So I’ve been thinking to start really contributing to a greener, cleaner and less-plastic enviroment. I will focus first on the last of the three items I mentioned, that is, less-plastic planet. I’ve been minimal in using things in plastic containers such as shampoo, lotion, oil, creams, toner, lipstick, face powder, body powder, hair conditioners, dishwashing liquid, fabric conditioners, mouthwash, food, and many others. I am not also a fan of plastic pails, dipper, basin, trash bins, plates, drinking cups, and many other plastic products. However, I feel that about 90% of what I need on a daily basis is associated with plastic products. I wish I could go back to the days when people used nature’s products for their everyday lives.
When was plastic made anyway? I had to google this and I tried to read its history and I got bored on the first sentence. Anyway, the first man-made plastic was called Parkesine, after its creator’s name, Alexander Parkes, in around year 1856. However, the start of the Plastic Era (with semi synthesis as I researched) was in 1839. Darn, I’m actually having a headache and I feel soooo sleepy! So moving on as I read through the plastic article in google, it says there that plastics are durable and degrade very slowly. That means they don’t decompose for a vey very long period of time and from the looks of many plastics, I don’t think they ever do degrade. And then I read on and copy here the alarming data which says that since 1950’s one billion tons of plastic have been discarded and may PERSIST FOR HUNDREDS OR EVEN THOUSANDS OF YEARS! And what does that mean? It says that its serious threat to the environment is its presence in the marine food chain as microplastics along with many other highly toxic chemical pollutants it attracts. In 2009, it was estimated that 10% of modern waste was plastics, although estimates vary according to region. Meanwhile, 50-80% of debris in marine areas is plastic.
What people used in the past when plastic was still not around? Well, we can go back as far as beginning of the world but that would be too distant. Paleolithic Era or Stone Age? Bronze Age? Iron Age? I don’t even remember these anymore but these are still too distant from plastic era. We can read through World and Human History but that will be too much to take in so I’ll just personalized it and recall my younger years. Hey, I’m not that old but in the province of Northern Samar in a small and humble town there where I spent most of my summer vacation days way back then, I remember we used things that come to think of it, we lost along the way as time went by…
Rock Sponge!
So instead of the nylon sponges we have now which are readily available at my favourite neighbourhood, the department store, MOA for short, my grandmother used to scrub my body with this rather painfully as if my skin would peel off. I think we got it from the river or maybe our backyard, I really don’t remember. It’s lighter than other stones or rock. Whatever happened to my rock?
Yep, the same grandmother, actually I call her "Nanay", used to put inside the pillow cases these tiny fragrant flowers. Our National Flower has really its wonders - natural perfume and really refreshing smell.
Wooded Laundry Clips
Oh yes, I even used to clip my hair with one these.
Tin Pail
Not made of wood but not also made of plastic, make sense. Kidding! They corrode in time by the way.
Banana Leaf
Farms days! Oh boy, this time travel is getting more fun! My plates are banana leaves. In the market, people used to wrap the fist and the vegetables in these, too. How come we don't use it anymore today?
Coconut Milk
How my hair was so healthy back then, thanks to coconut milk or we call it "gugo" in Tagalog or "lunop" in Waray. I forgot the other term we used to call it. Darn, this memory gap. Anyway, we save the planet from shampoo containers made of plastic because of gugo. Another very useful coconut product is its oil which can treat itchy and stubborn skin diseases and moisturize skin while saving the earth of another plastic when we patronize manufactured oils contained again in plastic bottles.
These are only a few and simple things that we used in our daily activities back in the days. Life was simpler then. My mother told me that she used to give us tomatoes for snacks since there were not many stores selling junk food back then. I mean it's a very good thing we did not have junk food!
What can each one of us do, in our simple ways so we do not use plastic often or not use it at all. Well, thank goodness we have banned the use of plastic bags here in the country well at least in Metro Manila as far as I'm concerned. For me, I can start by being even more frugal in using plastic products and products contained in their plastic containers thereby reducing the garbage which I wish could all be recycled. Oh how I wish somebody could invent a machine that would turn garbage into electricity and power the whole nation or even the whole world! I'll also add the plants in my backyard. I've been thinking of growing flowering plants just in front of the gate of my house. It would be lovely!
References & Photo Creditshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic#Parkesinehttp://farm1.static.flickr.com/6/11422376_05add955d7_m.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/2874232024_e20c3a65b8_m.jpghttp://www.psychology4a.com/cognit17.jpg
http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8351/8288386803_3a4ee20d94_m.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/2652949931_fd9aa8e353_m.jpg
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