8 Ways to Live More Sustainably
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Time to Read: 7 min
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Time to Read: 7 min
Plastic is all around us. The United States is the 2nd largest producer of plastic in the world, behind only China.
And just last month, a powerful investigative journalism piece on the plastics industry unveiled a decades-long, multi-million dollar marketing effort to highlight plastic as a recyclable material. But did you know that less than 10% of plastic ever produced has actually been recycled?
On your next grocery run (or delivery these days) try to take notice of all the plastic surrounding your food. It’s normal to wrap produce in plastic bags that then go in more plastic bags. Each container of strawberries, the cookie trays, the plastic wrap, the sandwich bags - how many sandwich bags did you discard from your children’s lunches last week?
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The most recent data collected shows nearly half of all trash generated ends up in landfills. China no longer accepts our leftover plastic so we have a big problem on our hands in the U.S. The NPR/Frontline investigation found that scientists and plastic industry leaders knew as far back as the 1970s that recycling plastic wasn’t a viable option. Documents reported that plastic breaks down each time it’s recycled and it’s an expensive process. To put in simply: it’s cheaper to make more plastic than to recycle it.
“But, my plastic has a little triangle on it, so I know it will be recycled.” Think again. I, like so many others, believed this to be true as well. It turns out that the little triangle was part of a multi-million dollar marketing campaign to imply that a water bottle is completely eco-friendly. But chances are it will head straight to a landfill or our oceans.
A recent study found that every single seafood sample tested had microplastics in it. Every single one! As plastic breaks down over time, it never really disappears. It just keeps breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces, infiltrating our ocean life and wreaking havoc on its ecosystems. We now know that there more microplastics in the ocean than stars in the Milky Way.
It’s easy for our plastic problem to be an “out of sight, out of mind” dilemma. But as these recent investigations and scientific reports point out, the effects of plastic are reaching far beyond our landfill borders.
And as we learn more about the dangers of plastic, the United States continues to increase production. According to the EPA, in 2017, 35.3 million pounds of plastic were produced in the United States – that’s more than double the amount produced in 1990 (17.1 million tons) and more than quadruple production in the 1980s (6.8 million tons)!
Of course, this list could go on and on - and if you implement these things one at a time you’ll likely end up finding your own ways to eliminate how much waste your family produces.
Like exercise or dietary changes, just getting started is the hardest part. Hopefully these links and ideas will help guide you in the right direction! If you have any questions about any of these products or if you have ways you’ve made changes that you’d like to share, be sure to leave them in the comments!
Do it for your kids. Do it for the planet. Do it for yourself!
SOURCES:
China no longer accepts US plastic waste
The U.S. is the 2nd largest plastic producer in the world
Seafood study finds plastic in all samples
EPA: Nearly half of all trash generated ended up in landfills
NPR/Frontline Investigation: How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a report in July 2018 suggesting ways that families can limit exposure to certain chemicals at mealtime, including “the use of alternatives to plastic, such as glass or stainless steel, when possible.” The report explained that “…some additives are put directly in foods, while “indirect” additives may include chemicals from plastic, glues, dyes, paper, cardboard”. Further, “Children are more sensitive to chemical exposures because they eat and drink more, relative to body weight, than adults do, and are still growing and developing.” While stainless steel items meet the recommendation to avoid plastic products in children, Ahimsa® products have the obvious advantage of not breaking like glass.
According to the Steel Recycling Institute, steel can be recycled over and over and over again without losing its integrity and requires less energy to recycle than to make anew. Most plastic unfortunately ends up in landfills and it is estimated to take 700 years to decompose. Our special coloring process that allows Ahimsa® products to be fully metal is environmentally friendly, so it does not produce toxic run-off into the ecosystem.
No. Our steel is durable, so it won’t break or shatter with everyday use, like glass. And it won’t peel, like other colored stainless steel products you’ve seen. We use a special process that allows the colors to naturally occur in the metal.
Our products are meant to last, you can use Ahimsa at ages 1, 8 and 18! We thoughtfully design our products to be safe for little ones and our planet while reducing consumption. Once your child outgrows the Starting Solids Set and can use regular cups and utensils, the training cup is the perfect size rinse cup in the bathroom, the infant spoon doubles as a tea stirrer and the bowl is great for snacks or as an additional compartment to our modular divided plate. Our plates are great for any age as they encourage choosing a variety of healthy foods at each meal and help visualize portion sizes easily. It’s the lasting beauty of stainless steel - grows with your child and reduces waste.