We all know that we are living in an extremely polluted environment right now. The temperature is either soaring or dropping most bizarrely, and from this, we can infer that climate change is indeed a real thing! Even the compositions of our homelands have taken a hit, making fresh groundwater a very scarce occurrence. While we can always debate about what’s the most horrifying thing we, humans, have done to Mother Nature that she’s punishing us this way, there’s one discovery we made that started this — the plastic!
Plastic indeed has become one of the most harmful materials to our nature. From harming wildlife and polluting oceans, to filling up most of the landfills without decomposing for decades, plastic has always been devastating to our planet. But, we, as humans have failed to realize it until recently. Plastic is cheap, very economical, and easy to make — which is why its use has become rampant. Today, you’ll find disposable plastics everywhere, such as PET bottles, plastic straws and bags, etc. Presently, humanity is producing roughly double its weight in plastic every single year. Therefore, the need to start a plastic-free lifestyle has become the need of the hour. This will help fix our environment and make it better before it’s too late. So, if you’ve been looking for ways to make your family a plastic-free one, here are a few affordable ways to do it. Read on.
If you are a keen observer, you’ll know that every single human on this planet earth uses a plastic brush to brush his/her teeth, right? According to our assumption, this can easily make plastic toothbrushes at least the second-largest plastic waste that is generated after plastic bags. Everything about a plastic toothbrush — its handle, the bristles — they are all made up of plastic which isn’t biodegradable even for a thousand years.
So, we think that switching to a bamboo brush can make a huge difference to the planet as it’s an alternative which proves to be way better for our environment.
Furthermore, bamboo is considered to antimicrobial in nature. There are many companies you’ll find that has taken up the initiative to promote the usage of bamboo brushes. So, go get yourself one and start making this planet a better place.
The plastic bottles, which we are so fond of to store our drinking water in, take at least 1,000 years to biodegrade and they end up producing toxic fumes when incinerated. This leads to an understanding that all the plastic bottles end up becoming litter at the end of the day. We also have another fact to add to this — the plastic from the bottles often makes way into the water we drink overtime. Therefore, it makes more sense to switch to eco-friendly ways of storing water, doesn’t it?
The best alternative that we suggest is to use handmade, biodegradable and reusable, clay bottles. These bottles are not just eco-friendly, but are also a healthier alternative and help keep the water cool. For eons, in India, clay pots have been used to store water at a low temperature to battle the scorching summer heat.
Bamboo Or Wheat Or Steel Straws
The danger that plastic straw poses can never be underestimated. We use a plastic straw for hardly just a few minutes, isn’t it? But, the harm that it’s causing our environment is long-lasting. Fragments of this plastic straw manage to seep into water and soil, thereby polluting the ecosystem. It also chokes marine life that mistakes it for food.
So, it’s time we bid goodbye to plastic straws and opt for healthier alternatives such as straws made of wheat, bamboo or steel. It’s best to buy and keep them in your bag, so that whenever there is a need for you to use a straw, take them out and use it.
Biodegradable Sanitary Pads
Every single month, more than a million non-compostable sanitary napkins are dumped into landfills, sewage systems, water bodies, and fields in India. All of this poses great health and environment risks. These pads are made with 90 percent plastic and once soiled, they become a part of the environment for the next 800 years at least.
The alternative to these would be to use organic cotton sanitary pads that can be washed and reused again. Even the silicone menstrual cups can be considered as a better and less harmful alternative when compared to plastic woven sanitary napkins.
Earthen And Cast Iron Cookware
We crave for fascinating cookware with Teflon coating on them. While such cookware doesn’t indicate any harmful effects immediately, it’s when the non-stick coating starts to wear off, it starts to release perfluorocarbons into the food being cooked and also, into the surrounding air (1). This can lead to the development of chronic diseases like cancer.
Instead, we can opt for cookware which is made of cast iron, steel or even clay. The earthen cookware, especially, has many benefits. They absorb moisture as they have a porous nature and they help circulate the heat slowly through all the food that is being cooked — it makes the food aromatic and retains maximum nutrition as well.
These were some of the many eco-friendly alternatives that we can choose to make our planet a better place to live in. We pledge to start our eco-friendly journey from this very minute by making use of these healthier alternatives. Will you join us in this pledge too? Let us know in the comments section below.
Latest posts by Shivani K (see all)
- The Number Of Social Media Followers That Makes You A ‘Celebrity’ - September 4, 2019
- Studies Confirm That The Second Child Is More Unruly Than The First One, And Parents Agree - September 4, 2019
- 5 Reasons — Why You And I Can Never Be The Perfect Daughter-In-Law? - August 30, 2019
- 6 Bollywood Celebrities Who Faked Their Relationship For Publicity - August 30, 2019
- Bollywood Films That Gave Us Friendship Goals - August 29, 2019