Environment
The 'P' Word.
That's 'Plastic' in case you were wondering. Words: Paul Chapman & Grace, Old Hall Junior School
Here at S40 Local we take the environment and our community very seriously. So when Grace, a pupil from Old Hall Junior School, wrote to us about our use of plastics, as a business, I felt we needed to respond and help promote the project. Over the page you will find the letter as it arrived, unedited and unchanged. It challenges us all to consider our use of single use plastics to see if we can change our ways. It is difficult but there are small changes that can be made that will hopefully, over the years, lessen the impact and reduce the footprint we leave on this planet. Grace suggests if every person made a simple change it would have a significant impact on our plastic filled oceans. S40's response to Grace included the following text: "As an individual I do take this issue seriously and try to eliminate single use plastic from mine and my family’s lifestyle where possible. As well as looking for ways to reduce single use plastics I am looking for alternatives to the other plastics we use at home. I buy as much of my fruit and vegetables as possible from the market where the produce is less likely to be pre-packed, and I buy a weekly organic vegetable box where most of the produce is loose and the box is returned week after week to the company to be re-used. We have our milk delivered in glass bottles by a milkman who collects and reuses the bottles and have recently purchased bamboo toothbrushes and metal food boxes to replace plastic versions once they become broken or worn out – but there’s still so much more to do." In March this year we discussed the idea of a Plastic Pledge, a way to promote those businesses who were making a change and reducing plastics. We received little response although it's something we would like to promote but it requires people to get involved and tell us what they are doing. If you know of a business offering products that are packaging free then let us know. Urban Flamingo in The Yards for instance offer soap and shampoos for sale in bars that are wrapped in paper and don't require a plastic bottle, a great example of something you can buy to reduce the bottles cluttering up the bathroom. I have no doubt there are many businesses looking at how they can make a change. If you are then please let us know and we'll help share that news. Christmas can lead to a plastic waste mountain in every household and I think Grace's letter is a reminder to us all to consider what we buy and what will be disposed of during this time. Thanks for getting in touch Grace and good luck to Old Hall with the project. Page 44
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