Szonja’s (13) entries

In some places we take it for granted, somewhere else we are really surprised by it. In some places it is unnecessary, somewhere else it can even save lives. What am I talking about? Plastic.

It’s strange to think that plastic is present in almost every part of our lives. In some areas negatively, somewhere else positively. For example, it appears positively in medicine. By this, I am thinking of the various artificial limbs and medical aids. Naturally, these have to undergo very rigorous analysis and experimentation before being used. But plastic is not only used here, but also for a lot of disposable goods such as straws, bags, packaging, and it is sad that most of the time we use these, since everyone is used to get the goods they buy in packaging. Of course, they are also necessary, but they cannot be recycled, so they affect human and animal health. We have all seen images on the Internet how plastic waste thrown into the sea is eaten by whales and dolphins, thus killing the animals. Or PET bottles ruin the lives of birds because they stick to their beak, wings or feet. We must have also seen turtles having straw in their nose or getting stuck in a plastic net. So it would be best to minimize these packaging and disposables. Nowadays, many companies have launched their packaging-free products or products with recycled and reusable packaging, such as the cosmetics company, Lush. Many people say that we vote with our purchase, because, for example, if you do not buy a product, and many people do not buy a product for good reason, the manufacturer of the product is likely to think that it is doing something wrong. I’m not saying it’s bad to have something around the product, but that doesn’t mean that it must have unnecessary packaging. For example, it could be made of a material that is degradable or that we can use for other purposes. Certain products could be sold without packaging. There would be no plastic foil, no straw or other disposables. There is a solution for that too! Instead of disposable straws, strong plastic or metal straws that can be used repeatedly and properly cleaned. Instead of buying packaged food, cosmetics, toiletries, use homemade products that are not harmful to people or look for items that can be bought in a packaging-free store. The good thing in today’s world is that there is a solution to many things, because humanity has found or discovered it, but there are problems for which we haven’t found it yet, but we are looking for it! I am thinking here of the destruction of the living waters that we, human beings are causing, the logging, the forest fires, due to which it is possible that in the next few years we will not have enough oxygen, which is a very important factor for beings with lungs. What will happen to us, the next generation, if this is going to be the Earth that we inherit? What if no land will be left to us, no living space, because we couldn’t reduce our ecological footprint? We can achieve it, if we fight, we can succeed! In this case however, asking nicely not always helps. Forcing them to act will not help either, because then they will resist. I wish there was an argument, a reason, something that would convince most people. A goal for which they would be able to give up everything that is harmful, such as petrol and disposable things, and switch to biogasoline and stronger reusable products. There is a common goal: to keep our environment clean. It would be the best for future generations to succeed in the struggle for the health of our Earth. If finally, the producers of plastic waste and people throwing away garbage would regret what they had done and make our future more beautiful. Everyone would simply call it „the time when everyone took seriously the future of our Earth and our descendants”!

The bottom line is that we can make a lot of difference by giving up or replacing a few things and making the future a little better for our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. Because the future of our Earth is our future!