CUBS
Hi friends,
Happy June 1st! For those of you that chose to treat your nose to the soft and pleasant touch of cloth, I hope you enjoyed bringing the handkerchief back! I actually found it much more pleasant than I expected and hope to continue using handkerchiefs throughout the year. Please send me any potential art book materials - photos, stories (I have already received quite a few good ones of these!), songs, etc. about your experience or thoughts.
But enough about noses, it is a new month and time to try a new behavior! This month is also going to be about waste reduction but this time targeting plastic consumption. I am spending my summer in Chicago (interning for an art and environmental organization - imagine that!), and have come up with a Chicago sports themed acronym for remembering plastic reduction strategies for the month... so lets go CUBS!
C - Cups: Especially in the summer, so many plastic cups are used so that we can enjoy a delicious smoothie, iced latte, pop, coffee, etc. Bring your own mug or water bottle instead!
U - Utensils: Whether you are planning a picnic, stopping at a fast food restaurant on a summer vacation, or just getting a quick lunch, avoid the plastic utensils by simply bringing your own from home :)
B - Bags: I know a lot of you already bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store to avoid using their plastic ones. Let's take it a step further by eliminating produce bags from our shopping trips (bring reusable ones) and sandwich bags from our lunches (use jars, containers, etc).
S - Straws: Request not to have a straw when you are served beverages at a restaurant. This may seem silly, but think about how many straws could be eliminated from landfills if we did this.
Alright, I realize this is technically not just one behavior. We are all at different points in the reducing our plastic consumption, so you may want to choose only one "letter" to work on. Do whatever is manageable but make sure you are challenging yourself.
Questions? Let's see if I can answer any below:
How does reducing plastic consumption reduce our environmental impact?
Most of the plastic items discussed above cannot be recycled (straws, utensils, bags, etc) so they pretty much just end of in a landfill - or worse, on our streets, parks, and beaches! Plastic also is rather energy intensive to produce since it is a petroleum byproduct. In addition, the production process results in air pollution and sometime water pollution as well.
Are there any other motivations I should now about to start reducing my CUBS usage?
Monetary: Most grocery stores and coffee shops will give you a small discount for bring your own bag or mug!
People Power: Like last month's behavior, this is an opportunity to act as a role model and leader in setting a norm in your family or even community about environmentally responsible behaviors.
Health: There is currently a lot of research about the potential negative health impacts of consuming food or liquid goods from plastic containers. We already know that reusing cheap plastic water bottles or microwaving foods in certain plastic containers has been linked to increased risks of cancer. Why take a chance when you don't have to?
How am I every going to remember to bring all of these things with me!?
It's actually not as hard as it may seem. Here are a few ideas:
1) Make a little sign by your door or inside your car to remind you to bring your bags, mugs, water bottles, etc. Or you even disguise your motives by putting up a Cubs sign or pennant!
2) Keep your reusable bags in your car (or bike basket or whatever you use to go to the grocery store)
3) Store a few utensils in your purse, back-pack, laptop case, or whatever you take with you for the day. I do this, and it really helps in case I forget.
4) Explain to your family, friends, or anyone else you spend a lot of time with what you are trying to do. They can help remind you and may even join you in your efforts!
If you have any other questions, please send them mind way! I look forward to seeing your submissions of creative work!
Have wonderful, sunny month!
Best,
Catherine
