It’s about leaving a legacy, inspiring others to become involved, and making a difference no matter how large or small. Think of the difference we can make by using alternatives that are made from renewable and sustainable plant based resources, use less energy and emit less CO2 during production, and offer ways to divert waste from our landfills.
Everyone can make a difference. It just takes desire and the willingness to change. Consider the following facts and think of the difference you can make.
Reduce Your Footprint: Worldwide consumption of disposable and single-use food/drink containers is estimated at more than 430,000,000,000 units per year, or about 140,000 each second.
Plan for the Future - Use Biodegradable and Compostable Alternatives: The majority of disposables are made of EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) and are non-biodegradable and non-recyclable, requiring more than 200 years to begin even partial degradation.
Protect the Environment: 64 billion paper and 73 billion Styrofoam & plastic cups and plates were thrown away in 2003 in the USA.
Leave our Forests: 970 thousand tons of paper cups and plates were discarded in 2003 (EPA). If, we approximate 15 grams weight for each cup or plate, we get 64 billion paper cups and plates being thrown away every year in USA.
“Green†our World: 730 thousand tons of Styrofoam and plastic plates and cups (710 thousand tons were Styrofoam) were disposed in 2003 (EPA). Using 10 grams weight for each cup or plate, we get 73 billion mostly Styrofoam cups and plates being thrown away every year in USA.
Reduce Landfill Demands: According to EPA statistics, a total of 3,810,000 tons of plastic containers & bottles were thrown away in 2003. Using a generous number of 20 grams for each container, we get a number of 190 billion plastic containers & bottles being landfilled or incinerated every year.
Use Environmentally Friendly Alternatives: A total of 8,000,000 tons of trash bags, grocery bags and other plastic materials like trays, utensils, clam shells, caps and other plastic packaging were discarded in 2003.
Protect Wildlife: Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, birds, whales, and other marine mammals die every year from eating plastic bags mistaken for food.
Save Trees: It takes 14 million trees to make all of the paper bags the U.S. uses in one year.
Tread Lightly on the Earth: An estimated 4 billion plastic bags end up as litter each year globally - enough to circle the earth 63 times tied end to end!
Reduce Our Dependence on Oil: About 12 million barrels of oil are required to make the 100 billion plastic shopping bags used in the U.S. each year.