The new cartographers are a handful of people who are test driving new ways of living in order to find solutions to some of our biggest challenges.
Meet Beth Terry of My Plastic Free Life.
Beth's goals big ones, but very clear:
Think we can't live without plastic? Think again. In 2007, Beth committed to stop buying any new plastic and began sharing her story in her blog. The crazy thing? She's almost succeeded.
- To reduce the need for new plastic to be produced since petroleum is a non-renewable, polluting resource, and the production of plastic wreaks havoc on our eco-system.
- To keep existing plastic out of our waterways and landfills where it can cause further harm.
- To limit exposure to toxins that can leach from certain types of plastic.
- To educate others about these issues so that her actions can have a farther-reaching impact than those of a single individual acting alone.
After discovering Beth's blog, I started to notice how much plastic I used--then threw in the recycle or trash bin--all before 12:00am.
- 52 oz cup with plastic lid with tea for my husband.
- 1 plastic bag for donut from Racetrack--also for John.
- Plastic lid from Starbuck's tall zen tea.
- Plastic foam sandals and toe spacers for mani/pedi.
- 6 plastic tasting spoons at Genghis grill because I couldn't remember which sauce I liked and last time I botched it with one I hated.
- 1 plastic straw.
When you consider that most of that stuff just sits around in landfills or slips into the ocean, it gets a little daunting--especially since for items 3-6 there was no recycle bin available. And here's the thing. I'm just one person, and that's my consumption over a 4 hour period.
I'm excited that people like Beth are out there figuring out the new ways of living. Because it is much easier to follow the map than to write it.
3 comments
Oh dear. Today so far I have used a Starbucks cup and lid... and all the assorted packing materials around 2 lamps and a dresser.
I'm really interested in the "cleaning the water" aspect of all this, and I'm hoping that being near the coast will give me some opportunities to get involved.
You're the one who introduced me to this concept...LOL...
Thanks for mentioning My Plastic-Free Life. I have to thank the people who came before me and left maps for me to follow. Our ancestors knew how to live without plastic. Much of this is just remembering... or finding the clues they left behind.
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