#madeofplastic
At the dawn of her great journey, Émilie L. Laberge is preparing to take part in a long voyage of more than 8 months aboard the "Expedition Drenched", a green sailboat that is a nonprofit organization, created by a couple of Americans passionate about the oceans. She will discover the islands of the South Pacific, 9 almost unknown, with the mission of raising people's awareness of the environment through beach cleaning, conferences on the environment, assisting local environmental groups with research projects on the Dugong (marine animal threatened with extinction) and the egg-laying of sea turtle eggs, ect.
Particularly inspiring in her desire to make a difference by educating the public about the protection of the environment and our oceans, we asked Émilie to tell us about her vision of the plastic and the concrete actions that we can take in our daily lives to do our part.
Her story
In 2017, I went traveling for 6 months in Southeast Asia. I sold my house and practically all my furniture. I went to live with a friend with nothing more than my belongings for a year. Then came the trip in 2018, I left with 35L which was in a bag, including diving equipment. I had already been to Asia, but after spending 6 months, made me realize the extent of the problem of plastic. It is everywhere. Forget the beautiful photos on Instagram, right next to it is certainly a cluster of waste that has taken up residence on our land and oceans for several hundred years, having often only served a purpose for a few minutes.
In North America, the problem of plastic is even more important because we consume more per individual and we are falsely taught that to be ecological it is enough to recycle. Plastic is therefore less visible in our streets and green spaces because it is collected to be recycled (only partially) and sent by boat mainly to China, to be transformed into an object of consumption that we are then returned by boat . Round trips not very profitable for our oceans. China has recently stopped accepting our plastic waste. Recycling is no longer enough in 2019 to be environmentally friendly.
And the plastic in all this?
On the island of Flores, Indonesia, with globalization has recently emerged the single-use plastic. Before, its inhabitants (like many others in this region of the globe) used banana leaf to pack their food. When they had finished with it, they left it on the ground. Plastic has arrived so quickly in their lives that no change has been made in the way they dispose their packaging. I crisscrossed this island and villages and saw the ground, the fields and rivers covered with plastic. We do better than them to pick it up, but it's not enough for a so-called developed country. What do you think of our plastic now that China does not want it anymore and that other Asian countries follow one another? Recycling costs a lot of energy and is not profitable. So now, your plastic packaging, do you still believe that it will be recycled and processed?
You have probably heard of the '' 3 R's''; reduce, reuse and recycle. For me, they are in order of importance. We must act quickly and collectively. To reduce is to stick to essential. The famous '' Do you really need it? Of Pierres-Yves McSween, apply it in all spheres of our life. It is reviewing its consumption choices. It is to wonder if we could not borrow from a relative, or use a rental service rather than buying. If not, try to buy second-hand first, then as locally as possible and question the materials used, go for the choice of a sustainable product, which will go through the years and modes (how many t-shirts of ''just'' $5 or $20 have you worn once?) and choose multifunctional products to avoid overconsumption.
Reuse is to divest things that are no longer needed, to allow others to use them. It is to repair an object rather than throwing it away. It is to give a second life to objects or materials, before consuming new ones. Every day we are called to make consumer choices. From morning coffee, to take-out food, bottled water and cocktails with 4 straws. All these choices we make without thinking, as if it was normal to use so much plastic for single use.
Reuse is to divest things that are no longer needed, to allow others to use them. It is to repair an object rather than throwing it away. It is to give a second life to objects or materials, before consuming new ones. Every day we are called to make consumer choices. From morning coffee, to take-out food, bottled water and cocktails with 4 straws. All these choices we make without thinking, as if it was normal to use so much plastic for single use.
I came back from Asia in July 2018. Not wanting to go back to my old way of life, to a house too big for one person and depriving me of my newly acquired freedom, I went to live with a friend who was going on a trip for the summer while waiting to find a place that looked like me. Then I went back to live with the friend who had hosted me the year before. Having no "home" to accumulate belongings, I went away. I have never felt so free and alive. Since January 2017 I live with 75% of my salary. It's a deal I'm fortunate to have with my employer that allows me to go on a trip while keeping a salary and job. I am regularly asked how am I able to get by. The answer is simple, I consume very little and I made the choice to have "less" comfort. It must also be said that I am lucky to have friends around me who, like me, believe in the sharing economy and who left me their homes when they weren't around, sometimes in exchanged for maintenance on the house. To adhere to the principle of the sharing economy, you have to open your horizons, trust people and not be afraid to disturbed. I believe this is an essential solution for the well-being of our planet, which is visibly sick.
This project nourishes my thirst to discover the world, but also my environmental values and life in community. We aim for zero waste on board, buy our food in bulk, eat vegetarian, the menstrual cup is mandatory, we have a limited amount of fresh water, so it will be used consciously and will attempt to sail as much as possible.
How can we do our part on a trip?
- No drinks or meals to take away. As a bonus it allows you to take the time to relax and eat consciously.
- Bring washable utensils and straws in your bag with your every day.
- Learn in the local language the words ''plastic'', ''packaging'' and ''straw'' for example to make sure not to be served. (I also advise hello, thank you and not spicy please!)
- Always drag reusable bottle of water. For destinations where tap water is not potable, there are several solutions; pellet, drip, carbon filter and osmosis technology.
- Minimize transportation by plane.
- If you want to bring back souvenirs, choose something useful and locally made by hand. 
To the June Community, who choose swimsuits handmade in Montreal, from recycled and durable materials, thank you for helping us protect our oceans by making these conscientious choices and don't hesitate to promote these types of decisions for your environment. Do not be afraid to be pioneers and educate your loved ones, but also your neighborhood shops. As consumers, buying is our way of ''voting'' every day.
You can follow their journey on Youtube here and on Instagram here.
By Émilie L. Laberge