Have you
ever thought about your relationship with the environment? Most of the time, we
think of relationships as something between people. But how we treat the environment
affects us. Isn’t that similar to relationships with people? I’ve been a
long-time recycler of cardboard, plastic, glass and paper, but today I made the
commitment to add microplastics to my list of environmental concerns.
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As I was
squeezing the last drop of Noxzema Ultimate Clear Anti-Blemish Daily Scrub from
its tube this morning, I thought of the resolution adopted by the Traverse City
commissioners urging residents to avoid using personal care products containing
microbeads. I also wondered…how do I know if my face soap contains microbeads,
so I did a little research.
From my husband, who works at Inland Seas Education Association (schoolship.org), I
already knew that microplastics is becoming an environmental issue for the
Great Lakes. Since these tiny plastic beads do not biodegrade, they are there
forever. As they float on the surface of the water, they collect “stuff” and
fish mistake them for food. Fish eat them, and since we eat fish, we are eating
plastic. Sounds yummy. There are current studies being conducted on the impact
of microplastics on the food chain, but I’m not waiting for their results to
change my purchasing habits.
Microplastics
can be found in exfoliating face washes, body washes, body scrubs, hand sanitizers
and toothpaste. The ingredient listed is usually polyethylene, but could also
be polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate or nylon.
I’m not a scientist, but I can read labels. (By the way, my face scrub is
microbead free. It’s made by Unilever who has promised “to phase out plastic
scrub beads from personal care products…by 2015” according to beatthemicrobead.org.
It contains Jojoba Esters instead of plastic.)
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| http://waterandmoreblog.com/2013/04/13/ uncovering-great-lakes-garbage-patch/ |
So what am I
going to do to protect the environment from microplastics. First of all, I’m
telling anyone who reads this about the issue so that they can be aware and
share it with others. Next, I’m going to read the label of products before I
buy them and not purchase products that contain microbeads. Other people are
contacting manufacturers or pushing for legislation to stop the production of
products using microplastics. Protecting our resources is important for our
future generations and the relationship they will have with the environment.
Think of the movie Wall-E where the earth becomes inhospitable due, in part, to
environmental problems. I don’t want that, do you?
