EVERYDAY = EARTH DAY <3
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Last week I traveled to Utah for a family event and vacation. Packing light has become easier for me thanks to #vanlife and the need to keep only the essentials with me at all times. This minimalism lifestyle began when I first moved into my van Lucy last summer, but has continued to evolve with every mile on the road.
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One item I’ve taken everywhere I’ve gone with me throughout this past year has been my reusable water bottle by Polar Bottle. It’s saved me countless dollars and more importantly, it’s saved our planet from a bunch more plastic waste.
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Our trips through the state and national parks of Utah have been stunning to say the least, but my favorite part about them was how clean everything was. It truly did appear that many of these lands have been preserved in their best states possible. Considering how much waste I am aware of on this planet, I was truly pleased to see that these parks ask their visitors to PACK IT OUT!! This means that anything you bring in, you are expected to bring out with you. There are very few trash cans in Canyon Lands and I didn’t see a single trash can in Arches. The lack of trash cans means there is no designated place to leave waste behind.. at every highly visited place I have ever been to in my life I have seen garbage cans overflowing with debris. Usually people end up placing extra trash just near the cans, naively assuming it will be taken care of by the people in charge of trash removal.
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Don Miguel Ruiz, author of the popular spiritual book “The Four Agreements,” reminds us to never assume. We can not continue to treat our home, our only home, with this amount of disrespect and assume that our children and our children’s children will be able to marvel at these same beautiful wonders of nature that we have now to enjoy.
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I bet with the high winds of these canyons of Utah, a lot of debris and plastic has been carried away with the wind, ending up who knows where. So I again, can not assume that the lack of visible trash means that it doesn’t still exist somewhere in these parks. A lesson in keeping things in perspective and checking myself on my assumptions.
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Nearly 6 million lbs of plastic are thrown away.. not recycled.. thrown away like garbage in the US EVERY HOUR.
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An estimated 3 million lbs of plastic enter our oceans EVERY HOUR.
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There is so much plastic waste in our oceans that it has broken down from the salt, currents, and sun rays into what is called "microplastic." There are more than 3 trillion pieces of micro plastic in the ocean today. The particles are being eaten by our sea life and sea birds, causing rapid populations of various species to alarmingly decrease. Not to mention the harm it does long term to the animals that reproduce with the plastic toxins stored in their fat and muscles, only later to be consumed by us at the top of the food chain.
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With all of these statistics, I remain optimistic because of brands like Polar Bottle, that the problem can be treated.
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Last year I visited Colorado and saw the head waters of the Colorado River. It appeared to be just a trickle of water that drop by drop fed into a stream that led into the river. The same river that sources some of our California drinking water, and eventually leads into the Golf of California. As I stood there marveling at this wonder, I began to think... “if a drop of water off a mountain miles and miles away can create a flow so stead it becomes an ocean... then I can make a difference in this world. I just know it.”
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On this family trip like every other, I brought my Polar Bottle sports cap water bottle with me and my Polar Bottle insulated thermos in an effort to continue cutting back on plastic usage. I’m so proud of my family for participating in this plastic reduction movement.
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I caught my Dad saying “no thank you” to multiple plastic bag offers when he purchased togo sandwiches for us. He even decided he didn’t need to purchase an 18-pack of single use water bottles from the store like he normally would, and instead I offered to let him use my Polar Bottle insulated thermos as a water container for the weekend, on our trips to Arches and Canyon Lands. He was impressed that there was still ice in the thermos after sitting for over 24 hours too! Winningggg!! ️
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Polar Bottle has contributed to so much positivity for our planet, because of their products convenience and reusability. In just one weekend, my family and I helped save planet Earth from dozens more plastic single use water bottles that could have potentially ended up in the big deep blue heart and soul of our home.
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I write this blog to inspire effort from each and every human who finds these words. Start where you are. Make changes to your unnecessary habits. Help to heal this world we've wounded by consciously spending your money on reusable products from Polar Bottle. Their company even has tips and tricks for extending the lifetime of the products you purchase from them, in an effort to produce even less plastic!
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The number one thing we can do to better our planet's health is to USE LESS PLASTIC. I've put together a list of ways to go about doing that...
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:: TEN WAYS TO CUT BACK ON PLASTIC USAGE ::
1. Bring a reusable water bottle and thermos with you.. everywhere.
2. Bring reusable utensils with you.. everywhere.
3. Bring a reusable food container with you.. everywhere.
4. Bring a reusable straw with you.. everywhere.
5. Bring a reusable bag with you.. everywhere.
6. YES EVERYWHERE
7. Check the bulk section of the grocery store to see if any items you need can be purchased there to avoid buying them from another aisle where they would be packaged (most likely in plastic).. ps you will probably want to bring small reusable bags for this section.. I just went to Whole Foods today and found that they only offer plastic bags in their bulk section. Heartbreaking because an estimated 2 million plastic bags are used every MINUTE and each one only has a lifespan on average of 12 min. Those poor sea turtles eat them thinking they are jellyfish!!
8. Make sure to fill up your reusable water bottle before a long flight so that you don't have to resort to using the plane's tiny wasteful water bottles. (see.. take it EVERYWHERE!!)
9. When you go out to drink.. make sure you specify when you order "NO STRAWS." Be patient, as it can be an especially hard habit for servers and bartenders to break. Every effort counts and you will be opening their eyes too even if it takes them a few tries before they get it right.
10. Just be conscious of your plastic usage in general. Think before you purchase, and whenever possible... reduce reuse and recycle!!
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Thank you Polar Bottle for doing your part to better our planet.
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If anyone reading this would like to purchase a Polar Bottle product, you can use my discount code at checkout to receive 50% off your entire purchase!!
COUPON CODE :: " FTRDAWN "
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And if you would like to purchase a custom Future Dawn polar bottle, simply email :: addie@polarbottle.com to request the bottle I designed.
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Thank you for your attention to this subject. It matters very greatly to me, and I hope after reading this, you feel the same.
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Peace and Love to mama ocean..
xo, Future Dawn
NOTE:: All facts on plastic ocean waste were quoted from the Netflix documentary "Plastic Ocean"