Little ways to make big change
Super slimmer Dawn Thomas has shown she has the willpower and discipline to do the right thing for her own wellbeing.
If only we were all as responsible and committed to doing the right thing as Dawn. Sometimes we need a little encouragement.
Two issues have arisen this week where others have taken it upon themselves to push the public into doing the right thing.
Waitrose has banned the sale of high energy caffeine drinks to under 16s, while the call has gone up to introduce a 25p levy on disposable coffee cups to cut waste.
In both cases, the route of relying on the public to do the right thing has failed to reap rewards.
Waitrose has stepped into the child health debate by restricting sales of socalled energy drinks to help protect children’s health.
The hope is that other supermarkets will follow suite. The so-called Latte Levy of 25p on disposable coffee cups is an environmental issue.
Attempts to get the public to cut down on environmentally damaging paper cups have failed. Research shows the UK throws away 2.5 billion paper cups every year. They are an environmental disaster. The levy, it is hoped, will have the same impact as the 5p charge on plastic bags which has been a huge success.
We’re no fans of the nanny state or big business dictating our lifestyles, but in some cases, the public needs an extra push.
We all want healthier children and a pollutionfree environment, but we don’t all possess the willpower and discipline of Dawn Thomas to ensure we get it.
Latte Levys and supermarket bans are the little changes that could have a big impact. We welcome them.