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Plastic food bags of various sizes are very convenient for packing food to take with you for snacks, lunches, or other meals. They fit easily into a day pack or book bag or briefcase, and because they are one-use and disposable, most people toss them into the trash wherever they happen to use the contents. There are alternatives to these one-use plastic food bags, although they do need washing. I know of two kinds, and I’m sure there are more. Both are pictured below. The colorful bag is not waterproof and should not be used for gooey food because it might be hard to wash out of the threads used for sewing the bag. It is perfect, though, for snacks such as the pretzels shown below. The semi-clear bag is waterproof and can be used for gooey food or liquids. Consider investing in a few of these bags to reduce the number of one-use bags that you throw away. (Note – many of the one-use food bags can be recycled if they are clean and dry, so try to recycle the ones you do use.)  
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April 22 is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. It’s a good day for all of us to take time to appreciate the earth and how it provides everything in our lives. Air, water, food, shelter, and all the extras are provided by the earth. Yes, we have to work to turn the raw materials into “stuff”, but all of the resources we use come from the earth. First, take a few minutes to say or think “thank you”. Take some time to appreciate the natural world around you. Even in a city, you can find plants, insects, and animals. You can breathe the air and enjoy the sky, whether it be clear and blue or cloudy. Finally, take a few minutes to choose something you can do to help reduce your impact on the earth, its resources, and its other inhabitants. It could be something simple, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or changing the setting on your thermostat to save energy. It could be something complex and long-range, such as working with an organization to restore a little corner of habitat or a portion of an ecosystem. You could start a blog on sustainability or work with schools and civic organizations to give ideas and information to others. Or you could join political action groups to help change environmental laws and policies. If you need ideas, here are some places to look:
The earth has a very rich variety of unique ecosystems, each with its own combination of plants, animals, birds, reptiles, insects, and fungi. Each ecosystem’s inhabitants are dependent on each other and the local climate conditions. Changing some of the inhabitants or climate conditions affects the entire local ecosystem. For example, a reduction in the number of pollinators (such as bees and other insects) can cause a reduction in the number of plants (including our food crops) that grow, which then affects everything that eats those plants. The earth’s rich biodiversity is important for the health of the earth and also for humans. Some scientists say that loss of diversity is a larger crisis than climate change. Biodiversity includes 1) species diversity, which is the number of unique species; 2) genetic diversity, which is the variation of genes within and between populations of the same species; and 3) ecosystem diversity, which includes the number of unique ecosystems on earth. Ecosystems can be as large as the South American rainforests, or as small as your house or yard. Ecosystems provide huge benefits to the earth and to the local inhabitants of each ecosystem.
Here is a link with a little more information on the overall topic of biodiversity. Please watch the little video called Biodiversity – Consider this #4 on the bottom of the first webpage at the link. Over the next few weeks, I will have additional posts on biodiversity topics, habitat protection and restoration, and Citizen Science initiatives. https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/conservation/issues/biodiversity-important.htm |
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