VIDEO : The IEN experience during Plastic Free July
11st of August, 2016
During the past month a weird obsession appeared in the IEN office. The distinct sound of plastic became a trigger for arguments and we all started to look at plastic with fear and disgust. Yes, during the month of July the office was upside down because of the Plastic Free July challenge!
Initially there were 2 versions of the challenge. Total commitment with plastic free July or cutting out the top 4 (straws, plastic bottles, plastic bags & coffee cup lids). To fit with one work environment we created another one being no plastic in the office for everyone.
All the members of the team agreed to contribute to the challenge with some variation but great will :
Ian : no top 4 for a week
Conor : no top 4 for a week
Justin : no plastic in the office for a month
Dave : Plastic Free July for a month
Diane : Plastic Free July for a month
Marie-Amélie : Plastic Free July for a month
In the office, we are all aware of the damage that plastic causes. We also are in a society where most of the goods that we buy are in plastic or wrapped in it. Plastic Free July was a great opportunity to realise how often we consumed plastic, even if we tried to avoid it, and what were the alternatives that we could turn to.
Reusable mugs are now used by all the team. We learnt during the month of July that the cup, which seems to be in cardboard cannot be recycled and this pushed us even more to get information about the products we buy.
Overall we managed to reduce or minimise our plastic use, even if the result shows that we use a lot of plastic. The plastic hunt continues in the office: we all picked up some good habits to limit non-reusable plastics and try to learn more about plastic alternatives.
[x_button shape=”square” size=”mini” float=”none” href=”https://greennews.ie/plastic-pollution-a-national-and-international-issue/” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]To learn more about plastic pollution in the ocean, click here[/x_button]
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