Photo by Dustan Woodhouse on Unsplash
When chatting about #DitchingThePlastic with friends, family, or let's face it, anyone who will listen, I'm often confronted by the following comments:
1. "Why bother?"
2. "It's too late, human beings love plastic too much."
3. "Why bother?"
4. "It's not my problem."
5. "Why bother?"
6. "The planet has coped thus far."
7. "Why bother?"
The list of objections goes on and on and on ad infinitum. But I will happily refute these objections time and again because it matters. It really really matters.
I knew it mattered before Izzy came along (who is now a crazy 2-year-old), but since she's come along and turned our world upside down, it's mattered more to me than words can say. I want Izzy - and her grandchildren's children for that matter - to have a planet to love and cherish as much as I do. She's fascinated by birds, bees and butterflies, and I want to foster that delight in nature. But what happens when we haven't got any of these magnificent creatures left at which to marvel?
When browsing for the right picture on Unsplash for this week's #Write52 offering, I could have chosen any number of pictures, but this one tore at my heart strings. This is the Dominican Republic. The stunningly beautiful Dominican Republic. Or at least it should be, without single-use plastic littering the shoreline.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not telling you there isn't a single piece of plastic in my house. Quite the opposite. But we're on a mission to make small, sustainable changes as a family to dramatically reduce how much single-use plastic we've got under our roof. Our incredible planet doesn't need a few people doing it perfectly, we need lots of people doing it imperfectly. I hope you'll join us on this journey towards a more sustainable way of living and, as ever, please share any tips and tricks you may have!