Plastic Free July: have some fun with it

If you haven't gotten the memo, our ocean - and yes, it is one ocean - is being choked with plastic. As the inimitable Dr. Sylvia Earle, founder of Mission Blue - which provides marine-protected areas around the globe - reminds us, our very life here on Earth depends upon this ocean. The plastic, such as in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Gyre, contributes to altering the ocean's chemistry by absorbing C02. This causes what is called acidification, and this inhibits the ability of marine life to consume necessary nutrients, while eating away at calcium carbonate in their shells.

This is Plastic Free July, a movement to draw awareness to the danger of plastic - not only for we humans but for our animal friends and most importantly the planet and our future Earth. Businesses, non-profits and individuals seem to be stepping up this year in a way I cannot remember in previous years. It's not just the storied young who care, either. Earle is in her eighties, for example. There are many, many people who care, from grandmas to small children.

One of the happy ways to celebrate Plastic Free July is by buying alternative products for your child. One company showing the way forward is Green Toys, out of my home state of California, in Sausalito. Their products are made with 100 percent recycled milk jugs, and they purport that their boxes are printed in biodegradable soy ink as well. Every pound of recycled milk jugs saves enough energy to power 3,000 AAA batteries, they claim.

Shore Buddies plush collection is another adorable toy line and is made from 100 percent recycled plastic bottles. Kids learn all about the importance of marine life and keeping the ocean clean in an accompanying Plastic Ocean book. The plush collection features a delightful array of cushy characters including Stephen Seagull, Shelly the Sea Turtle and Finn the Dolphin. They even make authentic animal sounds when pressed (I have Sammy the Seal.)

Finally, a fun way for your wee one to eat her veggies and morning oatmeal comes in the guise of Miniware and their "Little Foodie Set". I would have loved this as a child. It is eco-friendly and dishwasher safe; the bowl, plate, cutlery, cup and lid are made entirely of plant-based biodegradable and petroleum-free products. The bowl lid, spoon and straw are 100 percent food grade silicone. The bowl lid and straw are made from 100 percent food grade silicone. Plastic is extraced from crude oil, which is non-renewable, whereas silicone comes from renewable silica found in the sand.

Other ways to cut or curtail your plastic use include committing to bringing only your washable cloth bag to the store; using only reusable or paper straws; and swapping your plastic toothbrush for a reusable, electric or battery-powered brush with changeable brush head.

When Covid hit, many people forgot that climate change was still our primary battle here on Planet Earth. We have survived plagues. We are not guaranteed survival on a planet with temperatures rising as quickly as they are. Plastic choking the ocean and littering our natural spaces is not only a blight but a health hazard. Plastic bits get into the stomachs of fish and ultimately into your food supply. Do your part.

Find out more about Plastic Free July.

Images: 1, 2 - A little boy, Noah, plays with a Green Toy "Cargo Plane". Used with permission. 3. Shore Buddies' "Sammy the Seal" with book by Claire Forshaw and Malte Niebelschuetz, founder of Shore Buddies; 4. A Miniware dish set, photo used with permission