#Plastic Patrol

"Single Use Plastics and Complacency. Major room for improvement in these two slices of the pie"

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The bummer of this post is that I needed pictures of trash in the streets to write it. I hopped on my bike and had the pictures within an hour...

I want to use this article to do two things. One, promote the amazing movement that is #PlasticPatrol. Two, to call out my own bullshit, because maybe, you might be stewing in the same B.S.

First, Plastic Patrol. Created by Lizzie Carr of the United Kingdom, Plastic Patrol is a wonderful movement with the goal of eliminating single use plastics and cleaning up local waterways...and guess what, they're using paddle boards to do it! The idea behind this movement is simple, using their app you can snap a photo of the plastic you find outside, tag the location and if you can identify the brand behind the plastic, please do so. This does two things. With enough users uploading photos Plastic Patrol can target major cleanup areas that are experiencing the most uploads and center their efforts in these areas. It also allows for hard data to be used against those who are behind the manufacturing of single use plastics (cough cough! Nestle...Coca Cola).

Check out their website here.

https://plasticpatrol.co.uk

Plastic Patrol was created in the UK and therefore is growing from its epicenter. Let's bring this movement to the States because there's no denying we need it here just as badly.

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Second, I want to highlight my own shortcoming when it comes to stating that "I care about the environment". They say change starts with you so here it goes. There's no need to direct attention towards others when it comes to global issues if you're not doing everything in your power. I want to put myself out there and air it all out. Here's what I'm doing wrong.

"Calling someone out at the gas station for throwing their cigarette butt on the ground then walking inside and buying a Gatorade is like the villain calling the criminal immoral"

Being an outdoor junky and one who appreciates a walk through the forest as much as a walk along the coast I sure am not doing much to take a step forward in protecting this planet. I've been hiding under the complacent umbrella of "I'm not littering, I bike to work, I call people out when they throw their trash on the ground, etc." All I'm really doing here is...nothing. This is called treading water. Calling someone out at the gas station for throwing their cigarette butt on the ground then walking inside and buying a Gatorade is like the villain calling the criminal immoral. In fact, that cigarette butt will take anywhere from 18 months to 10 years to decompose. TEN YEARS!?! What a jerk! Do you know how long my Gatorade bottle will take to decompose? FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS!!! My great great grandkid might be picking up that bottle. If that doesn't make you sink back in your chair and look around the room in disbelief....ooofta, nothing will.

You know what else I do often? I'll tell ya...

I've grown complacent. There's so much trash on the streets here in Portland that I've become accustom to walking passed it. I hardly bat an eye anymore. It's part of the scenery here and I've grown used to that.

Some mornings I wake up and crave a smoothie. It really is the best breakfast. I'll walk downstairs passed my blender and frozen fruit, yogurt, milk and bananas, grab my keys and walk to KURE Juice four blocks away to buy a $7.00 smoothie that they politely hand me in a plastic cup with a plastic straw. Delicious...

Everyday that I bike into work because it's the "Green Way" I bike right passed an abundance of trash. Everyday I think "man I should spend some time cleaning this stuff up". Everyday I don't.

Downstairs I have a stock of dehydrated fruit because it's the perfect food to bring with me on my hikes and paddling adventures. This fruit is sitting inside a plastic bag.

-I buy Gatorade

-I buy Vitamin Water

-As much as I try to refrain I somehow end up with a plastic bag at least once a week

-I allow the overwhelming plastic problem to overshadow my efforts, leading to a lack in effort

-I buy prepackaged salads and sandwiches

-I stress out about plastic, I think about how many people are on this planet and see it as a problem with no solution

-I use plastic lighters instead of matches or refillable lighters

-If I'm buying food from a food truck I want to eat it right away, plastic fork please

-I frequent the grocery store more than I do the farmers market

-I own ziplock bags and I use them

The point is this, you might be like me and love getting outside. You might not necessarily be contributing to the plastic problem by throwing your plastic out on the streets, yet you still may be voting for plastic manufacturing with your dollars. Maybe you wish there was less plastic floating around your environment but you're not putting any energy towards eliminating this. Let's do this.

Here are the steps I'm going to focus on taking to reduce my plastic footprint. If you find yourself in a similar boat with plastic floating all around you maybe these steps will help you too.

-No longer purchase single use plastic. This means Gatorade, Powerade, Vitamin Water, prepackaged pre-made foods, smoothies, etc.

-100% say no to plastic bags

- Do as much of my grocery shopping as I can at Farmer's Markets

-Leave for work an hour early whenever I can to pick up trash along the way. Use my time off to pick up trash and never walk passed a piece of trash on the hiking trail

-Bring my camping utensils with me if I know I'm going to the food trucks

-Bring my own reusable Tupperware when I go out to eat rather than use their plastic togo containers

-Bring a container with me when I paddle board to pick up trash in the waterway

-Educate myself on proper recycling habits

-Stop using plastic bags to wrap my produce

-Cook my own food

I want to see less plastic and there are changes that can be made in my own life to help get there. Caring about plastic is not a fad. Either plastic is going away or we are. It's not just the animals that are endangered.