Plastic Pollution: Small Changes for a Big Difference

We hear a lot of talk these days about change. The pandemic made all of us have to change the way we work. Our offices became our kitchen tables and our kids were homeschooled. Supply chain issues have caused us to change our expectations at grocery stores and car dealerships. The new year reminded us that we needed to stop bad habits and start good ones. 

The call to change — and the opportunity to change — is all around us. 

And like any kind of change, it can seem impossible — or at the very least daunting — when we’re on one side of the problem. 

But also like any kind of change, it starts with a single step. It starts with a decision that it’s time to do something. And once that decision is made, it comes down to the next step. And then the next. And so on. 

Starting with Something

When it comes to plastic pollution, what do you know? Have you done the research and read the data? Have you looked into the Garbage Patch that’s floating in the Pacific? Have you seen how much plastic is produced in a day? How much ends up in streets and waterways? Have you considered how the fabrics you’re washing are effecting our environment? Have you weighed your own contribution to micro plastic pollution? 

Learn

Sometimes, the first step for making a change is simply through education. Take a look at the data that’s available and decide for yourself. How drastic the issue and how pressing the call to action will be determined by how you interpret what you discover. 

Act

From using less plastic straws to installing a Filtrol on your laundry’s wash tub, there are a million little ways to make a big difference on the massive issue of plastic pollution. On one hand, it makes sense that someone would question their own potential for impact. One person who chooses to significantly cut back on single-use plastics doesn’t really offer much potential to move the needle on plastic pollution. However, entire communities, cities, and states doing it together exponentially increases the impact.

Share

Sometimes the smallest act makes the biggest impact. Encourage your neighbors to install a Filtrol. Host a party with no single-use plastics. Organize a beach and trail clean-up day. Let your kids see you pick up litter on your walk from the car to the front door of the grocery store. Share with others the decisions you’re making to cut back on plastics devastating presence in our ecosystem. 

The opportunity to change is all around us. Small steps can make all the difference in the world.

So start small. Do something.