I don’t know the person who made the comment, but it popped up because I’m connected to someone who added their thoughts — which, and I’m paraphrasing here, were along the lines of: “See, there’s no point fixing it. We might as well just keep going.”
I was a little surprised by his candour, and my surprise quickly turned into anger and frustration. I’m sure it’s been more than a year since this happened, but it’s clearly still bothering me. And I don’t remember anyone getting upset with his honesty. Maybe it’s just me?
I don’t know if he knew what happened in the 80s, but a hole in the ozone layer was discovered, and CFCs were identified as one of the culprits. They were used in aerosols, refrigeration and other applications. And of course, being the 80s, there was probably an influx of hairspray being manufactured (I’m kidding, but it may also be a little true).
Decision-makers around the world came together in Montreal and established a phase-out of ozone-depleting substances.
Manufacturers adapted, and the ozone layer is recovering. It’s not fixed yet, and it will take years, but we didn’t say, “See, there’s no point. We might as well keep going.”
It was an international success. Manufacturers adapted, and we all survived. We still have hairspray.
So when there are comments such as “there’s no point” when it comes to plastics, it does push my buttons. It’s also disappointing that plastics are making a mess of our oceans, but I guess if you can’t see it, it’s probably not there.
A few weeks ago, I grabbed a refill bag and felt good about my decision until I realised it wasn’t recyclable. I was so annoyed with myself for making an assumption when I should have read the back label. Lesson learnt this time around, but sometimes it feels never-ending.
We’re all so busy these days, and having to check the back of every container for ingredients and then again for packaging information is time-consuming. It’s even harder when we’re shopping online.
I guess I just wanted to share this with you. I know it’s hard to try and do the right thing every day, but if we all take those tiny steps, hopefully we’ll be in a better place sooner rather than later — and find out that there actually is a point.
Till next time,
Loretta xxx