Mommy, why is there plastic in the world?
This time I decided to write about something different, not about organic fruits and vegetables, but still somewhat connected. There are subjects that press my red button. And it happens just like that, as soon as the subject comes up, and I immediately get annoyed from a thousand different directions. There are those that feel strongly for and against vaccinations, some that are triggered by politics, or those who follow the World Cup this year. For me, matters of plastic and recycling is the subject. I don’t need much more than a sentence like, "I don’t pollute the environment! I'm a very clean person" from someone throwing
a mountain of plastic utensils in the bin for me to start climbing the wall.
There is no other way to say this – what goes around, comes around. Plastic that is thrown into the trash today will reach the same sea and the same land that we all use. If we leave a plastic bottle next to a stream, we will find it in the company of its kind enjoying a cruise to the Mediterrean Sea; If we throw it into the sea, we will get it back in the form of microscopic plastic particles in which the sea fills up, we bath in them and do not notice that they are there. But the fact that we are not aware of them should not be reassuring. On the contrary, if there were Ebola bacteria around us, we would not know that they were there.
I am not a chemist or an expert in plastic materials, but it does not sound entirely crazy to me that these microscopic particles can find their way into the body (Through the water that is desalinated, or in any other way…). You know what, suppose we just go to the beach. Sun, sand and water, including sea life and jellyfish, also contains plastic particles. Who needs it? (I personally love the sea, but that's not the point). What about the entire ecosystem that is exposed to this plastic? How is it really possible to believe that it will have no effect on the fish, corals, and the rest of the complex food chain that exists in the sea, and how naive would it be to deny the impact on the entire ecosystem? We are also in this food chain and this ecosystem.
The thing about this round ball called Earth, is that everything affects ALL of the inhabitants of the earth, and you can’t just sweep what we don’t like under some rug and imagine that it doesn’t touch us and doesn’t exist. This is true for many issues and subjects – land that is polluted in one area will return to us in the form of poisoned and sick animals, fruits and vegetables. People whose living conditions do not allow them to continue to exist as they are will seek a solution somewhere else and in turn influence its way of life. There is no isolated place, no process that is sterile.
Plastic is convenient, available and cheap, you cannot deny it, but plastic has a price. There is an island of plastic in the middle of the ocean, like a small country. It doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, nor is it likely that anyone would want to receive political asylum on it. The more we consume, the more plastic comes into the world, and the much much longer it takes to leave.
Do I sound pessimistic? I really am, about plastic. Those who get used to the comfort of using once and throwing away, usually find it difficult to consciously remember the consequences of this choice. There is, however, a solution that allows some light at the end of this plastic tunnel . There is news about scientific developments that may be able to decompose plastics, and there is also news about more and more biodegradable substitutes for disposable consumables. So, if you really can’t use reusable utensils, please look into this.
Here is one thing that we can consider nowadays, to enjoy the convenience and also to not need to wash dishes, and the environment will not suffer so much (it’s actually not really organic waste like veggie waste, but is compostable and much better than plastic)
There is a lot that can be done, and some of it is very easy to do!
To health, both ours and the planet’s!
Yours, Maggie and the garden staff
We can expect in our organic vegetable baskets:
lettuce
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
pumpkin
Thai green beans
Corn (yes, the three organic American sisters!)
Green onions
Beets
onions
And potatoes
In the large organic vegetable baskets, also:
coriander
Acorn squash mix
Thai spinach
Organic fruit baskets:
Grapes
And apples
In the large organic fruit baskets, also:
Mangoes
