Another Developing Addition for the Little Book on Applied Ecology: “Let’s Ban Plastic Bags Locally All Over the World!” by p.b. martin
This piece is about disposable plastic bags and rectifying at least this one aspect of our downright sinful ways. And I do wish to make it clear from the outset, that despite these anti-government, libertarian times, places, and people, and despite the prevalence of an anti-science sentiment, this particular human has no problems with using science, learning, carrots and sticks, and overt and covert behavior-modification in the fight to protect our Commons. Protection from plastics of the Commons, the Land, and the natural resource base of fresh and marine waters, soil and air (e.g., from pollutants from manufacture and other aspects of the life cycle of plastics), and healthy biodiversity including of daily solar-energy-transformers/or photosynthesizers is needed for regeneration and conservation of resilient, sustainable ecological community. We have a duty as citizens to educate, govern, and live in sustainable livelihoods toward a clean Land and natural environment of excellent quality for all humans and other organisms, in the present and the future.
As a Catholic, let me confess to some of our sins which aren’t necessary plastic, but nevertheless associated with plastics, as is almost everything in today’s world. “Bless me Father for we Haves have sinned considerably though the following behaviors:
• Eating and drinking too much, and exotically,
• Drying clothes other than on a line,
• Using cars,
• Building large air-conditioned homes with exotic landscapes,
• Flying and taking fossil-fuel guzzling ocean & river cruises, and
• Going to War.”
I do fully realize we are very flawed genetically and epigenetically as a species, and that this will not change significantly in the future. Nevertheless, this U.S.A. and international system of governance, laws and regulations, and education could be structured such that it steers us toward an ethos, values, and behaviors which would result in a better world, a neo-Earth, for all of us and for our progeny. We could and do blame the Donald Trumps of the world, and local, state, national, or international politicians, leaders, businessmen, and a variety of manipulators for our sins. However, ultimately, it is we ourselves who are to blame, and we ourselves must begin to individually and collectively initiate and realize real change at local levels.
But let me get back on track somewhat and a focus on disposable plastic bags. It makes no sense to depend on these serious polluters of our oceans and marine biota, significant transformers of quality energy, and disruptors of natural systems. Most all of us can lighten our footprints and help to regenerate and conserve a healthy Earth by swearing off disposable plastic bags.
For transporting purchases of food and other necessities, use washable cotton bags. Purchase fresh or dried foodstuffs (grown locally if possible including around and in your own home) in bulk and prepare them in a relatively efficient manner, avoiding use of electrical heat. Store much of your food in washable and durable glass.
And You/We can do it! During my years with my Louise and Alton Martin family in my home area in Devine, Texas in the 1950s and 60s, we did use some paper bags for groceries and other purchased products. However, to a large extent we adhered to the behaviors and practices recommended in the previous few paragraphs, primarily because disposable plastic bags and indoor automatic clothes dryers weren’t readily available, and because frugality, reuse, and local foods were the norm. … And for many of the same reasons, while living in Brasil in the early 1980s our young Betsy and paul martin family of five, for the most part did without disposable plastic or paper bags. We carried permanent bags when we were out shopping.
Nowadays because of too much of the types of the sad and deplorable mindsets and behaviors Aggie Clayton Williams called for in his serious stumble during the 1990 Texas gubernatorial race, whether I am in Brasil, central America, or in the U.S., the blight of disposable plastic bags can be seen everywhere. Moreover, the disposal bags are only part of the mass of plastic coming out of our stores each hour. In observing Seguinites leaving our HEB store, in addition to the unbelievable amount of disposable bags being used, sometimes with but one product per bag, there is the wide variety of products contained on and off the shelf by a comparable amount of plastic by weight to the amount of actual product, which also may be mostly of plastic. (In specifically focusing on food products in our grocery stores, it is no wonder that our nutrients cost so much more energetically today when compared to pre-WW II, and that it takes well over ten calories of input to produce, process, and transport each calorie of food we eat today in 2018. https://www.cias.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/energyuse.pdf https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/10-calories-in-1-calorie-out-the-energy-we-spend-on-food/ )
The current status of our plastic world, Eaarth, is absolutely sickening! Since plastic manufacturing began to take off in the 1950s, over 8 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced and are still around, and 100 billion plastic bags are used every year by U.S. citizens. Estimates are that 91% of manufactured plastics are not reused or recycled. And at the current rate of our trashing and polluting the oceans, by 2050 there will be more plastic biomass in marine environments than that of fish. http://billmckibben.com/eaarth/eaarthbook.html https://www.earthday.org/2018/03/07/fact-sheet-end-plastic-pollution/
[All of the drawings associated with the little book on applied ecology which I have posted on Paul Bain Martin FB page or at www.paulpeaceparables.com/ have been done by Miz Laura Salazar or my wife Elizabeth Martin . And I do appreciate their work very much!!!! pablo]
7Ss / VV->^^
pbm