Trying to Avoid a Wall-e World

One of my all-time favorite movies is Wall·e. Like most of my other favorites (e.g., Princess Bride and Up), they are made for children but have messages that adults understand. At first glance, Wall·e may seem quite boring. Watching it in the elementary school cafeteria with our boys many years ago, I thought so too. Its “no-speaking” beginning had me yawning. The wastefulness, gluttony, and laziness displayed can also be disheartening. But they sprinkled in a little robot romance and message about protecting the Earth (even though it’s not the main message) and ‘Poof!’ it became a movie I talk about often.

I really want to minimize my footprint on this earth, but I have to admit that like any relationship it takes effort. I have to intentionally make decisions that aren’t always easy and sometimes might be uncomfortable. For example, we drove to Florida for vacation. Yes, I brought my refillable water bottle. No, I did not always refill it and sometimes drank bottled water. Every time I saw a plastic straw, I cringed, but accepted them more than I’d like to admit. Even though we brought a few reusable bags, we received plastic bags when we bought groceries. (We did use them for our recycling and in place of trash bags.)

Being on vacation and not in my normal routine or environment has also made me realize, even more, the waste that we as a society accumulate...the plastic cups and straws at restaurants, the trash on the beach, and the many landfills along the highways. But I have also witnessed positive signs...people picking up trash on the beach (even when it was not theirs) and recycling bins in many locations (often overflowing but being used). These examples do give me hope that our Earth will not become a Wall·e environment, at least in my lifetime. So I will continue to do my part in taking care of my small part of this planet as well the parts of it that I don't call home.

Update on My 50 List

• Went to a Red Wings game at Little Caesars Arena, but without Elliott. While it was supposed to be his 18th birthday gift, he and his hockey team decided to play so well this year that they won a spot in the Division 1 State Semi-final game. He obviously was not concerned about going to the game with us.
  
• In February I tried a chimichanga. Not too far out of my comfort zone as I love Mexican food, but I had not tried one before. Bonus is that while doing so, I spent some girlfriend time with my friend, Micki. February was actually a great month for girl-time as I went to the movies with Kim, had lunch with Karen and Tami, spent a weekend in Harbor Springs, and did a snowshoe hike with the ladies from my neighborhood! In March, Amy, Libby, and I went to the high school play, Legally Blonde. It was awesome!
• I completed my last course and renewed my teaching certificate.
• I got a couple of weeks behind in recording in my gratitude journal, positive things about me document, and inspirational notes sent. Back on track this week. 
• I can officially say that I’ve been attending a yoga class regularly and I’m counting it as one of my five days a week for exercising. Other days include walking/running, swimming, and/or lifting. 
• My first 5k run/race toward the 50k has been completed.
• Blog post for March ✔ 

Are Microplastics in Your Face Cleanser?

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.

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.)

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?