Prayer
Plastic Free July Prayer
Loving God,
Allow us to be grateful for all that you have provided for us.
You have given us dense forests, sparkling seas, beautiful animals and flourishing trees.
Empower us to open our eyes to the surrounding beauty, which you gave to us, you put into our trust. Help us to reduce our use of plastics in our daily lives, to save our planet and ensure it thrives.
Fill us with your love so we can restore earth to what it used to be. To the beauty of nature stretching as far as the eye can see. Amen.
(Ava, Year 9) Through Iona Presentation College
Available here
Knowledge
July’s editions of YLBG will be focused on Plastic Free July. I hope you will join us by examining your plastic use and make a difference with your actions.
I had an interesting conversation recently. Someone asked me why I was not supportive of recycling. It took me back a bit as I have been recycling since the mid 90s. Through this conversation, I realized that I may have, without knowing it, sent mixed signals. Recycling has its place in managing our trash, there is no doubt. Paper, glass and metal all are great for recycling. But the more we investigate, the more we learn that recycling plastic is not as large a part of the solution as it is touted to be.
There is not a big market for recycled plastic. In addition, many of the places we send plastic are not actually recycling it. But the real danger of ignoring the limits of recycling is that it lulls us unto a sense of comfort about the amount of single-use plastic we use. We think, “It’s OK. I recycled it.” Instead, we could be thinking, “I’ll find an alternative so there isn’t a waste problem in the first place.”
First and foremost, Plastic Free July is meant to get us to really see the amount of garbage we produce and to rethink our habits. What alternatives can I find? Can I rearrange my budget to afford a slightly more expensive option? (Fully acknowledging that, for some, the answer to that question is no.)
To help with that thought, I recommend watching the movie Wall-E. It really does make you think!
Action
So many options!
Personal:
By now, I hope you have taken the Plastic Free July Challenge. How did you do in week 1? What can you change for week 2?
Professional:
How can you reduce or eliminate plastic where you work? Are there ways you can reduce the number of garbage bags used?
In the world:
Our personal choices are important. But, large scale change will come when corporations and politicians are on board. Eliminating plastic bags is one easy thing we can do immediately. Check out options for reusable bags here. Go for the canvas if you can!
Our own Plastics Taskforce is working on actions and solutions. Email us at [email protected]