Thanks to the tremendous turnout of 971 people for our charity Facebook contest, we are able to donate $971 to the Plastic Pollution Coalition!
The Plastic Pollution Coalition is a group dedicated to reducing the amount of disposable plastic that enters the world’s landfills and oceans. Plastic pollution is right at the top of the list of the world’s biggest pollution disasters. Once created, disposable plastic products will live for centuries after you and I are gone. A plastic product that is used to carry an item home from the store, drink a few ounces of liquid, or hold a small amount of soap until used, is only useful during the first 0.1% of its life. The other 99.9% of its existence is spent as waste. The Plastic Pollution Coalition is coming up with solutions to help solve this problem on a daily basis. They have gathered together a global group including scientists that research the problem, public figures that help draw attention to the problem and thousands of everyday people that want to see a change!
After a difficult decision and dozens of great entries, we have chosen Shepherd Campbell as the winner for the $500 grand prize. Shepherd’s magnificent story about his eco-vacation to Egypt included a breathtaking photo of him in front of the Egyptian pyramids! His entry is shown below:
We recently traveled to Egypt. To reduce our carbon footprint we donated money to an eco-friendly organization to help offset the impacts of the flight. Many small details were considered to
ensure the trip was eco-friendly. One suitcase was packed to minimize and reduce the amount of weight on the overall flight. Small reusable containers were used to pack our shampoo and lotions. Much of what we took were items that we were looking to repurpose, and left behind. We packed our own drinking cups to reduce waste. When people think of eco-vacations many believe it is going to cost a lot more to book a “specialty” vacation, but if everyone who traveled took small steps to make positive changes it could really equal a big impact for everyone!
Shepherd sets a great example for travelers that want to be eco-friendly. Eco-travel is about doing the most you can for the environment, while traveling to where you want to go. Shepherd wanted to go to Egypt and the only reasonable way to get there was to fly. He cared enough to make a donation to specifically offset that activity, and even considered the overall weight of the flight while packing for it! What more could we ask? He surely couldn’t have swam there. As far as his use of non-disposable drinking and shampoo containers – that is right up our alley and a great way to reduce plastic pollution! Shepherd raises a valid point about how some people might assume that eco-travel will be too expensive for them; but he is also right about how everyone who travels should take small steps to help. Whatever you can do makes a difference. Some things that save the environment do cost money, but some save money. The more people that travel like Shepherd and the rest of our entrants, the better place our planet will be!