Happy Greenpeace Day!
For too many years @squeakypics and I endured the looks of pity from supermarket cashiers as we packed groceries into our re-usable bags – them trying to force new plastic carriers on us to save our, or more likely their, ‘embarrassment’. (Previous to that, we carried the groceries in a big rucksack but Dave kept knocking over old ladies with it, so we had to stop that.) Yeah, we were doing it ‘before it was fashionable’!
Years on, I’m pleased that we’re all learning to reduce our use of plastics, but there is so much more to be done. Because, now, plastic has been found in every place on Earth, in every type of habitat, in almost every species and just about every organ and orifice you can imagine (I’m thinking the Mariana Trench here)! Our efforts to recycle are a start but, as we know, what happens to the contents of our recycling bin isn’t always what we’re led to believe. Most of the plastic you’ve ever used in your lifetime still exists and is potentially a danger to wildlife and the health of waterways. It’s also made from fossil fuels and the processing and production of plastics emit an enormous amount of greenhouse gases. Our health depends heavily on the health of our environment.
We can’t change the world single-handedly, but we can all do our bit and contribute to a greater collaborative effort. We can reduce our initial use of plastic and look for biodegradable alternatives. Greenpeace, along with other organisations, can help and guide us to do this.
September 15th is Greenpeace Day. It marks the day Greenpeace was founded, back in 1971 in Canada. Their vision is for ‘a greener, healthier and more peaceful planet, one that can sustain life for generations to come.’
Hear, hear!
Happy birthday Greenpeace!
Mo & Dave
Mo & Dave