YOU CAN BE A #2MINUTESUPERHERO: KIDS FIGHT PLASTIC
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| Ballyloughane Beach, Galway: my local beach |
"You are probably wondering why we need superheroes. It's simple. We need superheroes to FIGHT PLASTIC and SAVE THE OCEAN.
Our oceans are dying because we are using them as a dump, allowing them to fill with plastic, Our plastic rubbish is hurting the creatures that live in or around the ocean. If we don't watch out, rubbish will hurt us, too."
It's that simple. We have been making and using plastic since 1907. That's over 110 years of plastic. And as we got good at making plastic, we just made more and more of it. Then, when we've used it, we throw it away. We throw A LOT of it away and it doesn't break down and it doesn't just disappear and most of it ends up in our oceans. It's a real problem...one we need to do something about NOW.
We see it on the news everyday. Whole beaches full of plastic; whales and sea turtles and sea birds dying because of the plastic they've eaten..it seems to me like we're swimming in plastic quite literally. And it has to stop! But what can you do?
Don't worry, help is here!
KIDS FIGHT PLASTIC: How To Be A #2minutesuperhero
author: Martin Dorey
illustrator: Tim Wesson
Walker Books (1 August 2019)
ISBN: 9781406390650
This guide for children is written by Martin Dorey, an anti-plastic campaigner and is essential reading for bringing the fight to save the planet from this plastic invasion home. Knowing how overwhelming the situation can be, especially if you're a kid who's surrounded by plastic everything everywhere you go, Martin has created this book full of facts, figures and 2 minute missions to get us well on our way. 50 missions to help save the oceans await you in this book. At home, in school or when you're out and about, it's important to be aware of the plastic around you.
Learn your 'good plastic' from your 'bad plastic' (there's a lot more of this kind!) and what to do with it. You can look around your home and discover how to cut back on plastic use. Recycling is great, but having items to reuse is better. And what happens to all our rubbish? Do you know how much of our trash gets dumped in the ocean? Do you know how much of our recycling gets sent to other countries? And what are they supposed to do with it? And what about the animals whose lives depend on the ocean?
Obviously, it is impossible for one person to fix everything that's wrong with this plastic problem. But the point of this book is that everybody; EVERY SINGLE PERSON no matter how large or small, no matter how young or old; can do something. And there's a lot of somethings in this book to get on with. Each one takes only 2 minutes of your time. So...
-Walk to your local beach, green area or park and collect as much rubbish as you can in 2 minutes. Sort it out and recycle as much as you can. (Don't forget to read the safety measures in the book and follow them!) Maybe you can organise your family, friends or school to take on a regular beach/park clean-up!
-Pack your lunch making it plastic-free! Don't know how? It's in the book!
-Look at how you spend your money and be more plastic-conscious. Do you really need that little plastic toy that you're only going to play with once (if that) and throw away? Of course not! Save your money for something that lasts Oh...and use your 'pester-power' when shopping with Mum and Dad for good. Keep pointing out that plastic-free things they can buy as alternatives to cling-film, items in plastic bottles, plastic-wrapped fruit and veg.
-Get yourselves a 'keep-bottle' for water or other drinks. No need to buy a new plastic packaged bottle every time.
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| Galways' first eco-store; is there one near you? |
-Get your family to shop in food co-ops and eco-friendly shops that don't use plastic packaging for everything. And ask the managers at your local supermarket what their shop is doing in the fight against plastic.
-Spend more time by the ocean and learning about the ocean, it's life and how much we actually depend on it. The more knowledge you have, the more all the grown-ups out there will listen to you.
There's so much you can do and KIDS FIGHT PLASTIC makes it so easy. It's a book that's easy to read, with interesting facts, so of which you may not have even considered. (How much plastic do you think goes down your loo?) Every page has lively, quirky illustrations that bring home the issue, facts, figures, history and...most important a 2 minute mission that will help you become a #2minutesuperhero. Start with one mission, act on it, make it a habit. You'll be surprised how quickly one thing will lead to another thing and before you know it, you're well on your way to changing the world. Get the book and get started! Get the whole family involved. Get climate action going in your school! Maybe form your own #2minutesuperhero network.
Martin Dorey is the founder of the Beach Clean Network and the#2minutebeachclean movement and believes that small actions add up to make a big difference. And so do I. Remember: it's your world and everyone can do something,
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