As we start 2018, we reflect on the state of our world. 2017 saw the positive rise in awareness of the problems of Plastic Pollution, and it effects on our lakes, oceans, sea life, and ultimately our food chain.
Over the last 5-10 years many organizations were founded to raise awareness of the problem of Plastic Pollution.There were Organizations who made excellent movies on the subject, and screened around the world to highlight this issue, however while we greatly respect the efforts of these “Orgs” and their many volunteers, plastics continue to pollute. And will continue…
We all think that because of that “Blue Bin” outside our door, and all the plastic containers with the little Recyclable arrow and number symbols are containing the problem, and that Recycling will prevent further issues. Well if you spend time researching to try to understand the challenge, you will quickly find out that an estimated 91% of all plastics consumed in the world go straight to the land fills, oceans, or are incinerated creating more pollution.
Recycling is only as good as the recycling technology that exists, and the technology that exists is not funded to become efficient as there is a relatively little market for recycled plastic, at least in the “Developed Countries”, unless it is through regulation. So in regards to the little Recyclable arrow and number symbols, which range from 1 to 7, only the first two are effectively recyclable. So this pacifying symbol is really saying this garbage will be recycled if we can find someone who has the technology to do this….but unfortunately the technology is not there yet. Some European countries are advancing the technology, but not at a pace that balances the plastic produced by the major fossil fuel corporations.
So in this first post of 1/1/2018, we are getting a little impatient with Corporations who don’t take ownership of their products from “Cradle to Grave”, Politicians who enable these Corporations, and the mutiltitudes of global organizations protesting, and “Raising Awareness”…We have been aware for the last 10 years, we have just done nothing tangible about the problem, which is really a problem of technical and chemical design, and possibly regulation (the word no industry wants to hear. but will have to if we are to stop the crisis..). We are capable (#NS4Redesign …!!!). We need to focus. We just need to get our shit together!!!
The planet can’t wait much longer.
So we just feel that a good place to start is to begin by promoting some technical “ECO-LITERACY”. Helping make concerned consumers aware of products that are in complete disregard of their own ecological impacts, and promoting companies and brands across all segments who take the effort to provide an innovative complete life cycle designs. We do understand that the technical challenges are substantial, and solutions will not immediately contribute to a “Bottom Line”, but positive efforts are what we need, and should be supported.
Nation Surf.