The news is pretty heavy and worryingly sad for those who’s lives are being devastated in Ukraine and i’m sure our hearts and thoughts are with them, but unfortunately climate change and plastic pollution doesn’t stop just because its not in the news. So here is our ‘Tellus’ Friday Reflections, by Helen T this week.
As the working day has come to an end for me (I am now back working full time 😒) , it led me to catch up on my Eco Communities emails before sitting on that sofa that’s calling me. Our major aim as Eco Communities is to ‘Help Build a Greener and More Sustainable Future’ and we can’t do this while we continue to litter our community, allow single use plastic to fill our oceans and continue to use the worlds resources.
So many fantastic things are going on in the background that we can rejoice and support. The Welsh Dee Trust have a project ‘It Shouldn’t be in the Dee’ which will raise awareness of pollution and its damage. We have linked up with Maddy who is responsible for the areas of the Dee that are in Chester. We will be supporting Maddy and The Welsh Dee Trust, working on joint litter picks and hopefully other projects over the year. They are working on a ‘Community-led approach to eliminate sources of pollution’ Read more here. We have Plogability on the 1st Saturday of the spring/summer 22 and River Sunday mid month. Both are aimed around litter picks near to the River Dee. We are trying to get our Dr Christian Dunn to become our very own ‘Joe Wicks’ at the next Plogability, a pre litter pick exercise warm up using our picker. We know he attended all Joe Wicks exercise classes in lock down, so he’s got the moves.
We are also linked to City to Sea as Refill volunteers. Refill is the water refill campaign and we have lots of businesses in the region offering Refill and are now ready to work on more conversations to build this. We are also linked in with City to Sea on it’s reusable cup trial for outdoor events, you will hear more as this develops over the Spring. As a group we have known that bioplastics are not the solution for some time and doesn’t support a circular economy and so this project is going to be a great way to get people thinking differently, businesses and individuals.
March news has provided a UN member agreement where nearly 200 countries have agreed to start negotiations on an international agreement to take action on the “plastic crisis”. BBC News. Great news we say.
We saw so much Greenwash in advertising around COP26, lots of big businesses wanted to tell the world how fantastic they are for the planet, I was often found shouting at the TV. This is an area that the Advertising Standards Authority have agreed to clamp down on. It is great to see the news about Innocent Smoothies TV advert band in the press, how on earth can they say that buying something in single use plastic is good for the environment. (The Guardian)
We have always found Coca-Cola to be our most collected item of litter, news this week states that it will collect 100% of its packaging by collecting a bottle or can, regardless of brand, for every one produced by 2025. However, Coca-Cola has a history of grand announcements and broken promises. The test will be whether or not we see a reduction in their single-use plastic bottles contributing to plastic pollution. One to keep an eye on (Reported by Edie)
When Christian isn’t in his wellies in a Wetland he is campaigning about plastics, his role at Bangor University has allowed him to complete research on microplastics in our rivers and now the team are tracking litter. If you spot a discarded Lucozade drinks bottle, let them know using the hashtag #LucozadeLitter. (Bangor University)
So one final Tellus Reflection – We are ready to get the Community Litter Pick Hubs out, if you are part of a community that wants to rid where you live of litter and need some support and equipment let us know. We already have a few Hubs agreed but we have room for a few more.
Then what are you doing where you work, at home? Come and talk to us on our Mighty Network Channel and lets share all those great ideas in our community. Have you caught up on our Plastic Free Cheshire page?
Sustainable Cheshire 
Thanks Helen,I did write to MP Chris M about growing Hemp as a replacement for plastic! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeoform scroll down for info). For now if a deposit had to be paid on plastc bottles refunded on return then there would be a drastic reduction in litter! Fungi can replace polystyrene.( and many other uses). I have lots of info on sustainable materials Limecrete needs to replace concrete.Flax could be grown in Uk and particulary Ireland and parts of Wales to replace cotton whch is terrible for the environment where it is grown. I cant understand why we still have so many sheep on the uplands instead of planting trees( though a top Botanist told me they would come back by themselves.Sheeo area middle eastern animal and hate cold and wet.
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