Where do you wanna live? Paradise or “Plasticdise”?

When you live in such an awesome place like we do – a regular trip to one of your home beach is part of your routine, right?
With the omnipresent topic of global warming, pollution and plastic in our oceans, I am frequently shocked by the amount of trash, rubbish and plastic at our beaches.
I find everything ranging from Lollipop sticks, straws, hygiene articles, cups etc. which definitely do not belong here.
Our stunning, blue flag rated beaches are suffering under constant waves of plastic and trash alluviums. How sad!

The majority of this trash is clearly not from us here on the west coast – our ocean, the Atlantic is pushing it from far away to our shore.

But where is it coming from? Here are only a few reasons to back up my story so far.

The latest statistics reveal that 10 rivers of the planet carry 93 % of trash into the world seas. These rivers are Yangtze, Yellow, Hai, Pearl, Amur, Mekong, Indus and Ganges Delta in Asia, and the Niger and Nile.
Up to 2.75 million metric tons of plastic per river! is dumped into the oceans around the globe. Can you imagine this number? 275.000.000 tons of stuff we call trash because it is not of any use for us anymore. Do you agree we need to become more aware of our usage, consumption and the cycle of products and goods we use?
Every single little piece of plastic can be step towards the end of so many vivid and liveable things in live!
So, I don’t want to get angry and sad when I visit my beaches Monte Clerigo or Amoreira anymore. That’s why I try be more aware of what I use, when and for what.
You can be part of it. Please take all your stuff with you when you leave the beach including your trash. And if you want to become a real hero – pick up at least 3 pieces of trash each time you leave the beach and put it in the right bin. Believe me it`s no magic, it`s awareness.
Not just when you visit the beach – try to recycle as much as possible in your daily life as often as you can!
By being the role model for your kids – this could become a nice routine for all family members don’t you think?
That is why, I share my top 3 of how to be a bit more aware of your daily consumption behaviour.

1. Whenever you go shopping, bring your own bag – why stuffing your drawer with another plastic bag? BRING YOUR OWN BAG!

2. Drinking water from your tap is the mostly tested and controlled food. Why don’t you get a filter system like Britta and stop buying water in plastic bottles. You have it almost for free at home? STOP BUYING WATER!

3. We all know the majority of the fruits and veggie we buy come along with a peel or skin. So why putting them in an extra plastic bag when you buy them? SKIP PLASTIC PRODUCE BAG

I totally understand this topic is endless and controversial but so is the plastic in our ocean. Being a bit more aware can make the difference to preserve our little paradise and our future.
Thank you for you time.
Sophie
PS. We are planning a circle of beach cleans in the upcoming months – if you want to be part of it feel free to contact me via mail sophie@aljezur.life