“Only we humans make waste that nature can’t digest” - Capt. Charles Moore, Algalita Marine Research Foundation 

For those of you following this blog, you will know that I have spent the last few posts talking about plastics and the consequences of using them. In our modern lives, we use and discard an extraordinary amount of plastics. For example, in the United States we use and discard over 4 Million plastic cups everyday. Doesn’t seem like much, until you find out that the 4 Million cups were used and discarded on airplanes. Think about that, 4 Million plastic cups per day so we can have a little drink on the airplane.

Most of the plastic produced today is used for a short period of time then thrown away. In reality, there is no “away” traditional plastics don’t biodegrade within any useful time scale. They are poisoning wildlife and consequently poisoning the food chain. The 4 Million cups used everyday on airplanes are used only for a few minutes before they are collected by the flight attendants and discarded. From there, they spend the next 1000 years or so in a landfill or possibly as litter in the oceans. 

The following video is from the TED Conference and does a wonderful job outlining the challenges plastics pose. 

From presentations like this it is clear that mass plastic production is a problem. As designers, we have the unique opportunity to stop plastic consumption at its source and help save the oceans from a slow plastic suffocation. As business owners and employees it is our duty to look for alternatives when possible and to challenge designers to come up with solutions to our plastic addiction. As consumers we have the power to act responsibly and  help minimize the harm of plastics that are being used. We have the power to purchase alternatives, to recycle the plastic we do use.

Photo Credit: therapycatguardian from Flickr under Creative Commons

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