Hold on to your jocks as you read the below!! You'll be surprised & shocked by the following stats but I hope this information makes a big & memorable impact!

It takes ...

450 years for babies nappies to decompose (i.e. completely breakdown),
1-5 years for every cigarette butt to decompose,
200-500 years for aluminium cans to decompose,
50 years for styrofoam to decompose,
up to 450 years for glass to decompose AND
10-1000 YEARS for plastic to decompose !!!!!!!!!! Yep!! Bottles, bags, straws, wrappers, lids & more.

Does this help anyone see the massive issue we're facing in a way that's easier to get your head around? I always find that stats & facts like these always have a much greater impact, because I can relate them to my own life, hence why I wanted to share this blog with you.

Pollution, sustainability, global warming & the likes can be very complex matters to fully understand. Because of this, some of the issues we hear about can go right over our heads because we think, "Oh well, my can of coconut water is so small in the scheme of things - it's really no big deal!"

Wrong.

There is roughly 24million people in Australia. Imagine if we all had a can of coconut water & we all thought about waste in that way. That's 24million cans!! 24million cans that will take between 200-500 years to break down (which is more than 2-5 times our lifespan!)

So now think about your one coconut water can in the greater picture? It IS a big deal. A huge one.

We all need to consider the simple idea of - substitutions. We CAN find a substitution for most of the harmful things we naturally do each day (for example, innocently drinking from a can), we just need to think before acting.

Let's take the coconut water for example. How about buying your coconut water in a bottle that's in the form of a carton? Better yet, how about instead of buying one single, small carton each day - why not buy 1 bigger carton one to last the whole week? This might sound like a small change, but if we all did this, it'd collectively amount to a BIG change.

I know everyone goes on about Keep Cups but they're spoken about so much becasuse they are so incredible! Their effect on the environment is hugely positive and it's a trend we all should jump onto asap. It might seem like a lot to pay, $20-50 for a coffee cup holder thing BUT it means that you are giving up 7 take away cups (if you drink one take-away per day). That's 28 takeaway cups saved per month & 365 per year.

If just 10% of the population used a Keep Cup for their daily coffee ... that's 876 000 000 takeaway cups no longer required.... which is a HUGE benefit for our envioment!!!!!

Let's think of another example. Bees Wax wrap, as a substitute for normal plastic cling wrap. It is a little expensive to buy when you consider you usually pay $6 or less at the store but hold that thought. Four or so sheets of Bees Wax wrap costs about $30-50.00. Even though this may feel like a luxury household item to buy, it will save you in the long run.

Think of it this way. Let's say you buy cling wrap from the supermarket once a month for about $6.00 a roll. That's an expense of $72.00 per year. If you went with Bees Wax wrap however & chose to make the smart investment, you'd not only be halving your spending for the year but you'd also be saving the environment from about 12metres (or more) of plastic. If everyone in your street did this - the reduction of plastic would be huge. If everyone in your suburb did this, the reduction of plastic would be massive! This is the aim, to make our small changes have a domino effect & turn into every expanding changes.

I guess the point of this blog is to remind people that little changes, do amount to ENORMOUS CHANGES. Small actions equate to GINORMOUS outcomes. Try and avoid thinking in singular terms - & instead think big. If you decide to substitute something in your daily life for the eco-friendly, sustainable version - challenge your partner, Mum & dad, friend, teacher, sibling - whoever else to do the same. If we stick together, we can make a difference.

We're a very busy generation. We're doing a million things & we're always on the run. We work on the run, we socialise on the run & we eat and drink on the run all the time! Coffee cups, takeaway food containers, plastic bags, straws and drinks in cans & bottles. As our generation tends to spend less time eating meals at the table with actual plates & cutlery, I feel like we are definitely contributing a lot more waste into bins & sadly the environment (I am still so shocked & disgusted by the amount of waste Josh & I find on the beach when walking the dogs). If we are going to continue living our busy, modern life's on the run (which we of course can & should!), we owe it to the globe, our community & our future kids - to counteracter & balance out our actions with smart decisions & kind hearts and GOOD DEEDS.

Have a look at the pics below. I hope they inspire some change & highlight just our dire the impact of waste is, on the environment.

As we head into the new year, make it your resolution to think green!! You'll sleep so much better at night I promise! And lastly - when you are out and about, if you see rubbish on the ground, please please please pick it up & throw it in the correct bin. If you're funny about germs (which is totally normal!!), carry a little hand sanitiser in your bag and use it to wash your hands after touching anything that wasn't yours. Picking up rubbish is not a fun thing to do, I get it, but it's a necessary thing to do as it's the right thing to do. I bet you that whoever see's you collecting rubbish from the street, will think twice the next time they see rubbish lying around. It's up to each and every singe one of us to be a good example for those around us. Not just kids, adults too.

Any tips below on living a more eco-friendly lifestyle, please comment below!

Elyse x

Life Of Elyse BLOG

Little changes go a LONG way...