changes into long-term habits. It’s easy and fun!
Begin with small changes to reduce your plastic footprint.
Then move on to refusing plastic whenever possible. Start by buying and using reusable items. Bring reusable bags when shopping, say no to plastic straws, and bring reusable utensils, water bottles, and containers with you when you’re out and about.
Support cities and local communities that are banning single-use plastic.
Appeal to your local governments to support plastic bans, promote plastic innovations, and extend usage longevity by repurposing existing plastics. Then share what you’ve learned with everyone you know and ask them to join the fight.
- Learn more about the devastating effects of microplastics.
- Understand how plastic production has boomed since 1950, and the dirty truth of how little of it gets recycled.
- Explore how America’s recycling programs are in disarray, and how you can help.
- Discover municipal water systems’ real-world solutions to the plastic pollution crisis.
Reducing your plastic usage is a triple play: it mitigates climate change, prevents nature loss, and combats pollution. The time is now to make a change.
Take a deeper dive and learn about our plastic problem with one of our recommended reads:
