CONSIDER THIS
Be Informed
Consider this... should paper and cardboard be recycled?
Paper and cardboard are manufactured from wood pulp, sourced from plantation timber. If paper and carboard were buried, and more trees grown to meet increased demand, then CO2 is removed from the air by tree growth, and ultimately put back in the ground. This would be a small step in removing carbon from the air (that we have put there from burning fossil fuels), and putting it back in the ground.
Consider this... Tea Bags!
The most popular tea bags (excluding organic tea bags), are manufactured from
non-bio-degradable plastic mesh, which generates micro-plastics
non-bio-degradable plastic string
paper tag
sometimes a staple (depending on brand)
a recyclable cardboard box
cellophane wrapping around the box
And weirdly (or stupidlly) a lot of tea bags are packaged individually in a plastic satchel.
AND, the tea in tea bags is well, let's say average quality, usually low tea grades, such as dust and fannings.
Loose leaf tea comes in a recyclable paper bag, inside a recyclable cardboard box. That's it!
Oh, and loose leaf tea can be composted.
A great example of convenience over environment and quality.
Tea drinkers - do yourself and the planet a favour, buy organic tea bags or, a tea pot or infuser, and enjoy a better cup of tea
We have used this as one example of waste that is taken for granted every day.
Enjoy a pot of loose leaf tea, and do a bit for the environment.
For the non-tea drinkers, the coffee equivalent of a tea bag, is a pod.
Consider this... Construction!
Timber is sustainable. Cement, bricks and steel use large amounts of energy to manufacture. Cement production actually contributes a whopping 8% of total carbon emissions ref: BBC
and steel manufacture also contributes a further 8% of total carbon emissions.
A sustainable house would be properly designed to maximise the use timber materials with minimum amounts of cement, steel and brick. Insulation in walls, ceiling and underfloor will provide a comfortable low energy house.
Consider this... Smartphones!
Our computers last for many years, yet a smartphone is good for a few years. Ask yourself why is it that smartphone manufacturers can't provide updates instead of requiring purchase of a new phone every few years. After all, the body and screen still function the same. Battery life appears to have a planned obsolescence that leads consumers to believe the phone needs replacing. Throw out the 'old' one!!!
Manufacturers will do this in the name of profit, only because we as consumers accept it.
Consider this... Air Travel!
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner burns 5,400 litres of fuel per hour. The 20 hour flying time between Sydney and London uses 108,000 litres (that is 108 cubic metres) of fuel, carrying 296 passengers. That equates to 365 litres per person one-way, or for a family of four, 2920 litres return, which produces 7.38 tonnes of CO2. Add in a few connecting flights and the environmental cost is large (to say the least)
Our task at Easter Planet is for people to consider as individuals, how their normal day to day activities impact the environment, and then consider the impact if 1, 2 or 3 billion people are doing the same or similar things.