"If it can, it will."

With the previous blog posts being a little more stream-line and serious, I thought I would take a minute to share with you the things that I have been doing to try and cut back on my plastic use. Before I went to Punta Allen and saw all the plastic on the beach, and even before I started doing research on the problem, I was your average, plastic-pumping person. My parents, however, raised me and my brother to be conscious about things like recycling, not littering, and keeping trash to a minimum; I think this has helped me in cutting back my plastic use today. Recently, I have made a strong effort to:



- Ask the cashiers at Wal-Mart to use as few bags as possible… did you know they wrap a bottle of wine with one plastic bag, and then put it into another? What a waist.
- My roommates and I do not throw away our plastic bags; since we have moved in we just thrown them in a separate bucket that has been long sense overflowing. I took them to Wal-Mart where they have a bag-drop. (It’s free!)
- I have recently realized that the use of a lid and straw on paper cups is entirely unnecessary unless you are traveling at fast speeds or around sharp turns.
- I have begun to use my Nalgene water bottle every day instead of buying 24-packs of plastic water bottles. Tip: Put them in the freezer over night for long-lasting cold water.
- Most importantly, I recycle everything that can possibly be recycled. My slogan; “If it can, it will.” Meaning, if it can be recycled, it will be recycled.

So it’s not a lengthy list, but I am proud of the effort I am making. If anyone has more ideas to help me be more anti-plastic, please feel free to pitch in!


I know you were probably wondering, “enough with the psycho-babble, where is the video?” Well, I won’t hold you back anymore; check out this rendition of the song “Empire State of Mind” (originally performed by Jay Z and Alicia Keys) that these young people did as their way of speaking out against plastic pollution.


One of the arguments made in the video is to ban the use of plastic bags; well, their message was heard. As of yesterday, November 16th, 2010, a ban passed on the use of plastic bags from unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, in California. THIS IS AWESOME!



ARE YOU DOING YOUR PART?