環保使者:生活動如何減少使用塑料?
We live in a world that is literally molded in plastic, from beverage and food containers to toys, cell phones, computers, bags and a range of household items. It is everywhere and unfortunately seems to be going nowhere. Not only is plastic non-biodegradable, it is also one of the most toxic pollutants in the world and causes damage to the environment, right from its production to its disposal. In addition, plastics are manufactured using chemicals like Bisphenol-A and Phthalates that can be dangerous to our health.
從飲料、食品容器到玩具、手機、電腦、包包和一系列的家居用品可見，我們的的確確生活在一個塑料所形成的世界。這些東西到處可見，不幸的是它好像無處可去。塑料不僅不可降解，還是世界上最毒的污染物之一，無論從其生產到處理，都對環境造成破壞。此外，塑料是人造化學物質，像雙酚A和酞酸鹽對我們的健康都有害。
Every year, trillions of plastic bags, billions of plastic bottles, appliances and cell phones are discarded; a large majority of these end up in landfills or the oceans, where they can take a thousand years to break down. In addition, marine trash, which mainly consists of plastic, currently kills more than a million seabirds and 100,000 mammals and sea turtles each year. We can all play a role in reducing our dependence on plastic, if we started to take some small steps in our everyday lives to be mindful of our plastic use.
每年，數萬億塑料袋，數十億塑料瓶、電器和手機被丟棄；這些東西大部分被埋在垃圾堆或海洋裏，需要數千年才能分解。此外，主要由塑料組成的海洋垃圾現已每年殺死了超過一百萬只海鳥，十萬種哺乳動物和海龜。如果我們開始在每天的生活中採取一些小措施來留意我們對塑料的使用，我們就可以在減少塑料依賴性中發揮作用。
Here are 5 simple tips on how you can learn to live with less plastic:
這裏是關於如何使生活中減少塑料的5個簡單技巧：
(恆星英語學習網原創編譯,轉載請註明出處!)
1. Carry reusable shopping bags
1. 攜帶環保購物袋
This may seem like the most obvious tip, but one look at people in grocery stores and shopping malls will remind you why this practice is far from being widely adopted. Make this easier for you by keeping a few reusable bags in your car, your handbag or briefcase.
這個看起來像是最明顯的技巧，但是人們在百貨商店和大型購物中心將提醒你爲何這項措施難以被廣泛採納。在你車上、手提包或公文包裏放一些環保購物袋，這使你更方便。
2. Don’t buy bottled Water
2.不要買瓶裝水
According to Food & Water Watch, plastic bottles produce 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year and requires up to 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce. If you are concerned about water quality, invest in a home water filtration system. When you’re on the go, carry a reusable stainless steel bottle or travel mug that you can fill before leaving home and refill whenever you need to.
根據“食品和飲水觀察”，塑料瓶每年產生150萬噸塑料垃圾，而且每年需要4700萬加侖的石油來生產。如果你考慮到水質，裝個家庭水濾系統。當你在旅途中，帶個環保的不鏽鋼保溫瓶或者旅行杯，這樣你可以在離開家前裝上水並在你需要喝水的時候重新裝上水。
3. Cook at home more often
3. 更常在家做飯
This is not only the healthier choice for you and your family, but can also significantly help to reduce the amount of plastic that enters your home. When you cook at home, you’re essentially avoiding the plastic packaging that comes with frozen meals as well as the plastic bags, plastic containers, plastic wrapped forks and knives and plastic sachets that takeout food and condiments come packaged in.
這不僅是你跟你家人一個更健康的選擇，而且可以有效地幫助減少塑料進入你家。當你在家做飯時，你就基本上避免了冷凍食品及塑料袋，塑料容器，塑料包裝刀叉，外賣食品和調味料包裝的聚乙烯袋之類的塑料封裝。
4. Compost Organic food waste
4. 有機廢物堆肥
Home composting is a great way to reduce the amount of trash you produce on a daily basis, and thereby reduce the use of plastic trash bags. Composting your organic food scraps is the best way to return to mother earth the energy that went into preparing your food. Further, composting has several environmental benefits, ranging from drastically reducing the amount of solid waste that ends up in landfills each year to greenhouse gas reduction and soil enrichment.
家庭堆肥是一種減少每天產生的垃圾數量，從而減少對塑料垃圾袋的使用的好方法。有機食物殘渣堆肥是一種使能量回歸大地爲食物的吸收做準備的最好方法。甚至，從大大減少每年埋在垃圾堆裏的固體垃圾數量到降低二氧化碳和土壤富集而言，堆肥對環境也有好處。
5. Buy less stuff & Reuse what you have
5. 少買一點食物和重複使用你所擁有的東西
Again, this should seem obvious, but the less we consume, the less demand for products that are made of plastic and consequently, the less chances that plastic will end up in landfills and our oceans. Further, try and buy products that are of a higher quality, so that they last longer and reduce the need to be replaced in a few months or years. Lastly, no matter how hard you try to live with less plastic, you may not be able to avoid it completely. When you can’t refuse plastic, learn to reuse! Shopping bags, food containers, zip-lock bags and bottles don’t need to end up in your trash or recycling bin, but can be put to several creative uses.
這一點看起來又很明顯了，只有我們消耗的越少，我們對塑料產品的需求就越少，因此，塑料被埋在垃圾堆和海里的機會也就越少。另外，嘗試和購買質量更好的產品，以便它們可以用得更久而減少在數月或數年就需要更換。最後，無論你多想減少生活塑料，你不可能完全避免。當你不能拒絕塑料，學着再利用！購物袋、食品容器、自封袋和瓶子不可能在垃圾或回收站中完全消失，但是可以用作其他方面的創造性用途。
(恆星英語學習網原創編譯,轉載請註明出處!)
