Tag Archive for: plastic free july

Real Stories | Plastic Free Challenge | Nicole Daniels

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EPISODE 6 | Plastic Free Challenge

Nicole Daniels, Stories from the City Edge, Fishhoek, Cape Town

Lives with her husband and two children aged 11 and 6 on the Southern Peninsula of Cape Town and tutors and researches in the Gender and Development Dept of UCT.

 

I am a researcher, I am writing my PhD, I am a teacher, doula, thinking partner, dancer, mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend and lover of the Earth and Source from which All originates.

 

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Health foods often come in plastic

While I do think it’s possible to do a month of no single-use plastics, bar a few slip-ups, I personally felt defeated by the onslaught of plastic consumption I discovered were part and parcel of my family’s daily life. At the outset I knew I wouldn’t be able to suddenly start baking bread or making my own yoghurt, although I was up to making some body products, in particular soaps and body creams. My failing is due mostly to the fact that without a significant change in lifestyle, how products are marketed and sold makes reducing single-use plastics definitely feasible (and I achieved that) but getting rid of them altogether, slightly nightmarish! For example, if I was willing to change my lifestyle, I would probably go vegan. This lifestyle choice would dramatically decrease my consumption of plastic (and as we all know drastically decrease my carbon footprint too).

 

Also where I shop and who I buy from affects my plastics footprint and at the moment I shop for convenience and do the best I can buying from major retailers, but they are a big part of the problem… transporting, storing, stocking shelves, having portable products all seem heavily plastics dependent, if not excessively so.

 

 

Even though I have also found local solutions like buying organic milk from Docker’s Farm in Noordhoek where I can take my own glass bottle, food consumption is terribly tied into plastic production. Interestingly, in my bid to ‘do the right thing’ ie. buy organic, use alternative medicines, buy in bulk, I inadvertently consumed plastic packaging.

At the same time, when I gave in and ‘did the wrong thing’, i.e. drank coco cola, ate sweets and too much dairy, I encountered the same problem. It felt like a no-win battle. So I caved. If shopping at farmers markets, green grocers, speciality stores, farm stalls etc, were more feasible, there would definitely be less plastic…

 

Then again it’s also just about saying no, and I’m learning that where and when I do this makes a big difference too. So my most successful outcome for a reduction in single-use waste for July has been in reducing single-use car travel. I know, bit of a jump from plastics to gasoline, but that’s the place where I said ‘no’ with the most conviction. For some reason I could say no, do this differently and implement it (encountering some inconvenience of course), with ease. And for me the experience of ease makes so much possible. It is feeling like ‘I have the power to change this’, and knowing I can. So I suppose that was the jump from plastics to gasoline – it’s what I can do… and will keep doing long past July.

Follow our blog for all the episodes in this Plastic Free Challenge series.

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Collective solutions from all our stories…every little thing we do adds up and it all counts…it’s not easy to change habits and plastic packaging is everywhere, but the more of us who say NO to single-use plastic the easier it becomes…living a healthy, plastic free life is really difficult and expensive, this needs to change and we CAN change it….and sharing our stories is powerful, we are not alone, we inspire each other and we can take back our power as consumers to create healthy communities and a healthy planet. Who’s in?

  

[You can search for places that are recycling or using eco packaging on  Eco Atlas and here are some other plastic free wins you should definitely check out – GreenHome, StreamStraws, FreshBag, The Candylwood Store and more…]

Real Stories | Plastic Free Challenge | Hayley McLellan

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EPISODE 5 | Plastic Free Challenge

Hayley McLellan, Stories from the City Centre, Cape Town

An environmental campaigner who runs Rethink the Bag South Africa and shops for herself from her home base in Seapoint, she took the Plastic Free July challenge to the extreme as she has already cut out most single-use plastics from her life.

 

I come from a KwaZulu-Natal farming family and eating from our massive and organic veggie garden at home is such a privilege. Being back in the city can sway us off this healthy path choice quicker than you can say “give peas a chance!” The presentation of organic, non-plastic-suffocated fruit and veg is even a treat for the eye.

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So I took a visit to Oranjezicht City Farm Market. This is a largely plastic bag-free market. The only fresh produce I saw in transparent bags were the kumquats, which could be avoided.

 

My purchases for this day cost me R95, which included Happy Hens eggs. It is important for me to be transparent about my Plastic Free July experience and say that I did find shopping organic a tad expensive. Carrots, for example, cost me four times what I would pay in a retail store – munch on that! Next week I will go for the “two for one” specials at the end of the market day.

 

My taste buds simply love plain, natural, Greek/Bulgarian yoghurt. I never buy any other style. The Camphill brand is superb with a silky texture and a far superior taste than any commercial brand. Again, it also comes at a premium price, but it is in a glass bottle!

 

 

It has been a frustrating month as I feel like I did when I was eating strictly gluten free – I have limited choices! I wander the isles with glazed eyes, standing in line at the checkout nauseates me as I look around – with no judgement – but noticing our collective unconsciousness mirrored in our shopping choices and habits…..clutching onto our perceived convenient lifestyles…..

 

I badly wanted a particular tasting soup on the weekend (in plastic of course) and I just said ‘bugger it’ and bought it, same went for cheese which is R110/kg at Checkers in plastic compared to R250-R350/kg at organic markets! Really! Why can’t we get reasonably priced, not so fancy cheese at markets too? Why does the healthy choice have to be the more expensive choice? I dream about starting a  packaging free grocery store in Cape Town…

 

For a lovely video on Hayley and the other staff of Two Oceans Aquarium chatting about their Plastic Free July, watch here.

 

Collective solutions from all our stories – from cities, small towns and the middle of the Karoo…every little thing we do adds up and it all counts…it’s not easy to change habits and plastic packaging is everywhere, but the more of us who say NO to single-use plastic the easier it becomes…living a healthy, plastic free life is really difficult and expensive, this needs to change and we CAN change it….and sharing our stories is powerful, we are not alone, we inspire each other and we can take back our power as consumers to create healthy communities and a healthy planet. Who’s in?

Follow our blog for all the episodes in this Plastic Free Challenge series.

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[You can search for places that are recycling or using eco packaging on  Eco Atlas and here are some other plastic free wins you should definitely check out – GreenHome, StreamStraws, FreshBag, The Candylwood Store and more…]

Real Stories | Plastic Free Challenge | Scone Malone

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Practical solutions, upcycling ideas and exciting alternatives to plastic from Cape Town.

EPISODE 4 | Plastic Free Challenge

Scone Malone, Stories from the Southern Suburbs, Cape Town

Hello everybody, my name is Scone and I live in the cold and lush Southern suburbs of Cape Town. I live with three friends who are all doing postgrad work whilst I do a bunch of varying freelance work from journalism to legal work and building with mycelium.

 

We collect our water from the Newlands spring and so one change we implemented during Plastic Free July was to replace our clear plastic 25L bottle with brown glass bottles and a wooden crate for transport. We are fortunate to have space for a compost heap and try to recycle everything else. We do a pretty good job of avoiding single use plastic, especially the easy ones like plastic bags, straws etc., but still find others difficult. The thing is that often food comes in overly wrapped containers. One way to get around this is to only buy fresh things and try to buy from markets as much as you can; another way is to grow as much as possible of your own. Things like condiments and milk are also a problem as the containers they come in are discarded after use. There is the option of making your own almond/cashew milk and using glass receptacles; we find that simply upcycling things is another excellent option – washing and drilling holes in the bottom of an old mayo tub makes for a great planter for a bit of yarrow.

The ultimate problem is that we are still so reliant on plastic because manufacturers just see it as the go-to option – it is cheap to produce and so well accepted in society. There are great alternatives, like processing mycelium or agar into functional plastic substitutes,

the only problem being that it is more expensive. Herein lies not only the misconception of price vs cost, but also the fact that with enough momentum the anti-plastic campaign can change the perception of manufacturers that the public are okay with plastic.

It may be a good idea to be vocal about it (without being abrasive or curt, of course) in interactions with manufacturers, producers, retailers and their employees whenever possible. Tell them why you do not want the straw with a smile on your face.

Every little comment adds to the communal subconscious and we will save the planet from our folly. Good luck with your plastic free challenge now and beyond!

To find out more about mycelium as a plastic substitute and building material contact Scone and find out more about MycoMinded.

 

Follow our blog for all the episodes in this Plastic Free Challenge series.

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Collective solutions from all our stories…every little thing we do adds up and it all counts…it’s not easy to change habits and plastic packaging is everywhere, but the more of us who say NO to single-use plastic the easier it becomes…living a healthy, plastic free life is really difficult and expensive, this needs to change and we CAN change it….and sharing our stories is powerful, we are not alone, we inspire each other and we can take back our power as consumers to create healthy communities and a healthy planet. Who’s in?

  

[You can search for places that are recycling or using eco packaging on  Eco Atlas and here are some other plastic free wins you should definitely check out – GreenHome, StreamStraws, FreshBag, The Candylwood Store and more…]

Real Stories | Plastic Free Challenge | Rhian Berning

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What I realised from going even more Plastic Free this July is that single-use plastic is most often synonymous with convenience…

 

EPISODE 3 | Plastic Free Challenge

Rhian BerningRhian Berning, Stories from a Small Town, Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route

The Founder of Eco Atlas lives in a cottage next to the forest with her children aged 9 and  7, her husband and a menagerie of animals.

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Plastic Free Survival Kit for in the car

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Survival Kit for on the go

What I realised from going even more Plastic Free this July is that single-use plastic is most often synonymous with convenience and so to be plastic free takes a bit of forethought and preparation. I put together a basket in my car with all the goodies we would need so that when I’m picking kids up from school and there is that inevitable hunger attack we have our own containers for emergency food, like pancakes from the KwikSpar! My ‘Plastic Free Survival Kit’ contains reusable water bottles, glass tupperwares for take-aways and food per weight, reusable shopping bags, reusable coffee takeaway cups, some cutlery, Freshbags for fruit and veg by weight and reusable glass straws from StreamStraws. Obviously if you’re travelling by public transport or bicycle you will have to adapt your survival kit down to what is easy to carry in your bag.

 

Another realisation I had specific to living in a small town is that attempting to go plastic free also means supporting local farms and suppliers.

 

As it is I find myself going from place to place to get free range eggs here, local bread there, organic veg there. The convenience conundrum pops up again which is why supermarkets and malls are so achingly convenient because you get everything in one place. But for my area I am dreaming of a co-op where just ONE vehicle goes to the dairy to get

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The plastic our family collected this July squished into an eco brick.

milk in reusable bottles, pops past the mushroom farm to get mushrooms that AREN’T in polystyrene, gets lettuce from the lettuce farmer up the road and nuts from the Macadamian nut guy (you get the picture) and brings it to a central depot where we could all collect our plastic-free food and drop off our milk bottles and containers for the next run. We could also order our grains and staples in bulk and collect them in our own containers. It’s a dream I know, but working collectively seems to be the way to go and it’s utterly possible. There are already co-ops and food delivery systems running in cities across the country, so it’s also doable to go with existing ones and use consumer power to insist that your delivery is plastic free… there’s Ethical Co-Op in Cape Town, Organic Emporium in Joburg, Fresh Organics in Durban and FarmFresh Direct along the Garden Route.

What I learnt from Plastic Free July is that there is no point in feeling guilty about some of the inevitable plastic packaging that will enter your home, it’s overwhelming out there

and our family certainly didn’t succeed in being completely plastic free, even with my 7 year old taking on the role of the plastic police, the thing is that when we needed something we needed something! So rather we focussed on feeling excited about the solutions we discovered (like stuffing all that unwanted plastic in an eco brick that can be used for building benches and houses) and celebrating the new habits we nurtured to take beyond July and into the future.

Collective solutions from all our stories – from cities, small towns and the middle of the Karoo…every little thing we do adds up and it all counts…it’s not easy to change habits and plastic packaging is everywhere, but the more of us who say NO to single-use plastic the easier it becomes…living a healthy, plastic free life is really difficult and expensive, this needs to change and we CAN change it….and sharing our stories is powerful, we are not alone, we inspire each other and we can take back our power as consumers to create healthy communities and a healthy planet. Who’s in?

Follow our blog for all the episodes in this Plastic Free Challenge series. Other episodes here… Lisl Barry Episode 1, Gogo Mzimkhulu Episode 2

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[You can search for places that are recycling or using eco packaging on  Eco Atlas and here are some other plastic free wins you should definitely check out – GreenHome, StreamStraws, FreshBag, The Candylwood Store and more…]

Real Stories | Plastic Free Challenge | Gogo Mzimkhulu

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Wise words, questions, struggles and solutions to the plastic free challenge from the Eastern Cape.

Gogo Mzimkhulu, Stories from Kabega Park, Port Elizabeth

A company administrator and a traditional healer who lives in a working class suburb in the Eastern Cape and shops for herself as well as for all the regular visits from friends and family.

 

It’s been tough so far trying not to use plastic. First couple of days it was easy, I had my Spar bag all honky dory. Now the problem is when I have forgotten my bag at home. And you must know I don’t have a car. So I end up buying another reusable shopping bag, mind you they are like R42 at the Spar near me. I have ended up with three and still I forget it from time to time. It’s getting a wee bit expensive.

 

Episode 2_1But on the other hand…it’s made me more aware of other ways to help the environment. I am encouraging people to recycle and they are seeing the benefits. Collecting cans, bottles etc. In my area a lot of people are not using the dirt bins provided at the shopping centre and are throwing plastics on the ground. We have an open field right behind us. Now we have Indwe’s, Ravens, crows, Thekwana , Hadedas, Swallows and Sunbirds that are daily visitors and they are eating the plastics – now I have to run around like a mad woman either picking up the plastics or chasing the birds away from eating the plastic. Most upsetting and disturbing.

 

My area is a working class area (suburbia) you’d think people would know better. Even as a child visiting the rural areas the old Madalas planted it into us the dangers of plastics and animals (animals consuming plastic).

 

My issue is people throwing the plastic anywhere after use, because in general you can re-use most plastic. My thing is….why don’t people want a clean environment? Why is there no pride? Plastic on fences….dumped in rivers…..water is scarce. Why would people not want clean rivers?

 

Anyway the struggle continues.

 

 

Collective solutions from all our stories…every little thing we do adds up and it all counts…it’s not easy to change habits and plastic packaging is everywhere, but the more of us who say NO to single-use plastic the easier it becomes…living a healthy, plastic free life is really difficult and expensive, this needs to change and we CAN change it….and sharing our stories is powerful, we are not alone, we inspire each other and we can take back our power as consumers to create healthy communities and a healthy planet. Who’s in?

Follow our blog for all the episodes in this Plastic Free Challenge series.

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[You can search for places that are recycling or using eco packaging on  Eco Atlas and here are some other plastic free wins you should definitely check out – GreenHome, StreamStraws, FreshBag, The Candylwood Store and more…]

Real Stories | Plastic Free Challenge | Lisl Barry


Lisl Barry, Stories from a Rural Home, Gamkaberg Reserve, Klein Karoo

A Fine Artist and author of “52 Ways To Grow Creative Children” Lisl lives on the CapeNature reserve which her husband manages with their two daughters aged 12 and 14. Their closest town is Oudtshoorn.

 

My quest to reduce my landfill waste came about when we moved to the reserve in 1993 (I was then 22 years old). Managing one’s waste by recycling, makes one acutely aware of how MUCH pointless trash one “produces” – recycleable or not. I’ve been trying various options over the years, not quite eliminating our waste all together but certainly amazed at how much one can reduce if mindful. It sometime takes a little extra effort but becomes a lifestyle habit. We generally have no tin waste, very little glass but plastic is trickier…

 

So let’s talk easy solutions for Plastic Free July…I have 3 reusable, washable shopping bags which are designed to fold into themselves like a raincoat tucked into it’s hood and pulled tight. They fit snugly into my small handbag and are made of parachute material, which means they are really strong and durable (I’ve had mine for a number of years). Because they live in my handbag I never get to supermarket check-outs and realise I’ve left my shopping bags in the car boot! (Well – 98% of the time – then I’ll carry in my arms, my beanie (much to the horror of my teenage daughter!) or in the trolley.)

Keeping food making real, fresh and homemade…this eliminates plastic packaging like nothing else. It’s a healthier option for my family anyway as we avoid the preservatives, high sugared content and artificial additives too. I’ve not bought shop bread for years since we bake our own. No more plastic bread bags and white plastic sealing clips. Stoneground flour comes in paper bags. We make our own yoghurt, kimchi, popcorn, dips/spreads, ice-lollies and meals of course. Time consuming, sure (and I don’t always have it readily) but it becomes a way of life and worth the effort. Since we very rarely get take outs (and then try for the paper/card boxed contained options), we don’t generate non-recycleable polystyrene container waste either.

We have a selection of glass or BPA-free plastic bottles which have been a life saver many a summer’s day whether on a walk, sports event or on a hot drive home. Again, they last for years. No need to buy overpriced bottled water. We juice our own fresh/green juice. Our kids have grown up drinking water rather than juice or coldrinks, so it’s the norm – bought drinks are a rarity.

out in the karoo countryside2The joy of living in a rural area – I’ve found shops where I can take my own glass bottles to refill honey and olive oil, so I don’t have to buy new every time. Cheaper too! I don’t use cling wrap (which is non-recyclable). I bought a set of glass storage bowls of varying sizes which come with matching snap-on lids for fridge storage. Or use a pot lid to cover left-overs!

From household goods to wood glue, we buy in bulk. Buying in bulk helps reduce the amount of plastic packaging one has to purchase. I use mostly vinegar and bicarb for cleaning and microbial dishcloths – so it’s simple anyway. And I make my own wood polish.

Using the reusable menstrual cup has been a life changing, reducing-my-impact discovery! A way more comfortable one too. No monthly landfill waste.

The not so easy solutions….Avoiding the pre-packed veg (polystyrene punnets and cling wrap) and thin plastic veg bags… I choose to shop where one can select loose goods that source directly from the smaller farmers, and therefore fresh, and where one can choose to buy loose over bulk-packaged produce. Some veg are hard to get un-pre-packaged because they do this to retain freshness, like cucumbers, but I’ve found if you ask (even at Food Lover’s Market where they may have pre-packaged lettuce for example) they often have loose in the storeroom. One can’t be in a hurry however!

Buying dry produce from a wholesaler is the ideal to get around pre-packaged goods, however these are far and few between in a small dorpie. I find I have to forage around for shops that can oblige and I have to plan ahead and stock up. Not always easy and I don’t always get it right. Our local health shop will package the dry produce that they buy in bulk into paper bags for me – but then I need to buy bigger quantities and I need time while they do it. Recently I’ve discovered a new shop at the Sedgefield Market (open week days not just Saturday) called the Green Road. They sell loose (organic) lentils, rice, etc where you can take your own bottle or paper bags. But this is of course far from where we live and although we regularly go to the coast it’s not always convenient.

Sometimes I do wonder if all this effort is going to make an ounce of difference in a world consumed by pointless waste but then I believe we have to start somewhere. Why not with ourselves… and besides I live by the philosophy : Be the change you wish to see (with varying success!)

 

Subscribe to the blog to get the next Plastic Free Challenge episodes….

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Collective solutions from all our stories…every little thing we do adds up and it all counts…it’s not easy to change habits and plastic packaging is everywhere, but the more of us who say NO to single-use plastic the easier it becomes…living a healthy, plastic free life is really difficult and expensive, this needs to change and we CAN change it….and sharing our stories is powerful, we are not alone, we inspire each other and we can take back our power as consumers to create healthy communities and a healthy planet. Who’s in?

 

 [You can search for places that are recycling or using eco packaging on  Eco Atlas and here are some other plastic free wins you should definitely check out – GreenHome, StreamStraws, FreshBag, The Candylwood Store and more…]

Real Stories | Plastic Free July Challenge | Intro

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Going Plastic Free in July has been an interesting and eye opening experience for many of us, so I thought it would be really valuable to have all our stories in one place so we can recognise the similarities in the difficulties we face when attempting a plastic free lifestyle and share solutions and ideas to overcome them.

What will follow is a series of six episodes, a collection of real stories from around the country to document the experiences of those who have risen to the challenge and what they have discovered as difficulties and solutions, specific to where they live, because our solutions vary quite a lot depending on whether we live rurally or in a big city. So we have episodes from rural living in the Klein Karoo, from inner city living in Cape Town, from a working class suburb in Port Elizabeth, from a small town on the Garden Route and then more from the suburbs of Cape Town.

The bottom line though and a common thread that runs through all our stories is that it hasn’t been easy! The onslaught of plastic at every turn seriously limits one’s choices and it’s going to take a lot of us using our consumer power to demand more plastic free options. But taking the month long challenge was also about nurturing new habits and new possibilities and it has been incredibly heartening to see the interest in Plastic Free July throughout South Africa, the time is so ripe for action and positive change, really and truly we can do this thing – we can collectively create a future we can all believe in, one where the well being of people and all life on the planet comes first.

Sharing our stories is powerful, we are not alone, we inspire each other and we can take back our power as consumers to create healthy communities and a healthy planet. Join us on this plastic free challenge storytelling journey… (subscribe to the blog to make sure you receive all the episodes over the next month)

 

[Did you know… you can specifically search for places that are recycling or using eco packaging on  Eco Atlas? And here are some other plastic free wins you should definitely check out – GreenHome, StreamStraws, FreshBag, The Candylwood Store and more…]

Celebrating the Change Makers…Eco Atlas Discounts for Going Plastic Free

Did your business take up the Plastic Free July challenge this year? Tell us how it went in the comments below and you could receive a 50% discount on your Eco Atlas company listing, which you could use for your own business or you could identify a small business that deserves the recognition for their eco and empowerment practices.

Raise Your Consumer Voice – It Works

stikeez versus super animals eco atlasI have had so many queries as to whether I am in any way involved with the new Pick n Pay marketing campaign called Super Animals because of the open letter I wrote to them last year asking them to withdraw their plastic Stikeez. I’m not connected to their new campaign, but it appears they listened to my letter…In it I said that if they insisted on marketing through children (which I still don’t agree with) they should rather do something educational and inspirational that would not have a negative impact on the Earth (like all those little pieces of plastic that have become a forgotten craze and are diabolical for our ocean life and landfills),

“If you insist on giving away free stuff, what if, instead of Stikeez, you gave away educational collectable cards (printed locally on recycled paper!) with eco super hero characters who had the power to grow things, invent things, solve things, entrepreneur things? Children will gain the same joy of swopping, trading and collecting, but with learning and purpose behind it. We are in desperate need of inspired custodians.”

A friend of mine even found a Stikeez on TOP of a not much climbed mountain in the Cedarberg! Where else have they landed up?… The point here, though, is that we must not forget our power as consumers and if you have something to say, something you believe needs to change for the benefit of people and planet, then say it! You will be heard… write that letter, post on social media, ask questions at the businesses you support, raise your voice for those who can’t raise their’s. It works. And we need to keep asking ourselves throughout the day,

“Are the choices I’m making having a positive impact on people and planet?”

and if not we use our consumer power to make sure they are!

Remember to use Eco Atlas to find and recommend places that have sound empowerment and eco practices and vote with your wallet.

 

featured in FinWeekHere is the letter that was posted on Facebook on 25 August 2015 and shared hundreds of times, it was featured in Finweek and on 567 CapeTalk Radio.

Open Letter to Pick n Pay – Withdraw Your Stikeez

Together we were finalists for the respected Mail & Guardian ‘Greening The Future’ Awards last month and while we were not in the same category the ethos of innovation for a sustainable, viable and thriving future was something we all had in common. Or so I thought. Warning bells should have rung for me when during your video clip at the gala evening, which outlined your laudable project of educating the educators with practical teaching tools on rhino conservation, hundreds, if not thousands, of balloons were released into the air….

And so, I have a few questions for you Pick ‘n Pay. In terms of educating children on the workings of Earth’s closed loop systems (in which wildlife conservation is just one facet), how would you explain where all those balloons are going? And equally as important, where they come from? China perhaps? And where is most of the poached rhino horn going? China perhaps? Which brings me to the ease with which you release Stikeez on the children of SA. On one level it is a base marketing strategy which targets children’s obvious love of colourful new things and encourages parents to make sure they not only shop more at Pick ‘n Pay, but shop in increments of R150! Luckily my children are still oblivious to the craze and yet they have come into contact with Stikeez and my eight year old daughter can be quoted as saying “Mommy, I want to go to Pick ‘n Pay lots of times” and we don’t even shop at Pick ‘n Pay!

But clever and conniving marketing strategies aside, the real question here is whether we really need tiny bits of plastic made in China and individually wrapped in even more plastic, sprayed willy nilly, for free nogal, on the populace and landscape of SA. Where are all those bits of colorful plastic going to land up, in turtles tummies, over full landfills and on high tide marks? Because if this is Pick ‘n Pay’s best attempt at greening the future then I have grave concerns for the challenges and crises we face, we need creative solutions to climate change, job creation, energy needs, biodiversity conservation and cradle to cradle innovations which do away with the concept of waste.

If you insist on giving away free stuff, what if, instead of Stikeez, you gave away educational collectable cards (printed locally on recycled paper!) with eco super hero characters who had the power to grow things, invent things, solve things, entrepreneur things? Children will gain the same joy of swopping, trading and collecting, but with learning and purpose behind it. We are in desperate need of inspired custodians.

Ultimately, though, there is no such thing as free and our living systems will pay the full price for your Stikeez folly. Please Pick ‘n Pay, don’t insult us by dangling cute and colourful animated things in our faces to encourage us to pour more money into your centralised coffers, because we WILL rise to the bait, and you know it. Rather focus your energy on building a future beautiful. It’s your responsibility, it’s my responsibility, it’s our responsibility.