...and knowing is half the battle. -GI Joe
I had just finished explaining something to my then four year old son and said, "Well honey, now you know", when he raised one eyebrow slightly, his voice deepened and he said, "...and knowing is half the battle." I hugged him tightly and inhaled the moment wondering if I was holding the 15th Dalai Lama incarnate when he said, "That's what GI Joe says."
I remember being amused at myself for concluding so quickly that my son was a spiritual genius and also relieved that a contingent of Tibetan monks would not come knocking at our door calling for the next Kundun . The scene however, has been long embedded in my brain and fighting Joe's words have become a favorite mantra.
Knowing is half the battle. That's what I keep saying about our dependence on plastics. Ever since I became aware of that floating plastic continent somewhere out in the Pacific, I've been much more diligent about taking my own reusable bags with me to the grocery store and refusing bags when I forget to bring my own. I wince when I buy anything wrapped in plastic and make a wish to find an unwrapped, local alternative. I tell myself that it will change when more people find out about the plastic soup in the North Pacific and the possibility of it coagulating inside of our bodies too.
Unfortunately, we don't have all of the answers yet, to deal with the disposal of the 60+ billion tons of plastic that humans demand every year. We still don't have the perfect means to clean up the mess that's been made over the 144 years since plastics were first created. If it takes thousands of years to decompose, doesn't that mean that every bit of plastic ever made, is still here on earth?
I am anticipating though, that brilliant solutions will arise, more than likely from the plastics industry itself. These days, people prefer to support businesses that are environmentally and socially conscious and are able to easily communicate their choices with everyone they know. (Read about Coca-Cola and Facebook in an earlier post.)
A year from now, it will be against the law on the Big Island, for businesses to provide plastic bags to customers. Styrofoam looks like the next target, if we're following trends. No one's the bad guy, we're all responsible as a part of the supply and demand chain. As for those hunks-of-plastic action figures? Get thee to a yoga class, I say, and stay far away from the ocean.
I remember being amused at myself for concluding so quickly that my son was a spiritual genius and also relieved that a contingent of Tibetan monks would not come knocking at our door calling for the next Kundun . The scene however, has been long embedded in my brain and fighting Joe's words have become a favorite mantra.
Knowing is half the battle. That's what I keep saying about our dependence on plastics. Ever since I became aware of that floating plastic continent somewhere out in the Pacific, I've been much more diligent about taking my own reusable bags with me to the grocery store and refusing bags when I forget to bring my own. I wince when I buy anything wrapped in plastic and make a wish to find an unwrapped, local alternative. I tell myself that it will change when more people find out about the plastic soup in the North Pacific and the possibility of it coagulating inside of our bodies too.
Unfortunately, we don't have all of the answers yet, to deal with the disposal of the 60+ billion tons of plastic that humans demand every year. We still don't have the perfect means to clean up the mess that's been made over the 144 years since plastics were first created. If it takes thousands of years to decompose, doesn't that mean that every bit of plastic ever made, is still here on earth?
I am anticipating though, that brilliant solutions will arise, more than likely from the plastics industry itself. These days, people prefer to support businesses that are environmentally and socially conscious and are able to easily communicate their choices with everyone they know. (Read about Coca-Cola and Facebook in an earlier post.)
A year from now, it will be against the law on the Big Island, for businesses to provide plastic bags to customers. Styrofoam looks like the next target, if we're following trends. No one's the bad guy, we're all responsible as a part of the supply and demand chain. As for those hunks-of-plastic action figures? Get thee to a yoga class, I say, and stay far away from the ocean.
Our oceans are turning into plastic...are we?. Read the article from Best Life Magazine for the answer.
Photo: Yoga Beans.Read about the Action Figures in a Yoga class. Be forewarned: Action Figures use action language so this is not your typical Kona Yoga class. :D
