Plastic bottles, plastic containers, and plastic baggies once holding peanut butter sandwiches: the world uses plastic so much that another planet looking down would assume that plastic is good for the environment.

Not only plastic but also other man-made chemical creations like styrofoam and gum all have terrible effects on our innocent wildlife in the oceans: turtle shells deformed, dolphins intestines wrapped in a shoelace. Once plastic and other chemical products are introduced to our earth, they never biodegrade. These products intrude on our once pure area of limited earth.

America has an "out of sight, out of mind" mindset, but I assure you that when you throw away a plastic wrapper and it plummets into the darkness of a trash can never to be seen by you again... our planet does not have this privilege.

It's sad to see my own environmental science class using plastic straws to teach a concept about saving the fishes and environmental sustainability: oh the irony! Earth can not be sustained first and foremost without each individual understanding the power impact to our oceans:

Recycle the plastic you have, and then never buy anymore.

Okay, maybe this is a bit drastic, but the point is the following: how can you expect companies like Ziploc to stop selling products like plastic baggies when people like you are still buying them? Supply and Demand! Take a stand and opt for containers that you can wash and reuse to store your lunches.

Same goes for plastic water bottles: don't be lazy.

Laziness in America, next to lack of empowerment has caused the animals of the ocean we love so much to suffer. You can save a turtle's life just by reusing a water bottle!

Maybe you don't have to completely rid of plastic in your life to save our planet, but you can certainly make a difference by being aware, and keeping a picture of an innocent turtle harmed by plastic above your plastic baggies to keep it real: saving the planet trumps saving time.