Have you ever tried to buy groceries without purchasing any single-use plastic? I did it once, just to see what I would find. And honestly? For anyone who does their shopping at a typical American grocery store, the options as things currently stand are pretty bleak.
I figured I’d grab some unwrapped produce, like bananas and zucchini… but they came with little plastic stickers. Aluminum cans of soup mostly had filmy plastic labels wrapped around them. A promising jar of olive oil, with a glass bottle and a metal cap, turned out to have a plastic seal around the lid. In the end, I walked out with a head of broccoli (sans plastic produce bag), a few potatoes, a carton of eggs and a cardboard box of pancake mix… which I should have realized would contain a plastic bag inside.
My discouraging shopping trip was inspired by this year’s global Earth Day theme: Planet vs. Plastics. Once I started looking for disposable plastic, I saw it everywhere: in obvious things like takeout spoons and party balloons, chip bags and bubble wrap. But it’s also everywhere else, from the coating on my paper CVS receipt to the tea bags I reach for when my throat hurts.
At the same time, I’m seeing the movement to do better everywhere, too. My favorite music venue (shout out to the 9:30 Club!) has started serving drinks in reusable plastic cups, which concertgoers simply drop into a bin to be collected and sanitized. Hundreds of people show up to Malcolm X Park every few months for The Disco Loft’s seasonal clothing swaps—no plastic tags or disposable shopping bags in sight. A coffee shop down the street from me offers a “bring your own mug” discount.
The Washington Informer’s 2024 Earth Day Special Edition isn’t all about plastic. Instead, it’s about recognizing that, no matter where we live or what we do, environmental action and inaction intersect with every part of our lives.
That’s because “the environment” is not just a forest on a faraway mountain or a polar bear searching for some unmelted ice. As environmental justice advocates have said for decades: “the environment” is where we live, work, play and pray.
In this edition about the environment, you’ll find stories about business and sports and religion and health. Some of these stories focus on unexpected ways that planetary problems are causing humans harm. But others shine a light on people and organizations taking action—and the ways that those actions make things better for people, not just for the planet.
(PS: If you want to learn more specifically about plastic’s impact on our lives, check out The Bridge’s upcoming Earth Day Salon on April 25 at Hill Prince!)