Hi. My name is Olivia. I'm 35 and I live and work in London. I'm a regular person who wants to make a change in the world before we completely destroy it. I guess you could call me an environmentalist.
I have always been environmentally concerned. I grew up in the 80's with a hole or two in the ozone layer and seemed to spend a decent amount of time lying awake at night worrying about the whales being harpooned. We recycled our cans of fizzy drink and took delight in smashing glass bottles in the recycling bins at the local supermarket. We did our bit. I wanted to run away and join Greenpeace aboard the Rainbow Warrior when I was old enough. That never happened, but I continued to live as eco-consciously and considerately as possible. Or at least I thought I did.
I have been slowly waking up to the realisation that everyday items we have grown up with, such as plastic straws, water bottles, cotton bud sticks and even chewing gum(!!) are made of (surprise!) plastic! And they will never disappear. Not in our lifetime, or our great great great great great great great (you get the idea) grandkids' time either. Straws suck. So do all the other items we take for granted that my parents and definitely their parents lived without quite happily and successfully.
I watched A Plastic Ocean after reading an article in the refreshingly altruistic Breathe magazine and was both sickened and enraged by our modern obsession with convenient, disposable items. This can perhaps be attributed to our shorter attention spans we seem to have developed (I blame modern technology. Our lives have become easier but don't value the time we save). The UK uses 38.5 million plastic bottles a day! The average lifespan of a plastic bag is 15 minutes. 50% of plastic is used once and then thrown away. But the real cost is being counted where it ends up. "Out of sight, out of mind" won't help the millions of seabirds and marine animals killed by plastic annually. Scientists believe that 90% of all seabirds have ingested plastic. We cannot ignore the problem any more. It's time to act. By 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the sea. A major problem when you consider that prochlorococcus and other ocean plankton are responsible for 70% or earth's oxygen production.
Plastic is affecting human health too. With 92% of Americans having traces of plastic or chemicals from plastic in their bodies it's no wonder so many people have fertility issues. The long term effects could be devastating.
I urge you to watch A Plastic Ocean and then join me on this journey and make the pledge to go plastic free yourself.
Please email me and share your struggles or success!
Olivia.
I have always been environmentally concerned. I grew up in the 80's with a hole or two in the ozone layer and seemed to spend a decent amount of time lying awake at night worrying about the whales being harpooned. We recycled our cans of fizzy drink and took delight in smashing glass bottles in the recycling bins at the local supermarket. We did our bit. I wanted to run away and join Greenpeace aboard the Rainbow Warrior when I was old enough. That never happened, but I continued to live as eco-consciously and considerately as possible. Or at least I thought I did.
I have been slowly waking up to the realisation that everyday items we have grown up with, such as plastic straws, water bottles, cotton bud sticks and even chewing gum(!!) are made of (surprise!) plastic! And they will never disappear. Not in our lifetime, or our great great great great great great great (you get the idea) grandkids' time either. Straws suck. So do all the other items we take for granted that my parents and definitely their parents lived without quite happily and successfully.
I watched A Plastic Ocean after reading an article in the refreshingly altruistic Breathe magazine and was both sickened and enraged by our modern obsession with convenient, disposable items. This can perhaps be attributed to our shorter attention spans we seem to have developed (I blame modern technology. Our lives have become easier but don't value the time we save). The UK uses 38.5 million plastic bottles a day! The average lifespan of a plastic bag is 15 minutes. 50% of plastic is used once and then thrown away. But the real cost is being counted where it ends up. "Out of sight, out of mind" won't help the millions of seabirds and marine animals killed by plastic annually. Scientists believe that 90% of all seabirds have ingested plastic. We cannot ignore the problem any more. It's time to act. By 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the sea. A major problem when you consider that prochlorococcus and other ocean plankton are responsible for 70% or earth's oxygen production.
Plastic is affecting human health too. With 92% of Americans having traces of plastic or chemicals from plastic in their bodies it's no wonder so many people have fertility issues. The long term effects could be devastating.
I urge you to watch A Plastic Ocean and then join me on this journey and make the pledge to go plastic free yourself.
Please email me and share your struggles or success!
Olivia.
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