Billions of straws are used once and thrown away every day. That's enough to fill 1000 school buses every 24 hours! Together with Justin Blaney we are joining over 1 million people with the #NOSTRAW challenge on June 5th to seek a greener future by pursuing healing for each our planet.
What is more, the European Union announced a plan to ban single-use plastic items. Items such as straws, plates, cutlery and cotton buds are among the plastic products prohibited, targeting the plastic products found in European oceans. Say no to straws for 24 hours and for ever!
Single use plastic products are neither beneficial to the economy and certainly not the environment. These proposals will incite change and promote the development of sustainable alternatives. If these regulations pass, Europe will be leading the world towards a more eco-conscious future, preserving the planets limited natural resources.
According to the Huffington Post: Consumers would save about $7.6 billion per year, 30,000 jobs would be created and about 3.7 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions would be avoided by 2030.
This policy is a bold step forward in reducing and regulating plastic consumption. We should always try to reduce our use of plastic items and recycle when we can.
WHY RECYCLE PLASTIC?
Conserve 80% of energy used to make new plastic products
Save the earth’s natural resources
Reduce greenhouse gases and pollution
Reduce the amount of plastic waste that goes into our landfills and oceans
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THE WASTE ALREADY SITTING IN OUR LANDFILLS?
Designers and furniture companies are leading by example in the UP-CYCLING
industry, repurposing plastic “trash” in ways that create modern furniture pieces for your home. This is a great way to fight waste and turn it into something beautiful, instead of using up our earth’s precious resources.
OUR TOP 10 FAVORITE RECYCLED PIECES
No.1
Entire space was created using recycled materials, the zero waste bistro introduces tableware and furniture from iittala and artek. a collage of recycled mediums comes together to form an all-blue bistro — a testament to the idea that one man’s trash can be another’s treasure.
No.2
The meltingpot sidetable is a made out of 96% reclaimed synthetics. Some of the materials include refrigerator interiors, lawn furniture, and other discarded synthetics coming together to create an artistic and eclectic side table coming in multiple sizes colors.
No.3
Coca-Cola and Emeco collaborated to solve an environmental problem: Up-cycling consumer waste into a sustainable, timeless, classic chair. Made of 111 recycled PET bottles, the 111 Navy Chair is innovative and sleek, and their bar stools take 150 wasted bottles out of landfills.
No. 4
Kula combines two different types of waste – wooden sawdust and plastic bags to manufacture stools without the use of resin or adhesives!
No.5
Sebastian Herkner designed a series of boldly colorful seating and tables that were inspired by a traditional weaving technique from the Caribbean coast of Columbia. Each piece is made of powder-coated steel frames with woven recycled plastic string.
No.6
All Pentatonic products are made from post-consumer waste without added chemicals. The Airtool collection is crafted to The Airtool Chair cushion is artfully crafted using fabric waste and saves about 10 lbs of trash. The Airtool Foil Table saves almost 50 lbs of trash - that’s 24 plastic bottles, >1 shoe soles, 165 food packages, and 1130 aluminum cans!
No.7
The HUSK B & B Italia chair is an elegant piece perfect for any dining room or living area. Each chair is made from Hirek technology which is 100% recyclable. The final result is extremely lightweight and durable that saves plastic from industrial waste materials.
No.8
Turn any floor green with a recycled PET rug made with recycled plastic water bottles! Each rug is ethically handmade and weather durable, making it versatile to use even in your high foot traffic indoor or outdoor spaces.
No.9
Instead of letting plastic bags sit in landfills where they can take more than 1000 years to breakdown, designer Carter Zufelt developed a process to transform plastic bags into practical and colorful desktop organizers, cubes, stools, and tables.
No.10
Made from reclaimed wood and 25 plastic bottles, IKEA shows consumers that plastic bottles are a resource, not waste. Each kitchen structure is expected last up to 25 years, making it a sustainable and affordable option that doesn’t sacrifice a sleek and seamless design.
WHICH PIECES IS YOUR FAVORITE?
SHARE YOUR QUESTIONS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
I challenge you to join over a million people around the world and say no to straws on June 5th, then tag at least one friend to do the same.