Plastic Pollution Hits Home

Plastic Pollution Hits Home -- Why We Should Really Look at Alternatives to Plastic Use in our Daily Lives

by

W. Paul Alexander

for the

Better Call Paul Blog

This is just a quick note regarding a cause I have been passionate about for some time -- plastic pollution in our environment and it's potential to kill off so many different types of beautiful marine and waterfowl life.  

I was introduced to the anti-plastic cause jointly through one of my clients and my 14-year-old niece, who brought the issue to my attention via a "Save the Seaturtles" campaign that sought to reduce plastic waste through the proliferation and mass adoption of durable drinking straws, whether they are glass or metal, and disposable straws made of an alternative, paper-based biodegradable material.  

I live on the St. John's River in Jacksonville, Florida.  We have had many bouts with pollution of this major waterway over the years, with recent local government programs of the last 2 decades curbing pollution in order to contribute the overall health of the river. 

Unfortunately, this morning, I took my dog for a walk and came across a little duck that had someone bound itself up in a plastic bag.  It was struggling to get free but was just getting more and more tied up.  I approached it with a pair of scissors and cut it free. 

This was the first time that any cause I've been involved with has come to my doorstep, literally.  This poor animal would have lost its life had a human with a pair of scissors not come by to free it.  The saddest part of all of this is that it is completely preventable, its just that people are either ignorant to the risks or they simply do not care enough to make small changes in their life to extend the lives of wildlife in their communities and in the larger ecosystem as a whole. 

This is just disgusting. 

Everything you need to know about plastic pollution can be found by clicking here, which will take you directly to the Coastal Care informational hub for all things related to ridding ourselves of this scourge we have brought upon ourselves.  

Here is a picture, sadly, of a very common occurrence among some of what used to be our most pristine beaches.  Plastics pictures in this picture are almost all made with petroleum and its byproducts, and these so-called hydrocarbons can leach into the ocean water, into the ground water, and then back into our diets.  They take a lifetime or longer to degrade, if they degrade at all, and cause animals to die from choking due to an accidental ingestion of hard plastic as well as from getting tangles up with longer plastics, such as the can rings on 6-packs as well as massive amounts of discarded straws and nylon ropes.  

The largest issue facing us when it comes to stopping this terrible practice is that people do not have all of the facts, and secondly, because the problem has not yet hit them in the face.  I live on the coast, so I see the effects all of the time, but even I was shocked when I saw the poor duck that appeared to have a pair of handcuffs on.  

So, do your research, everyone.  Just spend 30 minutes of your day researching the effects of plastics on our environment that we can easily fix by making simple changes in our lives.  

Here are three simple steps you can take to do your part: 

1.  As for paper bags as the grocery store. 

2,  Carry your own metal or wooden silverware with you. 

3.  Stop using plastic straws altogether.  If you insist on using disposables, then invest in a pack of biodegradable paper-based straws; but if you really want to do your part, but a set of glass or stainless steel straws from a place like Simply Straws, which is highly involved in the fight to rid us of the plastic scourge and does tons to better the environment. 

EXTRA:  If you want to contribute in a more direct way, volunteer to go clean up a plastic-infested beach with a group that partakes in such activities, or simply drive to a beach or ocean and start picking up the plastic scattered everywhere. 

Karma will pay you back tenfold when you take care of the environment around you.  

Thanks for reading everyone.  Don't let a trapped animal be the wake-up call that smacks you dead in the face.  Make the changes today and be an ambassador for changing of the plastic status quo!  It is fully within our power as a community to stop this.  

Until next time. 

Deo Volente, 

W. Paul Alexander

Better Call Paul