BLOG IN YOUR FACE

You all have probably seen the commercial. The (mostly) naked chick swimming around in the underwater dreaminess of what we are to assume is the ocean. These beautiful blue beads and ribbons come up from all around her and exfoliate her naked body, make her skin look so smooth and healthy. We get caught up in the moment about how good those exfoliating pearls must feel on our skin in a hot shower. We imagine what it must be like to squirt that Olay Body Wash into our loofahs and wash ourselves down with those little “micro beads” and seaweed extract, cleaning our every pour…AH! So refreshing!

But, wait a second. Just what exactly are  those microbeads? Well, the other day I stumbled across an article and it explained just that. They are simply small chunks of everybody’s favorite Eco-friendly element: PLASTIC!!!!!

I’ve got to admit, the commercial and advertising leads us to believe that this product is marine friendly. It is almost as if Olay Body Wash Plus Spa Exfoliating Ribbons goes along harmoniously with coral reefs and crystal clear water. But, I will tell you one thing…if there were ever two things that do NOT go together like peas and carrots, it’s aquatic life and plastic.

If you don’t already know, plastic never biodegrades. In other words, EVERY…SINGLE…piece of plastic that has ever been made is with us here today. Sure, the sunlight tends to aid in the “breaking down” of plastic, especially plastic bags; but here it only breaks them down into microscopic pieces of plastic. If your Wal-Mart bag is in the landfill, after a couple of years it breaks down small enough to enter the water supply which leads to a creek somewhere, which leads to a small river somewhere, which leads to a lake or an ocean eventually.

With these microbeads in the body wash, it simply speeds up that process by going directly down your drain. These beads don’t need to break down! They are already small enough to make it through the sewage treatment plant with a breeze. Once plastic inevitably makes it to aquatic habitats, if it is a large piece it will choke, tangle, drown or accidentally get swallowed by a marine creature. If it makes it to the lakes and oceans in it’s microscopic form, it does the same damage, only slower. Microscopic plastic chunks get backed up in the digestive tracks and gills over time and spread to other tissues. This creates highly toxic levels in the marine life and eventually is enough to kill or asphyxiate some. From whatever death method, plastic is responsible for millions of sea creatures’ lives every year.

If you use plastic bags, please save them and bring them to your local grocery store or Wal-Mart and recycle them in receptacles like those pictured on the right. Even better, use paper and recycle it. EVEN FRICKING BETTER use canvas bags for all of your shopping needs. Jaci and I have decided that we will be giving canvas bags out at our wedding as favors for our guests.

If you can, recycle plastic containers and jugs. Heck, a lot of places are even recycling Styrofoam these days, believe it or not. If you use exfoliating beads in products like Olay Body Wash Plus Spa Exfoliating Ribbons or Clean and Clear Pore Cleanser or Dove Exfoliating Facial Cleanser, try using Burts Bees Deep Pore Scrub or Ives Apricot Scrub which contain peach stones and apricot kernels, respectively.

I heard somewhere that by 2048, most commercial fishing areas in the ENTIRE WORLD will be near or completely depleted of fish. That means almost all of our seafood beyond that time will come from seafood farms. You’ve just gotta love the taste of fresh fish born and raised in stainless steel tanks!

Come on, guys. Let the world powers do their part to stop illegal over-fishing. Do your part to stop polluting our waters with dangerous and deadly plastic. Plastic is a wonderful part of our economy, just like oil, rubber, steel, asphalt, concrete, iron, coal etc. But each come with their specific costs to the environment. I hope we can learn to use them all responsibly and respectfully. The next time you are doing things like scrubbing your nether regions with exfoliator or bagging your groceries, just stop to think about your impact.