What is plastic? #PlanetorPlastic

What is plastic? (A children's story)

There once was a child who was very curious about all things, and loved to know more and more about the world. The child's teachers were either very frustrated or very pleased with him because of his incredible curiosity that would probably rival even that of Alice's in the novel Alice of Wonderland.

One day, the child deigned to ask a teacher, "What is plastic?" The teacher was one of the few who loved answering the child's questions and satisfying the child's curiosity, and so the teacher replied, "It's a material that people make so that we can have things like water bottles, cups, and plastic bags... even your toys are made out of plastic."

The child was happy to learn that his toys existed because of plastic, and exclaimed, "Plastic must be good then! I like plastic; it's useful and it lets me have fun toys to play with."

However, the teacher explained further, "No, dear child. Plastic is not good, and you should not use too much of it. Because of the plastic in the ocean, sea creatures like turtles, seahorses, and other kinds of fish are being hurt or are already dying."

"What? Then why are there plastics in the ocean then?" asked the child. The teacher sadly replied, "It's because of us. We humans like to thrown our trash, especially plastics, in the ocean which is why those poor creatures are dying." The child said, "Does this mean we're all killers? Because the turtles and the fish die for our trash?" The teacher did not know how to reply because in a way, it made sense, and so was ashamed of this realization.

The child was puzzled by this piece of information. The child wondered why humans would do such a thing if they knew it was harmful, and questioned the teacher once more. The teacher answered, "We don't actually go to the ocean directly to throw our trash. When garbage trucks collect our trash, some actually throw the trash into the ocean because there is no more space on land." The teacher quickly added, "Experts say that the best way to fix this problem is for us to stop using so much plastic, and to be mindful of where we throw it."

The child responded, "So if people already know what the best solution is, then why isn't it still solved?" And so the teacher replied, "Most people are careless with their trash. Even the person with the kindest of hearts is probably guilty of being careless with trash. I am guilty, and you too, even if you aren't aware of it."

Immediately, the child felt ashamed. The child wondered, "If everyone stopped throwing plastic, would the turtles be safe then?" Sighing, the teacher said, "Yes, but it would take a very courageous person to be able to tell everyone to stop." The child perked up. "That could be me!"

The teacher smiled. "Yes, it can."