It was here I started to noticed the mixed messages in the community:
There was no recycling. And sadly, the bulk of our waste was plastic. Yet we had one option--the trash chute.
How is this possible in a community where all of this is in place:
- Environmental tourism was definitely key with the beach, kayaking, boating, biking, and other outdoor adventures.
- Everywhere we went, there were notifications about being aware of nesting sea turtles--encouraging beach patrons to turn off lights at night, using red-light flashlights so as not to confuse the turtles, not disturbing any nests that are found, and filling holes on the beach for safe passage.
- The clerk at the grocery store, as she was packing our items in a paper bag, said that they hadn't used plastic bags in this county for approx 5 years.
- Several of the restaurants we went to had either no straws or paper straws. One of the cafes we went to had in their menu that they were plastic-straw-free since 2016.
- Beach messaging was highly dedicated to leaving no trace behind.
Sadly, it's the world in which we live in. Add in, we are completely greenwashed in that recycling will solve the problem. Yet according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), globally, only 9% of plastic is recycled--which is better than the 4% of plastics that are recycled in the U.S. In the US, 73% of plastics land in the landfill.
How are we still here in 2023.
I have no answers, other than in part it starts in the stores and with production, and certainly ends in consumption (which has "quadrupled in the last 30 years"). That, and of course, the idea that we can--and should--do better!
Innovators! We need you to solve our problems! What can we do to have fewer mixed messages--not only the beach, but everywhere!
Image created at Canva.com
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