The bottom line
Unless you – and each person -- has only one ceramic mug and one china
plate and one bowl and one metal fork and one metal knife and one metal spoon and
one metal/glass/bamboo straw which they carry around with them at all times: to
work, coffee shops, donut shops, restaurants, birthday and anniversary parties,
etc., you are not really saving the planet or its 'resources'.
And don’t forget to have with you at all times 4 (FOUR) designated
fabric or sturdy plastic shopping bags. THREE to prevent bacteria and virus
cross-contamination for any planned or ‘impulse’ purchases of
vegetables/fruits; raw meat/fish; and pre-packaged goods – and the FOURTH to carry all your above cutlery and bowls, mug, etc. which too
are susceptible to bacteria, viruses and mold buildup.
The better and SMARTER way: more sanitary/healthier and far, far
more convenient way is single use PLASTIC.
The miracle of plastics - all recyclable[i] -
is not evil, but a practical and convenient solution and 'gift' from the planet, Gaia.
It also saves entire forests of trees!
The better environmental
choice
That plastic cups, plates, thin bags and straws, etc. are in fact environmentally the 'bettet choice' is
a bitter pill for eco-friendly activists who have bought into the anti-plastic
and anti-petroleum mindset.
All you need to read is the conflicted blog at https://www.inputfortwayne.com/features/washable-disposable-dishes.aspx.
He even forgot to take into account that mugs and China plates break, are
not recyclable, and remain intact when buried in landfill -- for centuries,
if not for eternity!
Oceans issue
The propaganda from environmentalists that too much plastic is
being thrown away carelessly and ends up in huge floating piles IN THE MID
OCEANS and causes massive harm to fish, dolphins, porpoises, seals and even
birds who land on the water or try to dive below the surface for food is simply
not true.
The hyped Texas sized – then Mexico sized – and now the TWICE the
continental USA- sized floating plastic
'garbage dump' in the mid-Pacific is nowhere to be seen and even Wikipedia
acknowledges this.
Plastic may take centuries to decompose in landfill but any that
reaches an ocean is soon overcome by the pounding of waves and the sun’s
disintegrating ultraviolet light: leaving bits under half a centimeter in size
– and which will sink to the bottom. (As explained in the last, part 3 – Straws
blog.)
And If and when plastic debris is in mid ocean, it is usually the
result of a catastrophe and disaster wherein people on a fishing ship, boat, or
larger vessel have been overwhelmed and killed by Nature’s rages: hurricanes,
typhoons, monster waves and tsunamis, deadly hidden reefs or icebergs, or
shattered against rock walls by gusting storm winds.
For at least 10,000 years, the oceans have successfully dealt with
large and small human debris: wood, clay pots, glass, rope, canvass, metal, from
ships that were destroyed by monster waves and hurricanes, by human navigation
errors and human sea warfare.
And accept for the few ocean creatures like sharks and alligators and
crocodiles that can ingest all kinds of human clothing, pocket coinage,
wallets, earrings, watches, etc. without dying,
the vast majority of ocean creatures cannot.
Put simply, the ‘balance of Nature’ has had to cope with human debris since the
first woman or man dropped something into a river or lake or ocean.
To target plastic alone, even when in microscopic bits, is to see
the world and reality with blinkered eyes.
WHY?
It is the result of two merging mindsets:
1.
Man-made materials – as they do
not appear in nature -- are by definition wrong and evil.
But this ignores the
simple fact that we humans cannot create ANYTHING unless the planet has
given us the raw materials to do so.
2.
Fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas –
are evil. They involve violating the
earth by drilling into her bowels, or making deep labyrinths of hollowed out tunnels
or surface gouging that ‘scar’ her skin and flesh.
The Earth is seen as a
living creature; and hence the popularity of the name GAIA for the planet: Greek
for ‘mother earth’[ii].
NOTE: While this blog regularly uses the term GAIA, I ascribe no
maternal instincts or life-like qualities to the planet; only a Darwinian
belief that the planet’s unique life supporting systems are diverse, resilient
and adaptable; and that we, compared to
all the life forms that affect and interact with the planet, are simply egotistical
and over-rated ANTS.
Final note:
Plastic was only invented in 1907[iii],
first made popular in 1939 for women’s nylon stockings[iv]
and, after Pearl Harbor, during WW2, ripstop nylon replaced inferior silk and canvas
“in the manufacturing
of parachutes, tire cords, ropes, aircraft fuel tanks, shoe laces, mosquito
netting and hammocks, aiding in the U.S.’s national defense”.[v]
It is has only been since the 1960s that the full range of
plastic’s advantages for fabrics, clothing – e.g., polyester, rayon - and inexpensive items such as thin bags,
cutlery, etc. has been realized.[vi]
Consequently, it is a relatively new ‘gift’ from the planet, Gaia.
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