I have been watching a lot of documentaries lately. I never used to. Over the last ten years I have been awakening to what is going on in the world. Ignorance was bliss in a way. But ignorance gets me into trouble too. It gets us, as a society, into trouble. And so, as I started my journey of awakening ten years ago, (and I mean, really awakening), it has been quite an eye opening, informative, frightening, frustrating and enlightening journey. I decided to take the Red Pill. I realize that going in this direction may turn some people off because some people want to stay asleep. So be it. I'm speaking to those of you that want to take the Red Pill.
Part of my journey lately has been in the form of watching documentaries and becoming aware of social, political and environmental issues. Documentaries are amazing pieces of work. People will argue that it's always about a person's own personal viewpoint. But isn't everything? So what? Who would I rather believe at this point: corporations, religion and government? I think not. Their track record hasn't exactly been stellar for centuries now.
What I like about documentaries is they inform, awaken and enlighten us to the truth; that is, if we are willing to be open to hearing and seeing the truth. It can be quite a jolt at first. Some of us, after seeing or hearing the truth, go into a state of denial; sometimes temporarily, sometimes forever but hopefully making their way back to reality. I was asleep for a long, long time. I was like the walking dead in a way. Thank goodness for personal growth courses. It shook me awake and now there is no going back. Everyone needs to wake up to what is going on around us. Whether or not they do is their choice. That's what free will is about.
What I like about documentaries is they inform, awaken and enlighten us to the truth; that is, if we are willing to be open to hearing and seeing the truth. It can be quite a jolt at first. Some of us, after seeing or hearing the truth, go into a state of denial; sometimes temporarily, sometimes forever but hopefully making their way back to reality. I was asleep for a long, long time. I was like the walking dead in a way. Thank goodness for personal growth courses. It shook me awake and now there is no going back. Everyone needs to wake up to what is going on around us. Whether or not they do is their choice. That's what free will is about.
I recently watched a documentary called "Addicted to Plastic". See it here.
This movie ties into an email I got a few years ago. This email had photos of the ocean and all its sea life and how the throwing away of plastic bags and plastic in general does extreme harmful damage to this environment. I still have those pictures engrained in my brain. Ever since I saw that, I swore I would be more conscious about how I use those bags and how many I would bring home. It's been a work in progress like everything else in my life. And it can be for you too, if it isn't already.
On the left, a sea turtle unknowingly having plastic for lunch.
On the right, a dissected bird. Many birds like these scour for food in the oceans and end up eating all kinds of plastic items instead because they look like food. This ends up killing them in the end.
It's amazing how many plastic bags I can collect in a month. I have purchased reusable shopping bags as well as those green reusable vegetable and fruit bags but plastic bags still creep into my life. Thank goodness for recycling because that does help to alleviate the guilt I sometimes feel. The odd time I forget to bring my shopping bag I end up taking a couple bags home again which I then promptly use for the kitchen as garbage bags. Even though I am pretty good at bringing shopping bags with me, I still have a collection of plastic bags that accumulate.
Below is one of my reusable shopping bags filled with plastic bags. Yikes!
For example, I buy a bag of organic carrots and voila, they are in a plastic bag! Bread is in a plastic bag. Toilet paper, paper towels, tea lights, cotton balls, socks and underwear, dry cleaning and on and on it goes. At this point, it's really difficult to get away from it completely in our society. And that's what I loved about that movie; despite the gloom, the movie still left me with some hope because there are people out there that are doing amazing things.
At this point, how we have set things up as a society, it would be difficult to have no plastic at all. It's in almost everything. But plastic has also allowed us to create all kinds of products that we wouldn't have been able to create because of its pliability. I just don't think it is safe to combine food and drink with plastic materials anymore as more and more research is showing. But that's another topic for another day. I just know I'm starting to use more glass and stainless steel whenever possible.
At this point, how we have set things up as a society, it would be difficult to have no plastic at all. It's in almost everything. But plastic has also allowed us to create all kinds of products that we wouldn't have been able to create because of its pliability. I just don't think it is safe to combine food and drink with plastic materials anymore as more and more research is showing. But that's another topic for another day. I just know I'm starting to use more glass and stainless steel whenever possible.
The other thing they discussed in the movie is how plastic affects sea life and the oceans. It's really quite unbelievable how much garbage and plastic travels to our water systems. And guess what? Some of the plastic that has been broken down into tiny bits looks like fish food. And so, fish eat it. And then guess what? We go fishing and eat that fish that has ingested all that plastic and then we eat it. Neither of which is good for the fish or us! It's toxic. The very thing that we have created, plastic, is wreaking havoc on our environment, nature and ourselves and all in the name of convenience.
Below, a beautiful Hawaiian beach strewn with garbage.
We have become a "throwaway" society. Rick and I went for a bike ride the other day and stopped into Starbucks (I have to say I love their green tea matcha lattes). I noticed a couple of things while on our ride and at Starbucks. First, I can't believe how much garbage I see on the streets and in nature. Is this what some of us have become to believe: that it's okay to use the earth as a dumping ground? What happened to putting things in garbage cans? Now I realize that sometimes there isn't a garbage can around, but couldn't a person just carry it until they found one?
On the left, a scene I have seen more than once: plastic bags in trees.
On the right, the shoreline of a city that is covered in plastic garbage. Unbelievable.
After seeing that movie and seeing what plastic bags do to sea life, I cannot in all good conscious walk by a plastic bag on the ground anymore. I need to pick it up and find a garbage can because I have seen where this bag could potentially end up. I wish that everyone would just ban making bags period like they have in some cities.
What I noticed while we were in Starbucks. I'm not sure if this happens in other coffee shops. But we decided to stay in and have our beverages. I had to ask for a real coffee mug. I didn't want a "to go" cup because we were staying in. Rick on the other hand asked for an iced coffee and they put it in a plastic "to go" cup because they weren't "allowed" or didn't have a cup to put his iced coffee in. Really? I found that strange. They couldn't just put it in the same kind of cup I had apparently.
Everyone that was in Starbucks sitting down had "to go" cups, yet they weren't going anywhere. What the heck is going on with that? Is it because it's cheaper for companies to put drinks in "to go" cups than it is to wash real cups and glasses? Good lord! What is the reasoning behind this logic? Is this what the world is about now; continually cutting costs at the expense of the environment? Does it cost that much more for someone to wash dishes? It's ridiculous. Demand a real cup when you go for coffee and plan on staying in!
Go Green and have your coffee or tea in a real cup. Or plan ahead and bring your own "to go" cup with you if you don't plan on staying in the coffee shop!
It's a sad state of affairs when we think everything is disposable. It's not. Plastic does not disintegrate, it lasts forever. And the more we can shift our thinking about that, the more things will shift. We as consumers have more power than we think. We choose and speak with our dollars. What would happen if all of us stopped supporting businesses and corporations that didn't have our planet's best interests at heart? This is where we live. What are we going to do when our planet runs out of resources after we have used and abused it to no end? Throw the earth away and move to another planet? I don't think so. It's time to get with the program.
How cute is this face? Remember, sea life and animals were here first. Let's help them.
Let's do our part to shift our thinking and help keep ourselves, our oceans, forests and planet healthy and green. It doesn't matter what race we are because we all have something in common: each of us is a human being living on this planet. Let's help to keep our planet beautiful.
Stay tuned for Part 2: 10 Easy and Simple Ways to Go Green
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