trash on beach

Plastic may be the end of us

Wellness!

This post takes a very different approach to wellness. My previous messages have focused on the importance of developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle–good nutrition, being physically active, coping with stress, etc. (because keeping our bodies healthy is a priority!)

But, today my emphasis switches to another vital aspect of our lives. Today my focus is the health and wellness of our beautiful planet.

Several weeks ago I viewed a special on public TV about plastic in our oceans.

 

What I saw on TV and what I’ve learned by research terrifies me.

Plastic may be the instrument of destruction for our world.

According to earthday.org, plastics are destroying our ocean environment, poisoning our water supply, and are toxic to both humans and animals.

Some frightening statistics:

  • 9.1 Billion Tons of plastic has been produced since the 1950s. Most of this plastic still exists in some form (since plastic does not biodegrade).
  • 100 million plastic bags are used in the United States every year. Tied together, these bags would encircle the Earth 773 times!
  • Shoppers in the United States use an average of 365 plastic bags per year.
  • 500 million plastic straws are used every day in the United States. These straws would circle the Earth twice.
  • Worldwide, one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute. The estimate for 2021 is one-half trillion. In 2015, Americans purchased an average of 346 plastic bottles per person, 111 billion in all.
  • 18 billion pounds of plastic ends up in the ocean every year.

Recycle!

Now the answer, we might assume, is recycling.

Yes, but…

 

Some more frightening stats:

Globally, less than one-fifth of plastic is recycled. That means 80% of plastic is not recycled.

Europe is the best at recycling, 30% of plastic is recycled. China is at 25%. The United States falls short at 9%.

91% of plastic used by Americans is not recycled.

I’m not a stranger to recycling–I’ve been diligent about recycling all of my adult life. Naively, I assumed that lots more people also recycled. But, if these statistics are even close to being accurate, we can recognize that we are major contributors to plastic pollution.

Next week, I’ll review some strategies to help us reduce plastic use and encourage manageable recycling.

 

One person can make a difference–one person joined together with many others can make a tremendous difference!

 

Sources:

www.earthday.org

www.news.nationalgeographic.com

 

 

4 Comments

  1. Wow!! Frightening!

    Can I place this as a guest post on my blog?

    1. Katherine Pasour says:

      Patricia, Thanks for stopping by my blog. I agree–it is scary what we’re doing to our home here on Earth. I’d be honored to guest blog! I sent you and email. Wishing you a blessed day!

  2. Vickie Vaughan says:

    I’m with you all the way let’s clean this mess up!!!

    1. Katherine Pasour says:

      Thank you, Vickie! We can do it if we work together! I’ve got some suggestions in my follow up blog (being published Sept. 29). I hope you’ll take a look and offer some additional advice. Wishing you a blessed day, my friend.

Comments are closed.