My #stareDownOnPollution Message
Here are two simple ways we can stare down on pollution
Did you know that every day, about 270,000 trees are flushed down the drain or end up as garbage all over the world?
10% of that number is attributable to toilet paper
More often than not, tissue papers are made out of Virgin Paper (rather than recycled content) and are bleached (which could be harmful to the animal health) to make it whiter.
How can we stare down on pollution?
Two things.
- Don’t waste tissue paper (and other variations of it): Watch this TED talk video by Joe Smith on how to use one paper towel.
2. Don’t opt for the whitest one. There is this human tendency to associate white with cleaner. The problem with this when it comes to Toilet paper is the whiter tissue means a higher concentration of bleach has been used which is dangerous to animals and our bodies too.
There are other environmental impact issues related paper pollution. They include deforestation, air and water pollution etc. See more here.
Tying it all together with the sustyVibes competition
SustyVibes is a social enterprise aimed at making sustainability ‘cool’ and relatable for young people. Their name alone sounds ‘cool’ (LOL). It is a portmanteau word formed from ‘sustainability’ and ‘vibes’.
They are organising a competition where participants would be required to proffer suggestions on how we can #stareDownOnPollution in Nigeria.
Here is my video entry for the Susty Vibes #stareDownOnPollution Competition. Shot by my friend, Tolu Abiodun.
As at July 2016, Uba Godwin of SunNewsOnline reported that Nigeria needed 1,050 million tons of tissue papers per annum. While our total local production output is still less than 150 million tons. If we recycled toilet paper, perhaps, we wouldn’t be needing that many tons.
You can also participate by following the steps in this video.
