PLASTIC IN THE ENVIRONMENT
Nowadays everyone knows there is a serious issue with plastic in the environment. Everyone knows about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and about how micro plastics are everywhere. But as divers, we have an opportunity to see firsthand how this affects our favorite places to be. It becomes our duty to care for the places we love so much and show others how to do the same.
With single-use plastic becoming such an issue, many forms of government are now stepping in with bans on single-use plastic products. As a result, most people have some reusable grocery bags, and a travel mug or two. But from there, most people tune out the issue. It's been brought up so many times, what can we do? While most of the global environmental impact is caused by a relatively small group of “industry leaders”, small changes by individuals don’t go unnoticed. Here are some things you as a diver can do to help reduce plastic in the environment, that you may not have thought of before.
Support Brands That Care
Money talks. Use your money to say what you believe in. When you’re buying new gear, choose to buy from brands that use recycled materials and packaging, or have other efforts to protect the environment.
Apeks – Apeks is well known for having some of the best regs on the market, as well as gear to suit all your other diving needs, but did you know they’re also eco-conscious? Their gear is all made in their factory in the UK which has 400 solar panels on the roof of the building. The company can produce all their own energy as well as reduce their carbon footprint by 50 tones a year! On top of that, 100% of their general waste is now turned into biofuel, which goes on to provide fuel for heating in other industries. All their packaging is now single-use plastic free, with most items being in just cardboard or paper for easy recycling. Finally, they have also recently come out with their newest reg, the Ocea, which is the most environmentally friendly reg on the market. It's made from recycled materials and bio-plastics!
Fourth Element – Fourth Element is known for its exposure protection. If you want to stay warm, layer up in some Fourth Element products and you’ll be nice and toasty! But did you know these products are also good for our planet?! They have an entire Ocean Positive line that is made from re-generated materials, including recycled fishing nets and bottles! Some of my favorite gear (including both my swimsuits and my Xerotherm hoodies) is made from re-generated materials! Their packaging is single-use plastic free, and most items come in paper or cardboard which is easily recyclable. The few things that are still wrapped in “plastic” are actually wrapped in a dissolvable, compostable material. Their headquarters also has solar panels which accounts for 60% of its power! Fourth Element is really nailing it when it comes to brands that care for the ocean!
Use a Backpack
These days everyone knows they should be using a re-usable bag when they do their shopping. Many stores don’t even offer plastic bags anymore; if you need a bag you have to buy one of their reusable ones! But did you know these re-useable bags usually aren’t much better for the planet?
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In 2020 the United Nations Environment Programme issued a report titled “Single-use plastic bags and their alternatives, recommendations from Life Cycle Assessments" which looks at the entire ecological impact of single-use plastic bags and their alternatives. The report takes case studies from around the world and factors in the bag's entire life cycle; from manufacturing to its end of use, be it from being thrown away, recycled or lost. While the report looked at a wide range of plastic bags and their alternatives, I’m only going to focus on the most common ones here:
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LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene): A thermoplastic polymer that can be produced from fossil or renewable resources. It is strong, flexible and relatively transparent. It doesn’t degrade in biological waste processes.
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PP (Polypropylene): A thermoplastic polymer often used in packaging and labelling. It has comparable properties to polyethylene but is harder and more heat resistant. It does not degrade in biological waste processes.
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PE (Polyethylene): A hard and rigid thermoplastic, commonly used in packaging. Conventional polyethylene is produced from fossil fuel feedstock.
The report details how the ecological impact of each type of re-usable is reduced depending on the number of uses per bag. Unfortunately, the report has also found that the average American only re-uses a reusable bag 3.1 times. The report found:
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Reusable LDPE bags need to be used 5-10 times more than single-use bags
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PP bags need to be used 14.6 times to be competitive with single-use plastic bags
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Reusable PE bags need to be used 4 – 20 times if they’re made from virgin material, or 8 times if made from recycled PE
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Cotton bags need to be used 50-150 times to be environmentally competitive to single-use bags
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With this information we can clearly see that just buying a new bag every week for groceries isn’t doing anything to help the environment. What we can do is use more multi-purpose bags for our shopping. Instead of using the cheap Walmart or Save-on-Foods bags, bring a backpack or a duffle bag; something that you already own and will continue to use for a wide variety of things for many years. We are only human, and sometimes we will forget to bring our bags and must buy new ones, but by adding as part of your shopping routine to bring a backpack and load your purchases in it, you’ll be helping the environment in a major way.
Celebrate with Paper and Plants
When we think of celebrating an exciting event or accomplishment, many people instantly think of balloons. From the classic birthday balloon to balloon arches over parades and marathons, nowadays almost everything can be celebrated with a balloon, but these festive favors frequently end up in the environment harming wildlife. Because balloons are so lightweight, they tend to escape the party and end up where they shouldn’t.
A couple of years ago, an excess of balloons being pulled out of Howe Sound prompted me to write an article for the Marine Life Sanctuaries Society, titled Balloons, Celebration or Devastation. The article details the environmental impact of balloons in our local environment. If you don’t want to read another article, the short of it is that balloons create trash in our oceans that then ends up entangling marine life, or in the stomachs of marine life.
A better alternative to balloons is to use paper or plant party favors. Bouquets of flowers, wreaths, and woven vine all make beautiful decorations for your special event and are fully compostable. Live plants are even better! If nature can’t be used for your desired aesthetic, paper banners, streamers and signs can also be used and then recycled after the event.
Give Experiences
On the topic of celebrations, the subject of gifts is also commonly brought up. While a gift can be a great way to show someone you care about them, they can also be quite wasteful. Whether we’re talking the actual waste of wrapping paper and packaging, or the potential waste of buying another “thing” that a person may not want or need, gifts can create unnecessary excess. Let's face it, at some point we’ve all received a gift that we don’t really want or like, and it just sits around taking up space; another “thing” in the closet.
A great alternative to this is to give experiences instead. Buying someone a thing to do, like a ticket or course, can still show that person you care, and it won’t go to waste. Buy your dive buddy a charter; the two of you can spend the day going out on the boat together and enjoying an activity. Sign your relative up for a Discover Scuba Diving to introduce them to your hobby. Even something like buying an Air Card is a wonderful way to give an experience... it’s something we all need for our dives, so it won’t go to waste.
Giving experiences gives your loved ones new ways to do things, instead of just having things. It can also result in a great bonding experience if you choose to do the experience with them. Plus, if it does happen to be a miss for what they’re interested in, at least there is not product taking up space that they won’t use.
There are so many ways to reduce the waste you create. You probably are already doing a few (or a lot) things to try to help our environment and reduce how much single-use plastic you use. While lists like this are common, hopefully this list gave you a few new ideas. Still remember to bring your travel mug and reusable water bottle wherever you go, but always be on the look out for new ways to help our planet!