I was happily surprised this morning to discover that this blog has been added to Blogger’s list of Blogs of Note which means that it appears on the front page and dashboard of Blogger for 10 days, available to anyone who logs on to their Blogger account. This was completely unexpected and welcome. And what’s even more unexpected is that at 9pm, as I write this, Fake Plastic Fish has already received 6 times more visitors than it ever has before, and the night isn’t over.
So welcome to the new visitors to this blog. Fake Plastic Fish is my attempt to live sustainably by significantly reducing my plastic consumption and plastic waste, from carrying my own bags when shopping to drinking from a reusable metal water bottle to using solid shampoos and lotions instead of those bottled in plastic. Each week I photograph and tally my plastic waste. The amount has gone down a lot since I first started, but as you can see from the following picture, even someone like me who is trying very hard can still end up surrounded by plastic. It’s everywhere! (This photo represents the first six months of plastic collected.)
So what’s wrong with plastic? Many things. It’s made from petroleum. It never biodegrades. It pollutes our oceans and causes harm to marine animals. And chemicals from plastic can leach into our own food and damage our bodies. Here’s a summary of the main problems that plastic causes.
So what can we do about it? Here’s a list of plastic-free changes that I’ve made so far. Is this an issue that you care about, and if so, how are you dealing with plastic in your life? Does it bother you? Do you think individuals can make a difference? What are some solutions?
I’ll get back to the posts I had originally planned tomorrow. This was a good night for me to take a break anyway, as for two nights in a row I’ve only slept about 4 hours each, so I’m a little brain-dead right now. Please, talk amongst yourselves!
