Plastic, Plastic Everywhere

We've been in Cape Town a week now; initially shocked to be jolted right into mid-summer, especially trying to adjust to a 10 hour time change. But, after not too many nights I can hardly remember the cold and rain of the past few months in California.

Our week in Boca Grande with Tim's parents pushed our clocks ahead three hours which helped. As did the weather. Florida is definitely milder than the San Francisco Bay Area, so we had a good transition to summer. During our layover in London we spent the day with Gareth, Naz and Cameron at the Black Horse Inn near Heathrow for a long lazy lunch - four adults, three dogs and a very busy 20 month old baby.

When we picked up our housekeys from a friend we learned that while we were in the air, on our way to Cape Town, a home three roads away from us was burgled. The couple living there were tied up but once the burglars had made off with their loot, the wife managed to untie herself only to discover her husband was dead. He had no injuries so could have had a heart attack or been suffocated. Chilling news so close to the house we rent.

Cape Town always gets me thinking of the environment. When I first arrived in California thirteen years ago I signed up for an Environmental Education class where I learned about waste, water, soil, agriculture, energy, population, advocacy, and more. One day a week for eighteen weeks I'd return home exhausted at the end of each intense learning day. Some of the classes were field trips to farms and nature reserves. Others were in a classroom listening to speakers who were all experts in their field. I was struck in so many ways by how badly we humans treat the planet.

I have never thought of myself as an activist but ever since that course I have been particularly aware of our addiction to plastic and I'm reminded of that every time I enter a South African supermarket where if something isn't already packaged it will get bagged by a determined staffer before you leave the store. Yes, it is possible to recycle but how many people are conscientious and do this? And isn't this placing the onus on the shopper? Shouldn't supermarkets take responsibility for bad packaging practice? Plastic never disappears. It will break down into smaller pieces but will be on our planet forever.

I always feel I am some sort of freak when I say "No plastic bag" in the store. One of the big supermarkets here doesn't weigh produce at the checkout. Instead an employee stands at a scale in the vegetable section weighing and bagging items, whether is is just one item or many. She then ties a firm knot in the bag and sticks a gluey price tag onto the outside. Do you think that bag gets re-cycled, let alone re-used?

One place where plastic ends up is the Great Pacific Garbage patch. In an area of ocean two times the size of Texas, debris circles endlessly, trapped in the North Pacific Gyre, some of it washed ashore onto remote islands in the Pacfic Ocean.

Some interesting watching & reading:
Two Ted Talks on YouTube - Beth Terry - Living Plastic Free & Charles Moore:Sailing the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Wikipedia definition - The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Los Angeles Times - Great Pacific Garbage patch a bigger worry than tsunami

If you are reading this take a look next time you're shopping. Be aware of all the plastic and think about where it will go. I know that the small bit I do will not make a significant difference, but it's my personal choice and I hope it sets an example and encourages others to do be more aware. Especially after examining the photo below, the insides of a juvenile albatross.

Plastic in the stomach of a dead albatross