Back by Popular Demand: The Green Maven Blog!

By Chris Wynn & Sharon Smaller

Hello and welcome back to the Green Maven blog after a hiatus. This blog is designed to educate, inspire, and hopefully motivate you to act on behalf of the planet and all living things. 

Every year our Dayenu Circle (Beth Emet’s green team)  focuses on a different aspect of the environment and climate action. This year we are exploring the health concerns over plastics, especially microplastics.

Microplastics are tiny, tiny pieces of plastic that break down from bigger pieces of plastic. They can be the size of a wedding band to a fraction of the width of one human hair. We’ve been learning about how they impact our bodies, the environment, and what you can do about it. 

Annually, 19 million tons of plastic pollution enter the environment, which can then degrade into microplastics. This amount is expected to increase in the coming years.

One of the takeaways from our investigation into this topic is that the latest medical research reveals that microplastics have been found throughout our bodies. Further, researchers have found a connection between microplastics and certain health problems, such as diabetes, reproductive health, and some forms of cancers. 

To dive deeper into this topic, we suggest you listen to this recent NPR segment about microplastics that features a discussion with two science researchers. https://the1a.org/segments/the-big-problems-with-microplastics/

While the researchers discussed how our microplastic exposure is everywhere, here is a key point: We can have some control of important exposures, especially in our homes, enabling us to improve our indoor environment with respect to microplastics. 

One of the best things we can do is to reduce our reliance on plastic in everyday use. For example:

• Store food, especially hot items, in glass and metal containers, whenever possible, rather than plastic.
• Refrain from heating up food in plastic containers in the microwave.
• Bring a reusable glass or stainless steel water bottle whenever you are out and about.
• Use a reusable stainless steel coffee mug. (Double-Wall Stainless-Steel Coffee Mug — Portable Travel Tumbler | Lothian Coffee )
• Refuse the plastic straw or get a reusable stainless steel one.
• Put a reusable bag in your purse or backpack and use it instead of a single-use plastic bag.

These are all small things that you can do, but as we are learning, convenience can be a hazard to our health and the environment. Individuals can take action to create a better world while more systemic change occurs through policy and governmental channels. 

Jane Goodall, the renowned conservationist and world’s leading expert on chimpanzees, lived her life philosophy  that hope is action through her work. This means that hope is not a passive feeling, but a motivator for taking steps, however small, which can turn hope into a positive impact for the environment.

In our next month’s blog, look for a new feature called Stump the Green Maven where we will answer Beth Emet members’ challenging questions about recycling, composting, storing food, reducing our carbon footprint in our homes, and more. 

If you’d like to reach us with your questions or ideas for future blog posts, please email us at: bcwynn@sbcglobal.net