Green – the “it” word. Everyone’s talking about it. Green, green, green. Concern over the environment, criticism over China’s poor environmental record, concern over the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, failing crops, illnesses, Global Warming… the list goes on. Now people are thinking “green”, or are they?
I love coffee. Love it. And tea. I love tea and coffee. Two very nice hot beverages, of which we have plenty of here in Vancouver. There’s a coffee shop at every street corner, with a few wedged into every block for good measure. And tea is making its way into the happy hands of many Vancouverites. How? In little white paper cups – lined with plastic.
Millions of paper cups are used each day and thrown out. The paper may biodegrade while leaching bleach and other chemicals into the soil, but the plastic liner, that’s another story. It won’t biodegrade. It will eventually degrade, this is true, but the plastic liner of a coffee cup will stick around for a very, very LONG time. Who knows, it might end up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, into a fish and eventually into your stomach. If not your stomach, then into the stomach of one of your descendants. And if you’re a vegan, well, plastic doesn’t make a very good fertilizer, does it?
People need to start acting green, not just talking green. Bring a reusable cup wherever you go. It’s good for the environment and might save you a couple of cents, so it’s good for your pocket book too.
If we all try a little harder to consider what we’re doing and act accordingly, we’ll make a big impact. Guaranteed.
For your viewing pleasure, here’s a picture I took of a bag of garbage on BC Ferries. This is only one bag of many. Something to think about.
Bag o' garbage on BC Ferries
Ingrid
Puddling Jumping with a reusable cup.
