How to Be a Conscious Eater

Durability. Plastic containers bend and stretch and don’t break

if you drop them.

CONS AGAINST USING SINGLE-USE PLASTICS:

Plastic pollution is one of the most serious threats to the health of our

oceans. About 18 billion pounds of plastic enter the ocean from

coastal communities. One estimate suggests that by 2050 the

ocean will house proportionally more plastic than fish. (!) Tragic

scenes abound, from turtles choking on straws to whales’

bellies so full of plastic, they starve because they can’t fit in

enough food. National Geographic has called the ocean “Earth’s

last sink.” Bottles and bags are culprits, but straws are espe-

cially problematic because they are so small and lightweight,

they often fall through the cracks of recycling sorters, don’t

get put in the recycling bin, or aren’t accepted by recyclers in

the first place. But straws are just the poster plastic for a much

larger wake-up call about the need for sustainable packaging.

And less packaging, period.

Microplastics. The enormous accumulation of all these little

plastic particles in marine life could be making its way into

our bodies when we eat the critters. Microplastics, as they’re

called, have shown up in more than 100 aquatic species, more

than half of which are common human fare. These tiny plastic

particles are degraded pieces of larger plas-

tic debris. The science is still emerging,

and so far it’s not reason to stop eating

shellfish and fish—the plastics don’t yet

appear to make their way into tissue,

instead staying in their guts.

Plus, it’s hard to discern

cause and effect, given the

sadly plastic-filled world we

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