You know, sometimes humans forget that our planet Earth is not
invincible. It’s easy to get caught up in our money-based economy that
focuses on consumerism (myself included). For example, there is this
great little yogurt place down the street from me. It’s all self-serve
with several yogurt flavors and all the toppings you could ever dare to
dream about. At the check out counter, you pay and you get a cute,
green, plastic spoon. It’s not your average plastic spoon. This
particular spoon is thick and durable and has the store logo engraved
onto it. During my first few visits to Menchie’s,
I focused on how cute, green and durable the spoons were. I’m a regular
patron, and after quite a few visits, I started focusing more on the
plastic part of the spoon instead of how cute and green it was.
My mind toggles between the big picture and the little picture often. The cute, green part of this spoon scenario make up the small picture details that I saw initially. The plastic part of the spoon really represents a bigger picture that quite frankly makes me really uncomfortable. I started to think about the impact my frozen yogurt experience was having on Earth. Here I was using a piece of plastic for maybe 15 minutes of pure heaven-in-a-cup pleasure. But, when I finish my frozen yogurt, I throw the plastic spoon in the trash. The spoon then ends up in a landfill refusing to break down for, oh, at least 700 years. SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS, PEOPLE!
Once this fact settled into my mind, I started to consider boycotting Menchie’s. I mean, how dare they contribute to polluting our planet with their evil, green spoons! But, they are not the only part of the problem. Every time a customer (again, myself included) takes a plastic spoon and throws it away after one use, they become the partner to the problem. I could (and probably should) write to Menchie‘s headquarters and ask them to consider using something more eco-friendly, like bamboo spoons for example. (I have, in fact, sent an email with this request.) I could create groups and organize protests and really try to change the way the whole world thinks about using plastic. Wouldn’t that be great!?
Of course, I couldn’t actually boycott Menchie’s. I’m sorry, that place is my hero on a rainy day. What I can do is enjoy my frozen yogurt with the same cute, green, durable, plastic spoon that I carry with me and re-use every single time I go to Menchie’s. I don’t care if it’s weird, or if people think I’m strange for carrying and re-using the same spoon over and over again. I just cannot contribute to putting more plastic into our Earth. Seven hundred years. That is seven lifetimes. That is seven generations. Your great-great-great-great-grandchildren will find pieces of green, plastic spoon in their backyards. All because it was convenient and acceptable to use one-time-use products.
Please, I beg of you, do your part in respecting our home, planet Earth. We live here and our children want to live here with their children. Take reusable shopping bags with you to the grocery store. Put reusable, bamboo silverware in your purse and car for those times when you do eat out. Use a ceramic travelers coffee mug instead of brand new cardboard Starbucks cups each time you order coffee or tea. Get your bills, magazines, bank statements and catalogs online instead of through snail mail. Use a refillable water bottle instead of buying new plastic bottles each time you’re thirsty. Re-train your mind to see that “one-time-use” is an evil, nasty behavior. Do not get caught up in what other people will think of your odd behavior. This is your chance to be a hero and a leader! Be the trendsetter and start a non-plastic revolution in your community today! The home we share, planet Earth, will thank us.
My mind toggles between the big picture and the little picture often. The cute, green part of this spoon scenario make up the small picture details that I saw initially. The plastic part of the spoon really represents a bigger picture that quite frankly makes me really uncomfortable. I started to think about the impact my frozen yogurt experience was having on Earth. Here I was using a piece of plastic for maybe 15 minutes of pure heaven-in-a-cup pleasure. But, when I finish my frozen yogurt, I throw the plastic spoon in the trash. The spoon then ends up in a landfill refusing to break down for, oh, at least 700 years. SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS, PEOPLE!
Once this fact settled into my mind, I started to consider boycotting Menchie’s. I mean, how dare they contribute to polluting our planet with their evil, green spoons! But, they are not the only part of the problem. Every time a customer (again, myself included) takes a plastic spoon and throws it away after one use, they become the partner to the problem. I could (and probably should) write to Menchie‘s headquarters and ask them to consider using something more eco-friendly, like bamboo spoons for example. (I have, in fact, sent an email with this request.) I could create groups and organize protests and really try to change the way the whole world thinks about using plastic. Wouldn’t that be great!?
Of course, I couldn’t actually boycott Menchie’s. I’m sorry, that place is my hero on a rainy day. What I can do is enjoy my frozen yogurt with the same cute, green, durable, plastic spoon that I carry with me and re-use every single time I go to Menchie’s. I don’t care if it’s weird, or if people think I’m strange for carrying and re-using the same spoon over and over again. I just cannot contribute to putting more plastic into our Earth. Seven hundred years. That is seven lifetimes. That is seven generations. Your great-great-great-great-grandchildren will find pieces of green, plastic spoon in their backyards. All because it was convenient and acceptable to use one-time-use products.
Please, I beg of you, do your part in respecting our home, planet Earth. We live here and our children want to live here with their children. Take reusable shopping bags with you to the grocery store. Put reusable, bamboo silverware in your purse and car for those times when you do eat out. Use a ceramic travelers coffee mug instead of brand new cardboard Starbucks cups each time you order coffee or tea. Get your bills, magazines, bank statements and catalogs online instead of through snail mail. Use a refillable water bottle instead of buying new plastic bottles each time you’re thirsty. Re-train your mind to see that “one-time-use” is an evil, nasty behavior. Do not get caught up in what other people will think of your odd behavior. This is your chance to be a hero and a leader! Be the trendsetter and start a non-plastic revolution in your community today! The home we share, planet Earth, will thank us.
Awesome..
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