Adventure Access and Grayl, the makers of the Grayl Ultralight Purifier, have partnered together to reduce single use plastic bottles in West China. One of the ways that we have encouraged the use of reusable bottles is through conservation awareness during our recent Outdoor Education Program with Chengdu International School’s 7th Grade class.
During a visit to Zhaga Waterfall we spoke about water, plastics, and the need to be proactive in our conservation efforts. Students submitted essays or artwork as part of a competition to win a Grayl Ultralight Purifier. Andrew C. was our winner! Andrew is from Korea and lives in China. Here is his submission below:
The Dangers of Plastic*
The Age of Plastic arrived in the mid 20th Century. After is was invented in 1909 by a young Belgium-American inventor, the usage of plastic increased. In the current day, almost every person around the world uses plastic goods each day. In fact, plastics are harmful for the environment. Plastic, a useful invention, damages the Earth because it gives many bad effects to the environment and animals.
After people use plastic goods, plastics are recycled and re-created into a new plastic goods. Only 9 percent of plastics are recycled worldwide. Other left-over plastics are usually trashed in the sea or they are buried under the ground. The problem is that plastic takes a long time to rot [biodegrade] . It takes nearly 500 years to rot [biodegrade] plastic. Even though it rots [biodegrades], the chemicals in the plastic pollute the soil. Then plants will have a hard time growing. In other words, plastic chemicals make soil bad, and it makes it hard for plants to grow.
As plastic is trashed into the ocean, it makes a large group of plastics. These plastics wander around the ocean, following the ocean current. As a result, they become a big island that is made by plastics, and it becomes larger and larger. The problem is ocean animals can think that trash and plastic are foods for them. It kills a lot of animals and these days some animal species can become extinct.
In conclusion, plastic affects animals and the environment in a harmful way. It pollutes soil and it kills animals. We can stop this by using less plastic goods. Bring your own cup [bottle] rather than using plastic. This can help the Earth from danger.
We are thankful for all the students at CDIS who participated in our Outdoor Ed program. It was a joy to grow and learn together. On the final day, the students gave back to one of the local Tibetan communities by participating in a clean up to remove plastic and trash near the local stream.
To learn more about Grayl, go to www.thegrayl.com. If you live in China, follow us on Instagram and WeChat for a chance to win a Grayl Ultralight Purifier later this summer.
*Andrew is a non-native English writer. Small edits were made to make it easier for our reader base but we left most of the essay in its original form. 😉
