Living more sustainably

[snoop1130]

Living more sustainably

by Aparna Sharma And Helena Hoffmann

 

 

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”
by Ryunosuke Saoro (Japanese philosopher and writer)

 

Expat Life in Thailand sat down with Fiona Lemaire (founder of Zero Waste Thailand).

We were reminded of this quote when we met Fiona from Zero Waste Thailand. She made us believe that each one of us has the potential to make a difference. Her story is extremely inspiring and her determination and belief that she could make a difference really touched us deeply.

 

We asked her if there was any particular incident which led her to build her company, Zero Waste Thailand. She told us that she loves the ocean and when she went diving a few years back in Phuket, she saw a huge amount of plastic floating around her and she literally saw the marine life suffering. Each time we use a single-use plastic item and throw it away, it is going into our oceans and landfills and it is harming and polluting our planet.

 

It was very disturbing to hear about her diving experience in Thailand and Bali; she saw more plastic than fish and she mentioned that it was extremely irritating to have her diving mask covered by the plastic bags floating in the ocean. The very thought of that sight was so difficult to comprehend, it must have been painful for her to witness all the beautiful corals suffering because of our actions.

 

She imagined the amount of plastic floating into the wide-open mouth of a manta ray. Her unforgettable diving experience made her really want to take responsible actions towards sustainable living and that is why she founded her company, Zero Waste Thailand. She said that she had absolutely no idea if it would succeed but she knew that she had to try and do something after witnessing those nightmare scenes underwater. When she started two years back, she produced 1,000 stainless steel reusable straws and she was unsure if they would sell but fortunately, they sold quickly which pushed her to produce more.

 

Today, her company sell many more sustainable and plastic-free items. Zero Waste Thailand supplies many restaurants, hotels, schools and even weddings in Bangkok with their plastic-free products. She mentioned that her margins are extremely low, so she does not supply to any of the supermarkets yet. (A shopping guide and places in Bangkok where you can find plastic-free products, sustainable service will be published online on our website). https://www.facebook.com/th.zerowaste/

 

She has also been focusing on making people aware of reducing plastic in their daily life’s or businesses and is a strong advocate on changing people through kindness and education. She has been trying to conduct various events and seminars to inform and share with people the importance of going sustainable over convenience. She was the main host of an event at K Village last August called “Zero Waste Weekend” together with other local companies to give options and ideas to consumers and business owners of eco-friendly products and packages.

She is visiting many international schools in Bangkok and offers seminars and talks to the children about being more mindful and aware of our daily habits in using plastic items. Definitely Zero Waste Thailand and their customers make quite an impact here in Thailand.

 

At the end of our interview, we were brainstorming on the little changes each one of us can make towards a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle. Every effort to reduce wastefulness is important, therefore…

 

Go #PlasticFree as much as possible
Previous generations didn’t have single-use razors, forks, cups, bags and food storage containers, but these days, we can find a plastic version of almost every item and then just throw that object careless away after its use. Every item is nowadays available in plastic or is wrapped in plastic. Substitute and investigate in products which aren’t made of plastic e.g. bamboo toothbrushes, soap bars, bamboo cotton buds, cotton bags, glass storage containers in the kitchen or if it is reusable plastic it is okay, too.

 

Plastic never goes away. Every year thousands of seabirds, sea turtles, and other marine mammals suffer and die after ingesting plastic or getting tangled up in it. You can cut down with your plastic waste with just a few simple steps:

 

Minimise the single-use plastic bags.
Use reusable bags when you shop. There are many of these very small foldable bags which don’t take so much space in your handbag. Have some of them in your car trunk as well.

 

Full Story: https://expatlifeinthailand.com/featured/living-more-sustainably/

 

-- © Copyright Expat Life in Thailand

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[canopy]

On 3/4/2020 at 7:25 PM, snoop1130 said:

Go #PlasticFree as much as possible...these days, we can find a plastic version of almost every item

You said it. Thailand is going firmly the opposite direction and are simply not interested. I was appalled to see even the shirts kids buy at the markets these days are made of plastic instead of cotton. Just look around the local markets; it's a sea of plastic for sale. Natural products often look better, last better, and work better besides being better for the planet which should be critical in people's decision making. But it isn't. I have not run across anyone who cares about any of those things. Cheaper is the only factor with the people.

 

On 3/4/2020 at 7:25 PM, snoop1130 said:

Minimise the single-use plastic bags...Use reusable bags when you shop

Every reusable bag I have seen sold at stores is made out of plastic. This will never solve the plastic bag problems from the pollution needed to make them to the careless litter and burning disposing of billions of them. If an organization wanted to make a difference, they could go to these stores, explain to them why plastic is a horrible material for something whose entire existence is to reduce plastic, and demand they switch to offering non-plastic reusable bags instead of just lip service pandering to environmentalists meanwhile at the end of the day selling more cheap plastic to the public.

 

Incidentally I use cotton net bags for shopping. They are great, last indefinitely, can be tossed in the laundry, are cheap, fit in the pocket, and so are not a bother to carry around unlike the plastic reusable bags they sell here. I could tell you or 70 million people here about them and not one single person would be excited or even interested in giving up their plastic bags. The people want plastic and that's what they get. Alternatives are all there, but nobody cares or wants to be bothered by this.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

Good for Fiona, but I'm not surprised she is not a Thai. In my long experience of LOS, I met one Thai person who cared about the environment and he accused me of littering because I had a 4 liter plastic oil container that I'd picked up on the beach to dispose of properly. I used to pick up litter on my morning walks on Chaweng beach, and most of it came from the sea where it was dumped by factories and fishing boats. Not one Thai was ever seen picking up litter.

[canopy]

I am against cleaning up litter. It gives a false impression of making things better and is a misdirected effort. Cleanup is a hopeless, lost battle picking up one piece of trash for thousands of new ones that will be dumped in its place non stop year after year. Before cleanup begins, dumping garbage everywhere must end. And the world is simply not ready for such a "radical" idea.

 

[nobodysfriend]

My thai wife gets her little metal food containers when she goes to pick up some food from a street stall , No need to use plastic .

If all that plastic rubbish simply would not be produced anymore , people would find alternatives ...

Even a lot of stuff that you can buy on Lazada etc ( made in China ) is of such a low quality that it will end up in the rubbish very soon .

Don't waste your money on something very cheap from China , buy better quality and more expensive , in the end it will be cheaper .

I would like that they put big rubbish containers near the supermarkets where people can dispose off the plastic rubbish they just bought . I bought a box of cookies recently , and every f****ing  single cookie was wrapped in plastic . Won't buy that anymore .

[ncc1701d]

I try to use as little plastic as possible and try to plan if I will need a bag or whatever. I’m thinking that I might just get a backpack to take any time I leave the house with all the eco sh!t I could need for the day. You can also get bamboo products (toothbrush for example) and I’m returning to bar soap over liquid soap in plastic bottles. Small changes, but if more people did it blah blah. 

[Billy Bloggs]

To the poster who makes me so sad, it does start with just cleaning up, there are at least 3 people who care and 2 of them happen to be Thai, there is new things coming out everyday, just got a pair of undies in a compostable bag looked like plastic but it was made from corn starch.

We dont buy plastic reuseable we either make our own or I bring some back from Oz with me.

I still if I beach walk pick up glass at the water line(this can be any country) not as bad as plastic for wildlife but much more painful for humans and I always manage to find some.

[Nyezhov]

I reuse and recycle, and try to limit my use of stuff. I try to minimize my footprint. Waste not, want not.

 

But thats because I was raised right not because any activist needs to tell me.

[CH1961]

When you are bored, you start living sustainably, avoiding garbage and try to saving the world.

Just do it for yourself, but don't try to proselytize me  ???? 

 

Edited March 7, 2020 by CH1961
Add something important.

[AussieBob18]

While I agree with and support most of the statements about doing the right thing, the answer is obvious : bio-degradable plastic.  At the moment plastic is super cheap and easy to make into a multitude of shapes.  The answer is for USA UE UK Aust/NZ etc. to ban the production of standard plastic bags and straws and bottles in say 2021 and mandate that all such products must be made of bio-degradable plastic.  When that happens the costs of bio-degradable plastic will drop dramatically.  At the same time slowly ban the production of 'standard' plastic for all other products that end up in the oceans, and mandate the introduction of bio-degadable plastic (3-5 years).  There is no 'education' that will work.  It is like helmets, seatbelts and lead-free petrol - it has to be banned and/or mandated and enforced.  Sure, some countries will ignore the new rules (China? SEASia?), but if they want to avoid international trade tariffs and sanctions they will fall into line. 

 

Meanwhile, the reality of human life will continue:  Good/educated people will usually do the right thing - Bad/Uneducated people must be forced to do the right thing. That is the way it is and always will be. 

[Tony125]

On 3/6/2020 at 10:08 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

Good for Fiona, but I'm not surprised she is not a Thai. In my long experience of LOS, I met one Thai person who cared about the environment and he accused me of littering because I had a 4 liter plastic oil container that I'd picked up on the beach to dispose of properly. I used to pick up litter on my morning walks on Chaweng beach, and most of it came from the sea where it was dumped by factories and fishing boats. Not one Thai was ever seen picking up litter.

BS   You hang in different circles . My wife when we have been at different beaches has gotten me to help her pick up trash along the beach (even though I told her  I think I need a work permit)  and she gets our nieces/nephews to help out as well. Sometimes when we go to the beach she brings along large trash bags that we leave by the curb for pick up so some Thai do care about the envioronment.

[brokenbone]

the zero plastic at big c etc was a complete fail,

i consume just as many plastic bags for my garbage now as before,

the only difference is before big c provided part of them, now the landlord

provide all of them.

 

thailands unique culture of buying ready to eat meal in small plastic bags

is as good as it gets for a market to develop a decomposable bag

that can hold hot soup for 24 hours without breaking,

get working on it

 

[canopy]

18 hours ago, brokenbone said:

develop a decomposable bag that can hold hot soup for 24 hours without breaking

These products already exist. Nobody is demanding them, nobody cares about them.

 

 

[murraynz]

22 hours ago, Tony125 said:

BS   You hang in different circles . My wife when we have been at different beaches has gotten me to help her pick up trash along the beach (even though I told her  I think I need a work permit)  and she gets our nieces/nephews to help out as well. Sometimes when we go to the beach she brings along large trash bags that we leave by the curb for pick up so some Thai do care about the envioronment.

Good on your wife.. 

She is very much in the minority. 

Thai people, simple don't care, have no pride in their surrounds, too lazy. 

[Tony125]

On 3/7/2020 at 1:17 PM, brokenbone said:

the zero plastic at big c etc was a complete fail,

i consume just as many plastic bags for my garbage now as before,

the only difference is before big c provided part of them, now the landlord

provide all of them.

 

thailands unique culture of buying ready to eat meal in small plastic bags

is as good as it gets for a market to develop a decomposable bag

that can hold hot soup for 24 hours without breaking,

get working on it

 

Don't think there has been enough time to say it's a failure. 7-11  and other stores in  most cases won't give out non reuseable bags unless you buy one  ( they use the money for environment projects) I only buy bio-degradable large trash bags that decompose in time and carry a back pack when shopping  or 7--11/ Big C have let me take stuff out to my car in shopping cart and then I return it to the store.

[Tony125]

On 3/7/2020 at 12:26 PM, AussieBob18 said:

While I agree with and support most of the statements about doing the right thing, the answer is obvious : bio-degradable plastic.  At the moment plastic is super cheap and easy to make into a multitude of shapes.  The answer is for USA UE UK Aust/NZ etc. to ban the production of standard plastic bags and straws and bottles in say 2021 and mandate that all such products must be made of bio-degradable plastic.  When that happens the costs of bio-degradable plastic will drop dramatically.  At the same time slowly ban the production of 'standard' plastic for all other products that end up in the oceans, and mandate the introduction of bio-degadable plastic (3-5 years).  There is no 'education' that will work.  It is like helmets, seatbelts and lead-free petrol - it has to be banned and/or mandated and enforced.  Sure, some countries will ignore the new rules (China? SEASia?), but if they want to avoid international trade tariffs and sanctions they will fall into line. 

 

Meanwhile, the reality of human life will continue:  Good/educated people will usually do the right thing - Bad/Uneducated people must be forced to do the right thing. That is the way it is and always will be. 

Agree with most of your statement but with an exception. Can mandate the use of bio-degradeable bags but can also insruct/teach other less educated citizens of the impact using reg plastic causes . I hope China learns from this latest outbreak they have caused that when it is over  send  health teams and tv adds to rural areas to teach the less educated proper hygeine procedures (such as spittting in malls floors washing after going to bathroom) and the reason not to eat  bats and other exotic animals which carry unknow dangerous virus. 

[AussieBob18]

7 minutes ago, Tony125 said:

Agree with most of your statement but with an exception. Can mandate the use of bio-degradeable bags but can also insruct/teach other less educated citizens of the impact using reg plastic causes . I hope China learns from this latest outbreak they have caused that when it is over  send  health teams and tv adds to rural areas to teach the less educated proper hygeine procedures (such as spittting in malls floors washing after going to bathroom) and the reason not to eat  bats and other exotic animals which carry unknow dangerous virus. 

China will not learn I think - but hopefully they will be forced to address the fact that most bad viruses that have occurred in the last 20-30 years have come from China.  And the reason is that their people have atrocuious and unacceptable hygiene and food preparation and eating practicess. Now some might say that is their culture, but they chose to join to world when Clinton was POTUS in the 80s, so they should be demanded to comply with modern western standards of hygiene and healthy eating practices. China should be forced to do that, or they should be shut down and their people barred from entering our civilised clean and hygenic countries - and our citizens should then be banned from going there (and returning with their diseases).

 

There is ample evidence to show how bad  and unhygenic things are in China - this is just latest (and worst) outbreak that has come from Chinese people's living habits and lack of hygiene.  This is a story from 18 years ago - but very much a lot of the 'practices' described in this story still exist today in many parts of China.  Live animal markets have been banned in most countries, and those that still have them are heavily controlled - this is not the case in China.  The rest of the world has changed because it is bad for others to be so unhygienic. China must be forced to do the same or they should be banned from living with us - it is now a global village and their practices are damaging other people.  The wuhan virus is just the latest proof of how unhygenic the living practices of the Chinese people is and how that is affecting the rest of us.  

https://regiehammblog.wordpress.com/2020/02/27/birth-of-a-virus/