Green Holiday Challenge

Dear Friends of the 5 Amigos... We decided that it would be fun to offer up a challenge for our friends for the up and coming Holidays... Something that will help the environment. We all decided it needed to be something to do with plastic, since that is our first and beginning concern about the environment. So we went on line to find some plastic challenges. We found this article, and it just helps bring back to your minds the importance of getting plastic out of our landfills! Read below for that information and then see our challenges at the end!

Consider this information from Plastic Bag Free.Com:

-Plastic production uses 8% of all the world's oil production.
-At the current rate the world produces 200 million tons of plastic a year. Less than 3.5% is recycled. In other words, 96% of all the world's plastic is not recycled.
-The world plastic production is increasing at 3.5% per year. This means every 20 years the amount of plastic we produce doubles.
-The world produces over 200 million tons of plastic annually. Around half of this is used for disposable items of packaging that are discarded within a year. This debris is accumulating in landfill and the problem is growing.
-Plastics do not biodegrade, they photo degrade, breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil, waterways, oceans and entering the food web when ingested by animals.
-The dawn of the plastic era was in 1950s. This was when we first started to use plastic for consumer goods on a mass scale.
-Scientists estimate each plastic item could last in the environment anywhere between 400 to 1000 years.
-In short, since the 1950's almost every piece of plastic that we have ever made, used and thrown away is still here on this planet in one form or another, whether its in our homes, in landfill or in the environment; and it will be here for centuries to come.
-Worldwide, at least 143 marine species are known to have become entangled in marine debris (including almost all of the world's species of sea turtles) and at least 177 marine species (including 95% of all the world's sea birds) have eaten plastic litter.

Additionally, Plastic Bag Free.Com reports,

People often ask, "What is the most concerning form of plastic marine debris? Is it discarded fishing nets (ghost nets), is it plastic bags, is it six-pack rings?" The truth is it's everything plastic in the ocean. All plastic breaks down into particles. It does not dissolve; it just breaks into tiny pieces and stays there. At this size it is small enough to be ingested by every single organism in the world's oceans - animals as small as krill and salps (plankton feeders) right up to the great Blue Whale. These particles known as oceanic microplastics are now so prolific in the oceans that they outweigh plankton. In some large areas it is at a ratio of 30 to 1 (so 30 times more plastic than plankton) and the problem is growing fast.

Disturbing? Yes. Frightening? Sure. Hopeless? No. While we may not be able to do anything about the plastic that is already in the environment, the choices we make about our purchases today will affect our future as well as our children's and our grandchildren's. But this needs to be a collective effort.

Remember, we vote with our dollars and it's a case of supply and demand. The more we buy plastic products, the more plastic will be manufactured. Conversely, the more we buy sustainable products, the more sustainable products will be made.

The Challenge all of you to do something about the growing plastic problem. When shopping for gifts this holiday season, try to find alternatives to plastic items AND look for items that don't come with excessive plastic packaging.

OK... There was the web page challenge which is good, but here is one of our own that we think you all can do!

Our Challenges:

1. One of the worst problems is with those plastic bags that you get in stores to carry your purchases home! (paper is not a good alternative either) We have learned that lots of cities, and even whole states are passing laws that stores can no longer use plastic bags. So what will people do to carry their purchases home? Carry those cloth ones that most stores are now selling for $.59 to $.99... There are many people out there who are doing this, but there are also a lot of people who are not! There are few things you can do to help this a long... You and your friends can:

A. For holiday presents give those cloth bags! They are cheap, you can find them all over. I know I usually have a few dollars I can spend and what a great gift... Or if you are giving someone a gift, use one of these to wrap it in! Also include in the bag the above information about what plastic is doing to environment. You can copy and paste that and then print it to include. It is amazing how many people do not know all of this!

B. Solve a forgetful problem...A problem people are having with using these cloth bags, is taking them with them to the store. So how or what could you do to encourage people to remember? Is there something you can make that they can put in their house...fridge magnets... Or in their cars as a reminder? Simple sign saying "BAGS!"... Or "Remember BAGS"... Maybe you can think of something better or design a sign. Please let us know your ideas, send pictures of what you made to our Blog, we would love to see your creation!

We hope you will accept these challenges and let us know how and what you did! Happy Holidays to you all.... Allison, Melanie, Tyler, Chello and Tally.....