For me, giving up single-use plastic is one way of being a good steward of the earth. God calls on us to care for creation, something which humans as a whole have failed to do. Between polluting the earth through fossil fuel use, filling the oceans with plastic and other non-biodegradable waste, driving multitudes of animal and plant species to extinction, and more, we are well on our way to destroying God’s beautiful creation. Change needs to happen at both the communal and individual levels. And while I’m not going to single handedly save the planet by cutting back on my own plastic use, it is one of many things I can do to help.
Of course, completely cutting out plastic from my life all at once would be impossible and completely overwhelming, so I began Lent by setting six goals to decrease my plastic use. Some of those goals are going great, such as bringing my own bags to the grocery store and bringing my own takeout containers when I eat out. The local coffee shop has come to expect a reusable cup. The clerks at the local grocery store still aren’t sure what to do with my cotton produce bags. Other goals I’m still working on. Meat and cheese are particularly difficult (and expensive) to find plastic-free, so I’ve settled on buying in large quantities and freezing the excess for now.
But what quickly became apparent in trying to cut out plastic is just how expensive plastic-free living is. The cheapest options for food, cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc, all come in plastic. Buying plastic-free means choosing the more expensive option, something that’s not possible for many people. Choosing plastic-free requires privilege. It means having the money to purchase cloth grocery and produce bags and reusable cups. It means being able to pay the higher upfront costs for reusable items like safety razors, menstrual cups, and cotton cleansing pads. Even if those things save money in the long run, not everyone has the $20 to spend on a safety razor today, especially if that $20 is all they have to buy groceries. Plastic-free living also means having spare time to make my own bread and cook from raw ingredients. Time is something that people who work 2-3 jobs just to get by don’t have.
I am privileged to be able to spend a little more on groceries and buy the reusable items that cost more upfront. Not everyone is so fortunate. Back during seminary I certainly couldn’t have afforded to do this, and there could very well come a time in my life once again when I can’t afford to keep choosing the plastic-free option. It’s important for those of us who have this privilege not to heap shame on the people who don’t. There are other ways for people to be good stewards and help the environment, even if they can’t afford to cut single-use plastic out of their lives. One of those ways is by advocating, contacting businesses and telling them we want more affordable plastic free options, and contacting our government officials and demanding that they enact policies that help, not harm, the environment. Just because someone can’t afford to cut plastic out of their life doesn’t mean they don’t care. It doesn’t mean they can’t take other steps that are more attainable and affordable.
People ask me sometimes, what difference do you think you can make on your own? And my answer is, none. By myself I can’t save the planet, but if everyone did something, if everyone who could afford it cut out single-use plastic, and everyone with a phone and a few minutes called their representatives, and everyone who could walked or used public transit instead of driving, and so on and so on, if everyone did something, we could make a world of difference.