I have never been an avid recycler or one who thinks about it very much. However, recently I have become very aware of how much plastic is wasted, the problems it causes, and what I can do about it. With the popularity and talk of “going green” and saving the environment, I decided that this topic was an appropriate one. I chose to create a six slide power point presentation discussing why I began noticing the problem and what we can do to help it. I chose to only discuss plastic issues because I wanted to keep it simple since I was only creating six slides.
The first slide in my power point simply introduces my topic and tells how I have noticed how wasteful people can be and while there are many people who are making the problem worse, there is also a growing population of people who are trying very hard to help but cutting back on their plastic use in order to help the environment. I chose to use only green font on the first slide to convey the point that my presentation include a lot about recycling and why it is important for our environment and for our health.
My second slide is about excessive packaging. I first began noticing excessive plastic packaging while at work. When we get boxes and packages from the shipping department, items are constantly wrapped with way too much plastic. Small and unbreakable toys like whistles will be wrapped in multiple layers of plastic and bubble wrap and then placed in separate plastic bags. Stuffed animals are also placed in individual plastic bags. I find this ridiculous, so I began saving the all the bubble wrap that I could from the packages so we can reuse it in the store. On the second slide I also included some food items that people have reported to have the most unnecessary packaging, like Lunchables. I included a picture of a bunch of plastic packaging.
The third slide is about plastic bags. I stated how I now ask every customer if they want a bag before just giving them one, and I found that nearly half of the customers say no. I also included various facts about plastic bags like the fact that if one person uses five plastic bags per week, in a year they use 260 bags. I included a picture of a piece of land covered in plastic bags and trash, and an image of a person whose torso says “say no to plastic bags”.
My fourth slide concerns tote bags and what a big help they are. I have noticed a huge increase in the amount of people who use tote bags and who encourage others to do so as well. It is good to see that stores like Meijer and WalMart sell these tote bags and encourage people to use them instead of plastic bags. I included some facts on this slide like how plastic bags do not biodegrade, but photodegrade, which means that they slowly break down into tiny pieces that contaminate the environment.
The fifth slide talks about plastic water bottles and how it is not that hard to cut back or even stop use of them. I used to use them constantly and even throw them away in the trash rather than recycle them. If we are lucky enough to live in an area like southeast Michigan where the tap water is safe, that is what we should be drinking. I included some images of plastic water bottles on this page, as well as some facts including how bottled water is not tested as much as tap water is.
My last slide of the presentation is all about very simple things we can do to cut back on our plastic use. I added an image of a recycling container and an image of ziplock bags. I stated how we are much more likely to recycle if there are recycling containers in sight alongside trash cans, so it does make a difference to encourage places to add recycling containers. I included tips like to buy food in bulk, and invest in a Britta water purifier to clean your tap water if you are concerned that it is harmful.
I am glad that I chose this topic for my project because I believe that if people realize that there are many simple things they can do to help, they will be more likely to make an effort. It does not take much to make a difference.
sources:
http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/149/1/Impact-of-convenience-packaging.html
http://earth911.org/plastics/facts-about-plastic-bags
http://ezinearticles.com/?Bottled-water-Harms-You-And-the-Planet&id=1176232
3 comments:
This is such a good topic! My dad designs hydrogen engines and we are kind of a big recycler family but i dont hate those that dont!
these topics and ideas need to be heard by everyone so that our planet doesn't boil away!
i am sooo looking forward to this presentation!
good essay :]
I really like your presentation! Where I work, there is an excessive amount of packaging for clothing. A lot of our clothes come in a plastic bag and also contain tissue paper layered inside the garment! I like how you used green font as well :) Nice job!
I completely agree! Bags which we deem as disposable are not actually disposable. Plastic is a hard substance to break down in nature. I also agree that bags would serve a better purpose if they were reused. In my house, we reuse plastic bags for things around the house. As for tote bags, I hope that this idea sinks in, because it is something that doesn’t pollute our environment and is not a waste of material. I would like to see how you advocate for this subject.
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