The Statistic That Really Hit Home for Me

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting on the couch doing some work while Jason watched a show on Discovery or Planet Green or History or some other informational learning channel. I was halfheartedly listening because it was interesting, but I was busy with my work.

Suddenly, through my haze of work, I heard something that made my blood run cold. I shut my computer and made Jason rewind the show, just so I could make sure that I'd heard correctly. Sadly, I had.

You see, this show was about the Earth and the things that we do to it -- the way that it's changing and the way that it will continue to change, if we don't start altering our lifestyles. So, what was the statistic that startled me? Of all of the plastic that has EVER been manufactured in the world, NONE of it has broken down or biodegraded. None. Not one single piece.

It's stupid, really, that I hadn't realized that before. I guess it makes sense because we know that plastic can be damaging. And, after watching this show, I learned just exactly HOW damaging.

How many bottles of water have I consumed in my life? How many prescriptions have I had filled? How many plastic cups or utensils have I used? How much plastic have I actually thrown away in my life? Way too much.

In the past several years, I've made an effort to recycle, but I often get lazy about it and throw it away because it's easier -- my city doesn't offer curbside recycling, so I have to haul it to the recycling center. There have been more than a few times when I haven't wanted to mess with storing boxes or bags of recyclables until I had time to make it to the center.

No more. From here on out, I'll be storing my recycling at home and making a trip to drop it off each week. I don't care that it's a little frustrating and not the easiest option. I want to do my part to make sure that our little round planet is beautiful for generations to come.

One person can't make a huge difference, but each person makes at least a small one. If we all band together and commit ourselves to recycling instead of trashing, we can make a much bigger impact. Join me, won't you?