Humans and humans...
Since this is a year of petty challanges, I would also like to invite you to a challenge which would be worth challenging for...
.
This year's Environment day theme is "Beat Plastic Pollution" as you would know. The production as well as the consumption of plastic is a big issue, because at the end of the day, big or small, it is a waste. Among the type of plastics, use and throw plastics are a big menace because they are dumped and thrown away which then accumulate in land as well as in seas and cause adverse effects... They include the commonly used carry bags, PET bottles, cool drinks bottles...
Half of the globally produced plastics every year, which account for about 17 crore tons, are the single use plastics mentioned above. The plastic production from 1950 onwards till 2016 accounts for about 830 crore tons of which 77% are made to waste and found mostly in oceans and other water bodies. And in this, 12% were burned and only 13% were recycled. (Source: Shasthra Sahithya Parishad's material on plastic pollution).
This shows the seriousness of Plastic as a pollutant and a waste..!!!
.
So any step towards reducing the use of single use plastics, that are the use-and-throw plastics, which are otherwise used for luxury counts.. It will also, in future, have a great impact on our life as well as on other animals...
.
So in this scenario, I would like to suggest you for a #NoStrawChallenge. Ok lemme explain this. Imagine you and your friends go to a shop and order something to drink, say an apple juice. Ask the person who brings you the food "not to put the Straw" so that you are comfortable without it. Its easy as that..! Does a juice without a straw be less tastier??? No..! Infact, you will be able to dip you lips into it and taste it fully..!! Wow... simple as that, isn't it...?? :)
.
Lemme put on some weight to the subject. Plastic straw does not seem like a big issue. But when its global usage is summed up, it creates a big problem to the environment and the life in it. Americans on an average use about 500 million straws everyday..!! Oh my dear Lord, 500 million straws...!! Then imagine, how much straw the whole world (I mean the human population only!!) Would be using a single day... That will be Soooooo much... Plastic straws are one of the mostly found ocean trash and they will take hundreds of years to decompose. And also their recycling is not easily done in the first place..!!
.
Plastic straws are also a nightmare to the marine life. Take for exampe the case of Olive ridley sea turtle which the researches found off the coast of Costa Rica. They had to remove a plastic straw which was stuck in it's nose. It is likely that the sea turtle accidentally swallowed the straw and got stuck in the nose trying to cough it out. Poor animal..!! Some flesh came out of it's nose and the bleeding was not stopping... Imagine if a straw got stuck in our nose and trying to take it out..! Many sea birds fall victim to plastic straw caused death...!!
.
These incidences show the need of the hour.. This seemingly small initiative of "saying no to plastic straw" may have profound effect in future and may help us find safer alternatives... So next time someone offers you a plastic straw, be responsible to refuse and politely say "No thank you".. Of course creative alternatives to plastic straw like the new "Pasta Straw" which are safer and edible are always welcome. :)
With a wide heart I invite my friends, sisters and brothers, lovers and lovers (I couldn't say haters) to this initiative and i would like to ask you to challenge your friends and their friends too for our collective step against single use plastic straws... Let's put our hands and say #NoPlasticStraw and we are in for #NoStrawChallenge.
Thank you
Ashiq Leo
إرسال تعليق