A plastic milk jug takes 1 million years to decompose.
A plastic cup can take 50 – 80 years to decompose.
Recycled plastic can be used to make things like trash cans, park benches, playground equipment, decks and kayaks.
A plastic soda bottle begins to decompose in 700 years.
Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.
Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1 million sea creatures every year.
Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator.
If plastic bottles are thrown into incinerators they release toxic gases.
Today, Americans generate 10.5 million tons of plastic waste a year, but recycle only 1 or 2 % of it.
An estimated 14 billion pounds of trash, much of it plastic, is dumped into the world's oceans every year.
The worldwide fishing industry dumps an estimated 150,000 tons of plastic into the ocean each year, including packaging, plastic nets, lines and buoys.
About 1,200 plastic soft drink and salad dressing bottles could carpet the average living room.
It takes 1,050 milk jugs make a six foot plastic lumber park bench.
Every year we make enough plastic film to shrink wrap the state of Texas.
NEARLY EVERY PIECE OF PLASTIC EVER MADE STILL EXISTS TODAY!
Showing posts with label responsible living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label responsible living. Show all posts
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Made in "Green" China
Today, more than ever, our products are manufactured in China. It's cheap. Even companies that are pushing "GREEN" products are having them manufactured in China. That seems like a giant oxymoron to me.
China is a polluted country because of all the manufacturing. Everyday more pollution is produced in China than anywhere else in the world. Waterways are polluted, in some cities residents have to wear masks just to leave the house. People are getting cancer at alarming rates. How can anything made there be green?
Companies that manufacture "GREEN" products also want to save a buck. They use recycled or recyclable materials in items such as composters, pots and planters, wall paper, etc. and have them made in China. But are they being manufactured in an environmentally friendly way? Some products say, "maufactured under our strictest guidelines". What is that supposed to mean? A broad statement that is supposed to make us feel good about the product we are buying, but doesn't really mean crap.
Products that are made from recycled or recyclable materials are a good thing and automatically will reduce our footprint when we purchase them and not items made from virgin materials. I wouldn't mind buying eco-friendly products made in China, if I knew they were really being manufactured in a responsible way. Chinese manufacturing plants do not have the best track records for being safe and environmentally responsible.
We as a whole, (Americans and Chinese) are suffering the effects of poor manufacturing safety standards and guidelines in China. The chinese are suffering ill health and disease, poor working conditions and low pay. We Americans are suffering from a poor economy, lack of jobs, lead poisoning in our children and the list goes on and on.
We need to choose our products wisely, think about what they are made of, where they were made, how they were made and... do we really need them? We are a society of "Must Haves". We Americans have lots of stuff. Lots. Lots of stuff goes to waste, in our basements, garages, and landfills.
We as a people have the power to change how things are made. Buy responsibly. If we don't buy products made irresponibly from virgin materials made in China, there will be no need to make them anymore. If we start buying responsibly made products made in America (and other countries), the manufacturers will be forced to make changes.
CHANGE IS GOOD! I do believe Ghandi said it best,
"YOU MUST BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE"
WE CAN DO IT!
China is a polluted country because of all the manufacturing. Everyday more pollution is produced in China than anywhere else in the world. Waterways are polluted, in some cities residents have to wear masks just to leave the house. People are getting cancer at alarming rates. How can anything made there be green?
Companies that manufacture "GREEN" products also want to save a buck. They use recycled or recyclable materials in items such as composters, pots and planters, wall paper, etc. and have them made in China. But are they being manufactured in an environmentally friendly way? Some products say, "maufactured under our strictest guidelines". What is that supposed to mean? A broad statement that is supposed to make us feel good about the product we are buying, but doesn't really mean crap.
Products that are made from recycled or recyclable materials are a good thing and automatically will reduce our footprint when we purchase them and not items made from virgin materials. I wouldn't mind buying eco-friendly products made in China, if I knew they were really being manufactured in a responsible way. Chinese manufacturing plants do not have the best track records for being safe and environmentally responsible.
We as a whole, (Americans and Chinese) are suffering the effects of poor manufacturing safety standards and guidelines in China. The chinese are suffering ill health and disease, poor working conditions and low pay. We Americans are suffering from a poor economy, lack of jobs, lead poisoning in our children and the list goes on and on.
We need to choose our products wisely, think about what they are made of, where they were made, how they were made and... do we really need them? We are a society of "Must Haves". We Americans have lots of stuff. Lots. Lots of stuff goes to waste, in our basements, garages, and landfills.
We as a people have the power to change how things are made. Buy responsibly. If we don't buy products made irresponibly from virgin materials made in China, there will be no need to make them anymore. If we start buying responsibly made products made in America (and other countries), the manufacturers will be forced to make changes.
CHANGE IS GOOD! I do believe Ghandi said it best,
"YOU MUST BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE"
WE CAN DO IT!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Appreciation and Gratitude
Appreciation and Gratitude are two of the strongest and most powerful emotions we humans can generate. Appreciation and Gratitude are also the most lost emotions in today's societies.
How often do we feel grateful for someone letting us into merging traffic? How often do we feel grateful that the lines are not long at the grocery store? How often do we appreciate that our morning went smoothly? We usually take it for granted.
Taking time to appreciate the little things in our everyday and to feel grateful for what we have, is powerful. It brings us peace and allows us to feel joy. This is why the musician plays, why children imagine, why the gardener grows.
If we start to appreciate what we already have, even little things, our awareness grows. We are nicer to ourselves, our neighbors and even our environment. Appreciation and gratitude allow us to care and feel good about what we are doing.
For so long we as a whole have been in a "ME" attitude. Expecting without giving. This has taken a toll on us, our health, our families, and our environment. Our awareness over the last 100 years has shrunken to only what immediately affects us.
It is my intention, to live joyously, appreciate everyday, and feel grateful for this wonderful life. By feeling these positive emotions, I am able to expand. Expand enough to become aware of the wonders around me.
This world we live in, is a direct reflection of our thoughts and actions. It is in dire need of repair. It needs to feel our appreciation for it. The earth needs to be nurtured, cared for and loved.
Living a responsible, sustainable lifestyle is essential.
Everything around us is life. The water, the air, the ground.
How can life continue to be if we only take and never give back?
It is all in our hands. All of it...Everyday. Life is not for someone else to care for. Be responsible for your actions.
I do believe Ghandi said it best..."You must be the change you wish to see".
How often do we feel grateful for someone letting us into merging traffic? How often do we feel grateful that the lines are not long at the grocery store? How often do we appreciate that our morning went smoothly? We usually take it for granted.
Taking time to appreciate the little things in our everyday and to feel grateful for what we have, is powerful. It brings us peace and allows us to feel joy. This is why the musician plays, why children imagine, why the gardener grows.
If we start to appreciate what we already have, even little things, our awareness grows. We are nicer to ourselves, our neighbors and even our environment. Appreciation and gratitude allow us to care and feel good about what we are doing.
For so long we as a whole have been in a "ME" attitude. Expecting without giving. This has taken a toll on us, our health, our families, and our environment. Our awareness over the last 100 years has shrunken to only what immediately affects us.
It is my intention, to live joyously, appreciate everyday, and feel grateful for this wonderful life. By feeling these positive emotions, I am able to expand. Expand enough to become aware of the wonders around me.
This world we live in, is a direct reflection of our thoughts and actions. It is in dire need of repair. It needs to feel our appreciation for it. The earth needs to be nurtured, cared for and loved.
Living a responsible, sustainable lifestyle is essential.
Everything around us is life. The water, the air, the ground.
How can life continue to be if we only take and never give back?
It is all in our hands. All of it...Everyday. Life is not for someone else to care for. Be responsible for your actions.
I do believe Ghandi said it best..."You must be the change you wish to see".
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