Why we’re on a quest to beat the plastic peril
PENNY LANCASTER, 46, is a TV presenter and the wife of rocker Sir Rod Stewart, 73. They live in Essex with their sons Alastair, 12, and six-year-old Aiden. ESCAPING to our home in Florida was a blessing after a second blast of ice and snow caused chaos in Britain. Sadly, a sobering reality hit home on our daily walk along the beach, when the tradition of collecting shells with the boys turned to collecting plastic. We were horrified at the sight of washed-up water bottles, lids, bags and wrappers, and it prompted us to ask: What can we do to stop it?
It was only six months ago on the same beach that we had an incredible encounter with an endangered leatherback sea turtle emerging from the water to lay her eggs.
Later, we witnessed the young being hatched and watched spellbound as they struggled towards the water to catch their first wave – Aiden helpfully cleared seaweed from their path.
These beautiful creatures are at great risk from the unnecessary plastic waste that is being discarded so irresponsibly.
It dawned on Rod and me that because we buy a coffee from a shop each day, we are adding to the plastic problem. Many coffee companies now offer a discount if you bring in your own reusable cup to be filled. That’s the first easy step we have taken in our daily routine to help improve the situation.
As for our boys, this experience has highlighted the dangers that a lack of proper recycling can cause, and they too are helping by putting all our plastic waste in a recycling bin at home.
We are also conscious of the products we could avoid when shopping. For example, at the end of the school week, instead of buying confectionery wrapped in plastic at the supermarket, we visit our local sweet shop where staff serve traditional treats in paper bags.
As parents, it is our responsibility to show by example and educate our children on the importance of caring for our planet.
So the next time we visit our holiday home, we are going to make a huge effort to take responsibility for our environment and volunteer at the local non-profit organisation, Friends of Palm Beach, to keep the sand clean.
As they say, children are the future and every little helps, especially if we all join in to clean up.
INSTEAD OF SHELLS, THE BEACH WAS FULL OF OLD BOTTLES