At age 7, Lilly Platt started ‘Lilly’s Plastic Pickup’ after seeing the astonishing amount of plastic on a walk with her grandfather one day. Today, at 12, she is arguably one of the world’s largest environmentalists and is also an Earth.Org Youth Ambassador. One of Lilly’s goals is to inform the world, including global politicians and policymakers, about the harmful effects of climate change and plastic pollution. Here, she gives us 8 tips on how to reduce plastic.
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Lilly’s Tips on How to Reduce Plastic
- Avoid using the “Big 4” in your daily life- straws, shopping bags, coffee and plastic water bottles- and switch to reusable.
- Learn and practice the 5 R’s- Renew, Recycle, Reuse, Refuse single-use plastics and Refill reusable water bottles.
- Take your own containers when you go shopping, like produce bags or reusable tupperware containers.
- Do a “household audit” in the bathroom and kitchen to see if there are any sustainable swaps you can make.
- Always check household products for microbeads- if the label has polyethylene or polypropylene, the product probably contains microbeads. These tiny plastic beads flow into waterways and are often mistaken for food by fish and turtles. Also, research has shown that humans consume a credit card worth of microplastics a week!
- Don’t litter.
- Try and make an effort to pick up at least three pieces of plastic waste a day and you will potentially save an animal’s life!
- We all love ice-cream, but instead of using a plastic cup or spoon, go for a cone instead!
You might also like: Lilly Platt: Meet Earth.Org’s First Global Ambassador!
It is encouraging to see people as young as Lilly working to create a better and more sustainable future. Although her generation is not the one that has caused climate change to accelerate as quickly as it has, hers is the one that will have to live with the consequences. We should all be inspired by her to make small changes in our life that will help mitigate the climate crisis.
