We’ve all heard about how much of an issue single use plastic in particular is in terms of litter and the environment. But I think we’re fairly well ‘insulated’ from the impacts of it in places like Australia where we clean it up pretty well, and hide it away from sight. So it’s easy to think it’s not such an issue: out of sight, out of mind, and all that.
It’s not until you go somewhere where they don’t have the same ability to hide the problem that you get a true sense of scale, of what an absolute fucking catastrophe this is for our planet. (And this pic isn’t even a particularly bad one compared to some of the sights I saw!)
But looking at the scale of the problem, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and perhaps like there’s nothing we as individuals can do about it. What difference can one person really make?
Well, let me pose this to you: the problem was caused by just one person. Albeit one person x 1,000,000,000 or so. So you know how the problem gets solved? Exactly the same way. One person at a time. That’s you. And me. Making small changes. Using one less thing. Making less mess. But multiplied.
One less plastic bag. One less plastic bottle. One less plastic toothbrush. One less piece of plastic packaging. It all counts. Because it all adds up.
If you can make big changes, by all means do that. If you can’t, or won’t, that’s OK, make little changes. Because lots of little changes from lots of people still makes a big difference. And less mess.
It’s another way you can #ThinkSmall to make the world a bit better. I’ve even given it a name while I work through 2018 seeing how many ways I can find to use one less, and make less mess.
Be awesome to each other. And the planet.
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