How Was Your Coffee?

There is so much in the media about the perilous state of our planet.

Big floods in India, fires raging in Australia and Greece, hurricanes and typhoons destroying houses and flooding the land; mud-slides and mayhem, sea levels rising and whole islands of plastic mid-ocean. The guts of sea-birds bursting with plastic, the mother’s milk of polar bears tainted with plastics and pesticides.

Social media is alive with concern.  All media is alive with concern.  The conversations in cafes, bars and homes across the globe are fuelled by a rising tide of awareness that it is our activity is damaging our planet.

We cannot deny or claim ignorance any more. We all know. All of us, and certainly there cannot be a national leader or a CEO of any business, no matter its size, industry or location who does not know that things need to change.  Even if you are a denier of global warming being man-made, you cannot deny the pollution damage we are creating.

But … though there is much action it is not a collective effort. It is not enough.

The linear economy is not the future. It can’t be. We only have one planet. We must somehow convince all those in power that the circular economy is the only way ahead.

We know there are alternatives, but with industry driven to make money it is struggling to lead the charge. Industry must make a profit – it is not a dirty word. It is key to investment, innovation, improvement and security. We must all come together and recognise that there is a common enemy, a threat to mankind (and all sentient beings), and that threat is us!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  These 3 actions must be for us all.  I would like to add another “re-“ to that list – Refuse!

We, the consumer, must use our power to influence. We can refuse to use or buy something that we know is damaging to our world.  Our choice to “refuse” is extraordinarily powerful.  But we don’t, do we, the reality is we cannot be bothered, it is inconvenient to carry our own water bottle, it is inconvenient to carry our own coffee cup.  We cannot be bothered with the extra effort, so we continue buying plastic bottled water, using un-recyclable throw away coffee cups, even though we know we ought not.

It is incredible isn’t it?

We know. For goodness sake. We know, and we are affluent enough to do something about it – and here in the UK we are buying bottled water when our tap water is excellent; how crazy is that?  But we chose.

What are we waiting for? The Government? Legislation? Industry to lead the way? Can we not take control of our own lives and make the difference.  As Ghandi once said “Be the change you want to see in the world”.  We cannot rely on the 3 “R’s”, we must use the 4th – Refuse!

Refuse to buy plastic bottled water – carry your own water bottle

Refuse to buy coffee in a disposable and un-recyclable cup – carry your own cup

Our planet survival kit – a bamboo coffee cup and a water bottle.  We can all carry the “Planet Survival Kit” – the PSK.  A small symbol of a different way, a statement of our intent.

The Planet Survival Kit is, or should be, in our hands – Where’s your PSK?

Watch the BBC Documentary – Drowning in Plastic – https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bmbn47

Join Plastics Action – http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/11CnCQR0GJfkDgJs57sR5Ps/plastics-action

And carry your PSK – thank you

Manley