REYNA IWAMOTO
CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF
The Footprint
Whether it’s to bite into the cafeteria’s cheesy creole macaroni or the fruit cocktail from the salad bar, every day, over 780 students buy school lunch at Moanalua, and as they get their ID scanned, they instinctively reach for a plastic, non-biodegradable fork.
Consequently, this plastic utensil usage in school results to over 3,900 plastic forks being thrown out a week and thus, 127,920 plastic forks in one school year alone. However, little do any of us realize this absurd number and understand the detrimental effects it has on the environment.
It is easy to be ignorant when thinking about the impact you have on the Earth- to forget instantly about the fork we just threw away as if it just disappears when we lose sight of it. Quite the contrary happens however, as these thousands of plastic utensils end up in landfills or the ocean and will stay there for hundreds if not thousands of years. And as this plastic waste continues to be manufactured, it emits more carbon emissions into the atmosphere, speeding up the process of the destruction of the Earth.
It is estimated that globally, the world dumps about 2.12 billion tons of waste every year- waste that ends up in our landfills, oceans, streets, highways, sidewalks- the list is endless. This amount of trash is enough to fill trucks and circle the Earth 24 times. Meanwhile, the average human, creates about 4.5 pounds of trash every day, adding to a total of 56 tons of trash per year. Making a change so small as using your own reusable utensils can reduce one’s carbon footprint on the Earth and minimize the amount of pollution we, as a human race are creating.
In regards to our school, it is understood that buying plastic utensils in bulk is the cheapest and most convenient option, however, as students and humans who inhabit this planet, it is our responsibility to find other options to minimize the amount of waste we create. We are all affected by climate change and if you do not see how it has affected you or those around you- think again. The world has seen changes ranging from an increasing amount of disastrous weather events, an extreme loss of sea ice, as well as a diminishing amount of clean water in certain areas around the globe. If we continue to create the same amount of waste and carbon emissions within the coming years, the Earth’s climate will change to around 3.5 degrees warmer, causing us to feel the worst effects of climate change: we will experience large increases in the amount of extreme weather events, droughts, and wildfires, major if not entire loss in sea ice, and suffer through famine as many important crops will be unable to grow in this climate.
Although it may seem unclear to us now, this is the future of the Earth if we continue on the path we are on. You however, CAN make little changes in your life that adds up to make a huge difference and helps to prevent climate change from destroying our home. Imagine if you just simply brought your own utensils to school every day- you would be preventing 164 plastic forks from ending up in the landfill or ocean. And if you can pass on this change to friends, family, and peers, the change in which our community, and perhaps more communities, can make as a whole, could be seen on a much larger scale.
What You Can Do
Here are 5 simple and easy first steps to live by that will ensure a smaller environmental footprint:
1. Lose the single-use plastics!
Metal utensils or straws are great alternatives to the most common single-use plastic appliances and will last for years if well taken care of. Also, using appliances made of natural materials such as bamboo will cause no harm to the environment if thrown out, as it is completely biodegradable and will decompose naturally by other living organisms..
2. Ditch the disposables and reach for those reusables
Whether it be bringing your own reusable water bottle to fill up or packing that trusty reusable tote bag when grocery shopping, you will be doing a big part in minimizing the waste humans create. Plastic water bottles, plastic bags, plastic straws, are some of the most common forms of plastic waste that pollute the environment, so avoiding these will add up to a great change.
3. Recycle correctly
Not sure if it’s recyclable? Do NOT just throw it in that blue bin! If an unacceptable item ends up in the bin, it may contaminate the other recyclable items and result in everything being thrown out to the landfill. Always refer to the rules and when in doubt, leave it out! Some easy rules to remember are to check the item for a recycle symbol with a number in it. If the recycle symbol has a 1 or 2 inside, it is recyclable! Rinse everything clean and be sure not to put any plastics without numbers or with the numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 into the bins.
4. Shop secondhand
Believe it or not, many articles of clothing contain synthetic materials (materials made through chemical synthesis) and when they are washed, they release plastic microfibers into wastewater treatment plants where 40% of these microfibers enter oceans, rivers, and lakes. These microfibers can hurt the food chain, as they can be consumed by fish and other living organisms, bioaccumulating toxins in the bodies of larger animals further up the food chain. Shopping secondhand can also prevent you from buying fast-fashion, which is clothing made of poor materials that will fall apart due to such quick production rates (and thus may release much more toxins into the ocean due to its lack of quality), as well as reduce the amount of clothing waste in the world. The United States alone produces 25 billion pounds of clothing waste every single year, so heading to that thrift store instead of the expensive name-brand one will not only save you money, but help save the Earth as well.
5. Speak up!
Buying a drink at your favorite smoothie shop? Skip the plastic straw and bring your own- but speak up about it! Many food and drink businesses are used to giving out plastic straws or utensils- remember that the workers are trained to do so and they are not mind-readers! If you do not want the unnecessary plastics, be aware of what they are giving you and catch them before you touch/contaminate the appliance and they are not able to take it back.
Change Starts with You
Nobody is asking you to become the next climate change activist, but the next time you reach for that plastic utensil or straw, think again about how much trash you would create in that moment and just how much that adds up to over time. Everybody has a choice, and living a low impact lifestyle is not always the most convenient one, but it is the most worthwhile if it means we can save our home.
We all want to leave a legacy behind- something for those who come after us to remember us by. Yet the legacy we are leaving on this planet for future generations, is Earth’s very own destruction. This however, can be changed if we make the promise to ourselves to give our best effort in living green, not just for the rest of Earth Month, but for the rest of our lives.
SOURCES:
http://www.theworldcounts.com/counters/shocking_environmental_facts_and_statistics/world_waste_facts