This week’s column primarily focuses on a segment from our first episode featuring sustainability advocate and engineer Rusdhi Sattar. In this episode, Zeeshan and Rushdi discussed buying habits and their correlation with how much plastic we consume daily.
The consumption of plastic in the form of single-use or disposable has become a staple in how we transport and contain goods. Surely it has its many valuable uses like all tools and enablers, but overusing them without mindfulness can have dire consequences – in this case, severe environmental consequences.
As every minute goes by, one million plastic drinking bottles are being purchased. In a year, five trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide. Half of all plastic produced is designed to be used only once, and then thrown away. Unless you’re brown – if so, you probably have them tucked away in a cupboard never to use them again.
The lack of recycling results in our plastic products ending up in the ocean, eaten by fish. Humans end up consuming the fish, thereby ingesting up to 11,000 tiny pieces of plastic every year, karmically speaking.
In efforts to reduce your carbon footprint, here are some active efforts you can take to be a conscious consumer:
- Buy local and opt for plastic-free packaging
- Always carry a reusable water bottle (don’t buy bottled water!)
- Bring lunch in a reusable container
- Avoid synthetic clothing that sheds plastic microfibres
- Use soap bars instead of soap bottles
- Buy a tote bag. They’re functional, fashionable, and sustainable
- Say no to disposable plastic straws and cutlery
- Store leftovers in glass jars
Together, we can change the world one straw, one bag, one plastic container at a time. Find the urge within you to research the adverse effects of plastic pollution and then decide how you could make a small change that encourages bigger change.
Episode transcribed by Amani Najumudeen.
Watch this segment in its entirety here: https://youtu.be/HfbGA-AYHMs
Listen to/watch the episode on YouTube, Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcast and don’t forget to subscribe!
