first i loved the sea. next i learned how trashed it is. then...
I Quit Plastics
now health is tops & life is rich with nature
DOWN WITH
Single-Use Plastics
Plastic does not decompose. It is a material meant to last, not designed for disposable items. The purpose of #IQuitPlastics is the reduce our dependence on single-use plastics. Such as one time use thin plastic grocery bags that fly around the city, into the ocean, choking a dolphin, and breaking into micro bits absorbing other pollutants in the sea, and threatening the rest of the creatures out there with their toxic microscopic selves for eons. Or a straw you suck a beverage from in five minutes that lasts 1000 years all the while getting lodged in turtle noses and committing other horrendous acts.
We are highly intelligent, innovative, and also dependent on the health of our planet; I believe we can do better than disposable plastics. This is how I quit plastics.
how could I possibly quit plastics
It is Everywhere!
This is precisely why we need to take a deep breath and give it a go. Fortunately, the step before quitting completely, is building awareness. Taking an audit of the plastic we use in our daily life will help identify common sources and areas for improvement. Remembering to keep the trash can be hard, so it helps to designate a jar, box, or area in the house to store and monitor all trash created. This holds us accountable, from the stickers on fruit to the lid on a coconut water to the tea bag packaging.
Reflect
What do I really need?
Sifting through the trash created over a two-week period reveals much about our lifestyle. Make a list of the rubbish and reflect on what could be skipped, planned ahead for, or done differently. Perhaps there are healthier choices to be made, both for the planet and our physical body. Success relies on our ability to get creative and plan ahead. It may take a while to build new habits and routines, but the benefits of cutting out plastic waste are tenfold.
WHY DO YOU CARE?
Check in with why quitting plastics interests you. Deep down do you care for the earth and know change begins with the individual? Are you keen to detox your life? Are you grossed out by the mass amounts of trash on the streets and in your house? Do you want to save money? Do you want to lose weight or eat healthier? Do you want a more poetic life and relationship with food and nature? Do you want to impress your peers with your eco-greenness? I don't care the "why," I’m psyched you’re after the how; but keeping it real, keeps it sustainable.
ACTION
There are plenty of ways to get involved beyond tweaking your personal life. In fact, once our life transforms it is probably best if we try to recruit the rest of the humans on board. I have tried my lcuk petitioning the government, persuading corporations, and feeding the media clever mermaid activist stories--I believe most in the people.
Let your conservation begin first with you. Be an example for your community and the rest of the world. Only then is it fair to preach or recruit..
SAVE THE MERMAIDS
We all love the majestic ocean. Scuba diving revealed intricate, interdependent marine eco-systems, which led to volunteering with Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society. Here I learned that plastic does not decompose, it gathers in the oceans where all currents converge such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and it acts as tiny sponges absorbing other toxins throughout it's practically infinite lifespan. Shocked and horrified, I assessed what I could offer to the movement. With a bunch of baben, ocean-loving friends, a knack for social media marketing, and absolutely no shame, we formed a non-profit organization with the hopes of educating our community--from the kids to the City Council members. We were successful in banning single-use plastic bags March 2013.
I QUIT PLASTICS
We are a community. This page is a platform where I share opportunities, retreats, events, products, educational material, etc.
It is a pleasure to share what I know and learn. I am not a technical wizard, so I apologise for any clunky sections. I hope you find this helpful and tune in to youtube or instagram if you want more!
WHO IS
PLASTIC FREE MERMAID
I am Kate Nelson. I am a water woman magical mermaid yogi goddess and I’ve been disposable plastic free for almost ten years now. I started my journey volunteering for Dr. Andrea Neal in Santa Barbara, California at Jean Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society. Dr. Dre taught me that plastic does not biodegrade & showed me how it was collecting in large swirling gyres in between continents. Shocked. Appalled. Horrified. I decided to venture out to the Great Pacific Trash Gyre with my magic merman pirate friend Joel (who built & sailed the Junk Raft with Dr. Marcus Erikson of 5 Gyres from San Fran to Hawaii). We collected samples with a trawling net designed especially for this purpose. The ocean was bright beautiful blue with only a toothbrush or plastic bottle or the occasional fishing net or rope-entangled paraphernalia floating past. When we pulled up the trawl, it was FULL of tiny micro plastics. We could not separate the micro plastics out from the plankton and small organisms. It was then that I realised the severity and scale of this issue.
I went HARDCORE. I lobbied government, I pitched to corporate, I spoke at schools all over the world, I met with any politician who would hear me, I founded a non-profit with my most magical sparkly mermaid friends to spread the word, clean beaches, and inspire a movement. and I QUIT PLASTICS. I stopped using disposable plastic bags, I stopped drinking water from disposable water bottles, I refused straws, I had my coffee for here.
It was not easy. Becoming AWARE of the TONS of plastic in my life was a massive wake up call. I was contributing to the garbage dump in the precious sea that I loved so much. It has taken me years. It has been an organic, natural, humbling journey full of learning.
The reason I have been able to sustain such a drastic shift, is because of the incredible results of eliminating plastic from my life. By abstaining from things packaged in plastic, I make my own. This causes me to hand select fresh ingredients, stock up my bulk spices in the pantry, blend and experiment just to my liking. All of this attention and care takes a bit more time, but there are no surprise chemicals and wouldn't you know, it makes my life richer. I know my farmers, I tend a garden, I eat fresh, I am healthy, I feel good. My life is more connected to nature than ever. I live simply. I live consciously. I live sustainably.
I am grateful to now have the opportunity to teach what I have learned & to continue learning from you all here in this inspiring community. THANK YOU for your support, words of encouragement, love, ideas, recipes, shifts, openness, & your authentic curiosity which brought you here. STAY open.
“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”
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