The information we actually know about Covid-19 is changing almost daily. The rules in place during the COVID 19 pandemic has affected grocery shopping and forced people to take plastic bags. This is a double problem of potentially hurting humans and DEFINITELY harming the environment.
Plastic Making Our Planet Unhealthy
Covid-19 is making humans sick, but plastic is making our entire PLANET unhealthy!
In California, we had finally made some headway and people had to bring their own bags to grocery stores or pay for plastic. Unfortunately, that law didn’t apply to other types of stores such as big-box pharmacy stores (CVS, Walgreens, etc.). People still take plastic bags that are rarely recycled and just adding to more plastic that will never biodegrade. The entire state of California has a coastline that gets polluted from various items of plastic that NEVER biodegrades!
We have been told that Covid-19 can live on many surfaces for varying amounts of time. That’s led to new rules in many states that you can’t bring your own reusable, sustainable bags when you go to the grocery store. That is CRAZY!
If a checkout person is touching your plastic bag, and the bag has the virus, why is the plastic preferable? It isn’t. If you bring your own reusable shopping bags that stay in a disinfected shopping cart, and then pack it yourself you are keeping yourself safe and protecting the environment as well!
Amazon Making Billions While Polluting with MORE Plastic
COVID -19 is forcing people to forgo trips to their local stores and instead make purchases online from Amazon. While Jeff Bezos has increased his wealth exponentially, the number of packages being delivered in plastic that cannot be recycled or reused has grown as well!
What can you do to live more sustainably? Don’t take plastic bags! If you are in the grocery store and they won’t let you bring your bags in replace them into your shopping cart. If you came in a car, keep cardboard or your own reusable bags in the car and pack your groceries there!
Lessons From Covid-19
Homeschooling Your Children about the Environment
If your children are at home, you are now the science teacher. There are important lessons that you can teach them about how to protect their planet into the future. That’s by teaching them about plastic: what it is, where it comes from, and what happens to it when you don’t need it anymore. It never biodegrades.
You know, there was a time when there was NO PLASTIC?! And the human race still went on using alternatives to plastic!
That’s why I created “The Kids Kit To Save the Planet from Plastic Bags”. The booklet is a great science lesson (maybe you’ll learn something as well!). And then it becomes an art project for them to create their own lessons by decorating their bags. They will probably end up reminding you to bring THEIR bags whenever you go to a store! You can purchase them here.
After 9/11 people were nice to each other for a while. Try to bring that mentality back in your life and experience. You may be disgusted with people who scoff about this pandemic and don’t believe in it. They may not be wearing a mask, or they may not practice social distancing. But don’t engage in fighting with them. It takes at least TWO parties to fight. It’s not important enough to upset yourself and you will never change someone’s mind. Just move away from them and keep your cool. Getting angry and upset can only hurt YOU. Fighting is like picking up a hot coal to throw at someone else. It will end up burning you as well.
Stay safe- and be well. And protect our planet by living sustainably the best way YOU can!