August 24, 2025 • 12 mins
Welcome to another This or That episode!
I break down the least impactful options from things you’ve been asking about.
This episode is actually a repost, because some of you have sent in these questions - clearly, we all have choices that keep us up at night. And often, what we expect isn’t actually the truth!
In this week’s selection we have tea vs. coffee, and which is worse for the environment, what the best and worst options are for the milk you use with your drink, and finally, what exactly are bioplastics? And, whether we should even be using them...
Let's talk about:
- The comparison of tea vs. coffee
- How much water it takes to make tea and coffee, respectively
- What the most sustainable version of milk is
- The worst milk option for the environment
- The various environmental issues caused by dairy farming
- The truth behind a big myth about soy farming in the Amazon
- The difference between bio-based plastics and biodegradable plastics
Thanks for joining me on this episode of Because Why?!
Mā te wā - see you next week.
You can get involved with the podcast online in the meantime, of course.
Find our full podcast via the website here: https://www.nowthatwhatsicall.com
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For our latest big project, find out more about Incrediballs here: https://incrediballs.com/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Do you want to Kittyaki? And welcome back.
So today we have another. This will that for you.
And these are some everyday decisions that might seem really
small, but as we know, when theyadd up, they add up to a big
impact on the environment. So we're looking at coffee
versus tea, two of the world's biggest favorite drinks, of
course, and which one might be better for the planet.
Then we're going to have a look at milk options for that tea or
(00:20):
coffee, from dairy to Odin, everything in between.
And yeah, you probably know the answer to this one already.
But then I'm going to have a chat about biodegradable
plastics because so many people asked me about them.
It's way more complicated than it sounds, but it's also way
worse than you think it is. So it's not easy for tea or
coffee. I'm proud to say that I gave up
coffee and I went on a retreat acouple of months.
Well, actually earlier this year, and I gave up coffee.
(00:41):
And it turns out that actually it was having no impact on my
life at all. And it doesn't give me energy
whatsoever. So I don't miss it.
But I am English, so tea is in my blood, which is good because
it turns out that tea is infinitely better for the
environment than coffee is. So if we look at coffee, it's
already got a reputation for having a heavier environmental
impact, right? It's typically grown in tropical
climates. It's production often involves
(01:02):
deforestation, high water use and significant greenhouse gas
emissions. So to give you an idea, it takes
about 140 litres of water to produce 1 cup of coffee.
That accounts for growing, processing and transportation of
the beans. And that One Cup of coffee will
also emit around 60 grams of carbon dioxide.
On top of that, climate change is actually already affecting
(01:24):
coffee production because yes, spoiler alert, climate change is
already here. Coffee is mainly grown as either
Arabica or Robusta beans. Arabica, which is considered the
higher quality coffee, is more sensitive to temperature changes
because of course it is. As global temperatures are
rising and where the patterns are becoming more unpredictable,
it's getting harder and harder to grow this coffee in
traditional regions. And in fact, we've got studies
(01:46):
that are predicting it by 2050, which is really not that far
away. About half of the land currently
used for coffee farming will be unsuitable for growing those
beans, which means farmers will need to switch to more resilient
species like the robuster. But that comes with its own
environmental challenges and unfortunately, challenges for
your palate. But if we look at tea, it has a
much lighter footprint. Growing tea requires far less
(02:08):
water. It's about 35 litres per cup,
which is still massive don't getme wrong, but way lower than
coffee. Tea plantations also don't
result in the same level of deforestation as coffee farms,
and the emissions from tea are lower as well, typically around
20 grams of CO2 per cup. There's about 1/3 of what a cup
of coffee produces. But of course tea bags contain
micro plastics so if you are choosing tea, loose leaf is the
(02:31):
best option. Or at least try and find plastic
free tea bags. I know that Trade aid does them.
If you're looking for a great tea leaf option, pick his Pocket
who are an Altero owned organization are a fair choice
because they use fair trade tea.So I mean, this one's easy.
Tea is the clear winner. Lower emissions, less water use,
and fewer environmental impact overall, especially if you go
(02:53):
for loose leaf. And please please, please if you
can go for fair trade. It makes all the difference in
the world. But if you really want to stick
with coffee, you can still make a difference by choosing fair
trade or shade grown options which help reduce deforestation
and support more sustainable farming prejudices.
OK you have your tea or your coffee.
(03:13):
What milk do you choose if you drink your tea or coffee black?
Well I mean statistically you'remore likely to be a psychopath
so no judgment but just saying. But if you prefer milk, what is
the most sustainable option? Let's talk about dairy first.
Now. Just because someone is talking
about the environmental impact of an agricultural product does
(03:33):
not mean they are anti farmer. I have an incredible depth of
respect for farmers. They quite literally produce the
food we eat. They have an incredibly
difficult job and unfortunately dairy is without question the
worst milk option for the planet.
Cow's milk is really resource intensive and especially in
terms of water and land use. Now brace yourself, it takes
(03:54):
about 1050 litres of water to produce 1 litre of cow's milk.
1050 And on top of that, dairy farming is one of the biggest
contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture.
As we know, agriculture is a huge contributor to climate
change and this is mainly due tothe methane produced by cows.
In terms of emissions, Dairy Milk produces about 3.2 KGS of
(04:17):
carbon dioxide per litre. There are also concerns about
fertilizer runoff from dairy farms, which if you're from
Alteredo you'll be very familiarwith because a lot of our
freshwater systems have nitrate problems and this is caused by
fertilizer runoff from farms which leads to nutrient
pollution and waterways which causes algal blooms and then
harms aquatic ecosystems. Nitrates and water is actually
very bad for you and is potentially one of the reasons
(04:39):
that bowel cancer rates are increasing too, as an FYI.
Obviously, there is the ethical side and tents of dairy farming,
which isn't something that happens as much in Alto, but
certainly offshore, definitely raises concerns about animal
welfare. The next most popular is almond
milk. Yes, I say almond because it has
an L, not an R, But that's a debate.
We can get into it at a later date.
So almonds might sound like a lighter option, but growing
(05:02):
almonds is super water intensive, and we grow them in
one of the triest areas in the world.
It's a good choice. It takes about 370 liters of
water to grow enough almonds forjust one litre of almond milk.
And most of these are grown in California.
Yeah, renowned for its droughts.So it kind of raises concerns
about sustainability. There's a large scale almond
farming. Additionally, there's a lot of
(05:23):
pieces I'd use in these orchards, which of course leads
to run off. And of course they have to truck
in bees for pollination. And unfortunately, this can be
pretty hard for the bees with upto 30 to 40% of them dying every
time. Almond milk absolutely has a
lower carbon footprint than dairy, but it's water use and
pesticide impact I think it makes it a pretty bad option
(05:44):
personally. If we have a look at soy milk,
this is where the Amazon comes into play.
Everyone gets excited and says but the Amazon is being cut down
for soy. Not really true.
Well it is true, but not for thereasons you think.
Because 98% of the soy that has grown in the Amazon is feed to
livestock for meat production. Soy is actually a pretty
(06:04):
efficient crop when it comes to water and land use.
It takes only about 28 liters ofwater to produce 1 litre of soy,
so that's obviously much less than the other two we've spoken
about so far. And in terms of emissions, soy
milk is much lower, coming in ataround 1 KG per litre.
But it does have the deforestation associated with
it. So if you are drinking soy milk,
make sure you check where it's grown and make sure it's
(06:26):
sustainably sourced. Australia grows a lot of soy.
That's a great choice. And finally, we have oat milk.
Now oat milk is the predominant plant milk, right?
People consider it to be most environmentally friendly plant
based milk, and they're not wrong.
It uses far less water than bothalmond and Dairy Milk, which is
about 48 liters per litre of oatmilk.
And in terms of emissions, it's one of the lowest as well at
(06:47):
about 0.9 KGS per litre. Oats are typically grown in
cooler climates and they don't require as much land or
pesticides, so they're easy to grow in a lot of places.
But of course, it does still involve the use of synthetic
fertilizers which can contributeto runoff into waterways.
Although apparently this is lesson teens can be to other
crops. The milk also doesn't face the
same ethical concerns as soy in terms of deforestation or dairy
(07:10):
in terms of animal welfare. So it's a pretty solid choice.
Now yes, there are some newer milk options out there like
hemp, coconut, and rice, but there's not enough LC AS or life
cycle analysis data there to give a full comparison.
Well they may be good options, Ijust don't have enough
information to evaluate the environmental impact for you,
but I'm sure that will come. Personally, I cannot stand
(07:30):
coconut milk. It just gives me the ick.
Rice milk feels kind of pointless to me, but I've never
had a chance to try hemp. That's on the list.
I have tried potato milk and I will say that is the only thing
where potato just does not shine.
It was absolutely vile, which surprised me because potato can
do no wrong. So oat milk takes the crown
(07:51):
here. Low water footprint, minimal
emissions, and fewer land use concerns.
Soy milk was probably a close runner up, but definitely check
that sourcing. As for almond and Dairy Milk, if
you can skip them. Finally, the big one for today,
bioplastics. There's a lot of buzz around
bioplastic and people getting really excited, but frankly it's
just another form of greenwashing and it's driving me
(08:12):
mad. Let's break it down a button
because of course that's what plastic it doesn't do Sorry.
OK, first, it's all about normalplastics.
These are obviously made from fossil fuels like natural gas,
which is non renewable and contributes to greenhouse gas
emissions. The big issue is of course, what
happens after we use them. Normal plastic takes hundreds of
(08:33):
years to break down. And of course it doesn't really
break down, it breaks up. They don't decompose, they
fragment into microplastics, which ends up in our oceans, in
our wildlife and even our own bodies.
Because don't forget, microplastics have now been
found in every single person sampled, even in people that are
by and large untouched by the western lifestyle.
(08:53):
It's been found in balls, it's in testicles, it's been found in
brains, hearts. It's a little bit terrifying.
Globally, only around 9% of plastic is actually recycled.
I know all these people in the comments shouting at me saying
that their bottle will be recycled.
Statistically, no, it won't. Just because it can be doesn't
mean it will be. Most of it ends up polluting the
planet, clogging landfills and getting in our oceans.
(09:16):
So surely bioplastics are a better option?
Well, no, not really. There's kind of two types of
bioplastics, right? Plastics that are bio based, so
they come from a biological source or biodegradable
plastics, but they are not the same thing.
So if we look at an example, PLAwhich is polylactic acid is
(09:37):
usually made from cornstarch. So it's a bio based, it comes
from a plant, but it does not break down.
Actually, PLA is called compostable, but it only
degrades under specific conditions and typically these
are only found in industrial composting facilities with high
heat and specific microbes. If it ends up in a landfill, it
will take just as long to break up into those little
(09:59):
microplastics behaving much likeconventional plastic, and in
your home compost, it's not going to do anything.
Bioplastics are often marketed as being better for the planet,
but they're not. Many of them don't break down a
natural environment and even those that do still release
microplastics if they're not decomposed properly.
As for biodegradable plastics, the research on them is a little
bit grey. So there's something called
(10:19):
PVOH, basically Poly vinyl alcohol.
This is the stuff that dissolvesin water.
It's the stuff that your dishwashing tablets are wrapped
in, for example. Now one study has shown that
these actually just degrade intomicroplastics when they're not
treated properly through water treatment systems.
That study was done by a companycalled Blue Land who are
absolutely financially incentivized to find this
conclusion because they have anti PVOH, they are anti
(10:41):
dissoluble soluble plastics. So it's a commercial decision
for them. So can we rely on that research?
Let's take it with a grain of salt, But the issue is I don't
think we know enough about thesewater soluble pastics to know
for certain they don't cause these issues.
There is other research out there that says that in most
situations they are okay. I am of their belief that's
let's use them sparingly until we know more for sure.
(11:03):
But the bigger issue for me is that bioplastics are sold as the
eco friendly option when really they're just shifting the
problem. We've all seen those freaking
cups with the green writing on the outside saying I'm made of
plants in New Zealand is a worstone for this.
It means absolutely nothing. But I can hear you saying OK
fine they all end up in the sameplace and they don't break down.
But surely making something out of plants versus oil is bitter?
(11:24):
No, not necessarily, because growing crops for bioplastics
takes up lots of land and resources that could be used for
food production, so it actually leads to a greater environmental
strain. We do not have enough land on
the planet to produce enough bioplastic for the amount of
plastic that we use. Large scale bioplastic
production would compete with food production, would lead to
more deforestation and habitat loss of biodiversity
(11:46):
destruction, all in the name of producing so-called green
plastic that still ends up behaving exactly like the
regular stuff. So this one doesn't really a
this or that. It's not bioplastics versus
traditional plastics. It's no plastic at all because
bio plastics are not the solution to bio plastic problem.
They're just a different kind ofplastic with a cute green label
slapped on. It is a classic green washing as
(12:09):
we know. The best thing we can do is
reduce our reliance on single use plastic altogether.
Get your reusables, recycle whenyou can of course, and focusing
on home compostable materials are better options.
Although of course just to be inmind that even if it is
compostable, single use is stillnot a good option.
So don't get fooled by the bio and bioplastic, it's still
plastic and it's all a big scam.So there you have it, short and
(12:32):
sweet episode. Today I'm going to go enjoy an
oatmeal tea in a normal cup, of course, not a disposable cup.
But as always remember it's not about being perfect.
Once you know better, you can dobetter and it's about making
informed choices the better for the planet.
Because at the end of the day, our individual choices aren't
going to save the planet, sure, but they do make a difference.
And they are a great stepping stone to making you feel that
little bit better about the state of our planet.
(12:54):
Because action is the antidote to apathy.
So I will see you next week, Kyodo.
Do you want to Kittyaki? And welcome back.
So today we have another. This will that for you.
And these are some everyday decisions that might seem really
small, but as we know, when theyadd up, they add up to a big
impact on the environment. So we're looking at coffee
versus tea, two of the world's biggest favorite drinks, of
course, and which one might be better for the planet.
Then we're going to have a look at milk options for that tea or
(00:20):
coffee, from dairy to Odin, everything in between.
And yeah, you probably know the answer to this one already.
But then I'm going to have a chat about biodegradable
plastics because so many people asked me about them.
It's way more complicated than it sounds, but it's also way
worse than you think it is. So it's not easy for tea or
coffee. I'm proud to say that I gave up
coffee and I went on a retreat acouple of months.
Well, actually earlier this year, and I gave up coffee.
(00:41):
And it turns out that actually it was having no impact on my
life at all. And it doesn't give me energy
whatsoever. So I don't miss it.
But I am English, so tea is in my blood, which is good because
it turns out that tea is infinitely better for the
environment than coffee is. So if we look at coffee, it's
already got a reputation for having a heavier environmental
impact, right? It's typically grown in tropical
climates. It's production often involves
(01:02):
deforestation, high water use and significant greenhouse gas
emissions. So to give you an idea, it takes
about 140 litres of water to produce 1 cup of coffee.
That accounts for growing, processing and transportation of
the beans. And that One Cup of coffee will
also emit around 60 grams of carbon dioxide.
On top of that, climate change is actually already affecting
(01:24):
coffee production because yes, spoiler alert, climate change is
already here. Coffee is mainly grown as either
Arabica or Robusta beans. Arabica, which is considered the
higher quality coffee, is more sensitive to temperature changes
because of course it is. As global temperatures are
rising and where the patterns are becoming more unpredictable,
it's getting harder and harder to grow this coffee in
traditional regions. And in fact, we've got studies
(01:46):
that are predicting it by 2050, which is really not that far
away. About half of the land currently
used for coffee farming will be unsuitable for growing those
beans, which means farmers will need to switch to more resilient
species like the robuster. But that comes with its own
environmental challenges and unfortunately, challenges for
your palate. But if we look at tea, it has a
much lighter footprint. Growing tea requires far less
(02:08):
water. It's about 35 litres per cup,
which is still massive don't getme wrong, but way lower than
coffee. Tea plantations also don't
result in the same level of deforestation as coffee farms,
and the emissions from tea are lower as well, typically around
20 grams of CO2 per cup. There's about 1/3 of what a cup
of coffee produces. But of course tea bags contain
micro plastics so if you are choosing tea, loose leaf is the
(02:31):
best option. Or at least try and find plastic
free tea bags. I know that Trade aid does them.
If you're looking for a great tea leaf option, pick his Pocket
who are an Altero owned organization are a fair choice
because they use fair trade tea.So I mean, this one's easy.
Tea is the clear winner. Lower emissions, less water use,
and fewer environmental impact overall, especially if you go
(02:53):
for loose leaf. And please please, please if you
can go for fair trade. It makes all the difference in
the world. But if you really want to stick
with coffee, you can still make a difference by choosing fair
trade or shade grown options which help reduce deforestation
and support more sustainable farming prejudices.
OK you have your tea or your coffee.
(03:13):
What milk do you choose if you drink your tea or coffee black?
Well I mean statistically you'remore likely to be a psychopath
so no judgment but just saying. But if you prefer milk, what is
the most sustainable option? Let's talk about dairy first.
Now. Just because someone is talking
about the environmental impact of an agricultural product does
(03:33):
not mean they are anti farmer. I have an incredible depth of
respect for farmers. They quite literally produce the
food we eat. They have an incredibly
difficult job and unfortunately dairy is without question the
worst milk option for the planet.
Cow's milk is really resource intensive and especially in
terms of water and land use. Now brace yourself, it takes
(03:54):
about 1050 litres of water to produce 1 litre of cow's milk.
1050 And on top of that, dairy farming is one of the biggest
contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture.
As we know, agriculture is a huge contributor to climate
change and this is mainly due tothe methane produced by cows.
In terms of emissions, Dairy Milk produces about 3.2 KGS of
(04:17):
carbon dioxide per litre. There are also concerns about
fertilizer runoff from dairy farms, which if you're from
Alteredo you'll be very familiarwith because a lot of our
freshwater systems have nitrate problems and this is caused by
fertilizer runoff from farms which leads to nutrient
pollution and waterways which causes algal blooms and then
harms aquatic ecosystems. Nitrates and water is actually
very bad for you and is potentially one of the reasons
(04:39):
that bowel cancer rates are increasing too, as an FYI.
Obviously, there is the ethical side and tents of dairy farming,
which isn't something that happens as much in Alto, but
certainly offshore, definitely raises concerns about animal
welfare. The next most popular is almond
milk. Yes, I say almond because it has
an L, not an R, But that's a debate.
We can get into it at a later date.
So almonds might sound like a lighter option, but growing
(05:02):
almonds is super water intensive, and we grow them in
one of the triest areas in the world.
It's a good choice. It takes about 370 liters of
water to grow enough almonds forjust one litre of almond milk.
And most of these are grown in California.
Yeah, renowned for its droughts.So it kind of raises concerns
about sustainability. There's a large scale almond
farming. Additionally, there's a lot of
(05:23):
pieces I'd use in these orchards, which of course leads
to run off. And of course they have to truck
in bees for pollination. And unfortunately, this can be
pretty hard for the bees with upto 30 to 40% of them dying every
time. Almond milk absolutely has a
lower carbon footprint than dairy, but it's water use and
pesticide impact I think it makes it a pretty bad option
(05:44):
personally. If we have a look at soy milk,
this is where the Amazon comes into play.
Everyone gets excited and says but the Amazon is being cut down
for soy. Not really true.
Well it is true, but not for thereasons you think.
Because 98% of the soy that has grown in the Amazon is feed to
livestock for meat production. Soy is actually a pretty
(06:04):
efficient crop when it comes to water and land use.
It takes only about 28 liters ofwater to produce 1 litre of soy,
so that's obviously much less than the other two we've spoken
about so far. And in terms of emissions, soy
milk is much lower, coming in ataround 1 KG per litre.
But it does have the deforestation associated with
it. So if you are drinking soy milk,
make sure you check where it's grown and make sure it's
(06:26):
sustainably sourced. Australia grows a lot of soy.
That's a great choice. And finally, we have oat milk.
Now oat milk is the predominant plant milk, right?
People consider it to be most environmentally friendly plant
based milk, and they're not wrong.
It uses far less water than bothalmond and Dairy Milk, which is
about 48 liters per litre of oatmilk.
And in terms of emissions, it's one of the lowest as well at
(06:47):
about 0.9 KGS per litre. Oats are typically grown in
cooler climates and they don't require as much land or
pesticides, so they're easy to grow in a lot of places.
But of course, it does still involve the use of synthetic
fertilizers which can contributeto runoff into waterways.
Although apparently this is lesson teens can be to other
crops. The milk also doesn't face the
same ethical concerns as soy in terms of deforestation or dairy
(07:10):
in terms of animal welfare. So it's a pretty solid choice.
Now yes, there are some newer milk options out there like
hemp, coconut, and rice, but there's not enough LC AS or life
cycle analysis data there to give a full comparison.
Well they may be good options, Ijust don't have enough
information to evaluate the environmental impact for you,
but I'm sure that will come. Personally, I cannot stand
(07:30):
coconut milk. It just gives me the ick.
Rice milk feels kind of pointless to me, but I've never
had a chance to try hemp. That's on the list.
I have tried potato milk and I will say that is the only thing
where potato just does not shine.
It was absolutely vile, which surprised me because potato can
do no wrong. So oat milk takes the crown
(07:51):
here. Low water footprint, minimal
emissions, and fewer land use concerns.
Soy milk was probably a close runner up, but definitely check
that sourcing. As for almond and Dairy Milk, if
you can skip them. Finally, the big one for today,
bioplastics. There's a lot of buzz around
bioplastic and people getting really excited, but frankly it's
just another form of greenwashing and it's driving me
(08:12):
mad. Let's break it down a button
because of course that's what plastic it doesn't do Sorry.
OK, first, it's all about normalplastics.
These are obviously made from fossil fuels like natural gas,
which is non renewable and contributes to greenhouse gas
emissions. The big issue is of course, what
happens after we use them. Normal plastic takes hundreds of
(08:33):
years to break down. And of course it doesn't really
break down, it breaks up. They don't decompose, they
fragment into microplastics, which ends up in our oceans, in
our wildlife and even our own bodies.
Because don't forget, microplastics have now been
found in every single person sampled, even in people that are
by and large untouched by the western lifestyle.
(08:53):
It's been found in balls, it's in testicles, it's been found in
brains, hearts. It's a little bit terrifying.
Globally, only around 9% of plastic is actually recycled.
I know all these people in the comments shouting at me saying
that their bottle will be recycled.
Statistically, no, it won't. Just because it can be doesn't
mean it will be. Most of it ends up polluting the
planet, clogging landfills and getting in our oceans.
(09:16):
So surely bioplastics are a better option?
Well, no, not really. There's kind of two types of
bioplastics, right? Plastics that are bio based, so
they come from a biological source or biodegradable
plastics, but they are not the same thing.
So if we look at an example, PLAwhich is polylactic acid is
(09:37):
usually made from cornstarch. So it's a bio based, it comes
from a plant, but it does not break down.
Actually, PLA is called compostable, but it only
degrades under specific conditions and typically these
are only found in industrial composting facilities with high
heat and specific microbes. If it ends up in a landfill, it
will take just as long to break up into those little
(09:59):
microplastics behaving much likeconventional plastic, and in
your home compost, it's not going to do anything.
Bioplastics are often marketed as being better for the planet,
but they're not. Many of them don't break down a
natural environment and even those that do still release
microplastics if they're not decomposed properly.
As for biodegradable plastics, the research on them is a little
bit grey. So there's something called
(10:19):
PVOH, basically Poly vinyl alcohol.
This is the stuff that dissolvesin water.
It's the stuff that your dishwashing tablets are wrapped
in, for example. Now one study has shown that
these actually just degrade intomicroplastics when they're not
treated properly through water treatment systems.
That study was done by a companycalled Blue Land who are
absolutely financially incentivized to find this
conclusion because they have anti PVOH, they are anti
(10:41):
dissoluble soluble plastics. So it's a commercial decision
for them. So can we rely on that research?
Let's take it with a grain of salt, But the issue is I don't
think we know enough about thesewater soluble pastics to know
for certain they don't cause these issues.
There is other research out there that says that in most
situations they are okay. I am of their belief that's
let's use them sparingly until we know more for sure.
(11:03):
But the bigger issue for me is that bioplastics are sold as the
eco friendly option when really they're just shifting the
problem. We've all seen those freaking
cups with the green writing on the outside saying I'm made of
plants in New Zealand is a worstone for this.
It means absolutely nothing. But I can hear you saying OK
fine they all end up in the sameplace and they don't break down.
But surely making something out of plants versus oil is bitter?
(11:24):
No, not necessarily, because growing crops for bioplastics
takes up lots of land and resources that could be used for
food production, so it actually leads to a greater environmental
strain. We do not have enough land on
the planet to produce enough bioplastic for the amount of
plastic that we use. Large scale bioplastic
production would compete with food production, would lead to
more deforestation and habitat loss of biodiversity
(11:46):
destruction, all in the name of producing so-called green
plastic that still ends up behaving exactly like the
regular stuff. So this one doesn't really a
this or that. It's not bioplastics versus
traditional plastics. It's no plastic at all because
bio plastics are not the solution to bio plastic problem.
They're just a different kind ofplastic with a cute green label
slapped on. It is a classic green washing as
(12:09):
we know. The best thing we can do is
reduce our reliance on single use plastic altogether.
Get your reusables, recycle whenyou can of course, and focusing
on home compostable materials are better options.
Although of course just to be inmind that even if it is
compostable, single use is stillnot a good option.
So don't get fooled by the bio and bioplastic, it's still
plastic and it's all a big scam.So there you have it, short and
(12:32):
sweet episode. Today I'm going to go enjoy an
oatmeal tea in a normal cup, of course, not a disposable cup.
But as always remember it's not about being perfect.
Once you know better, you can dobetter and it's about making
informed choices the better for the planet.
Because at the end of the day, our individual choices aren't
going to save the planet, sure, but they do make a difference.
And they are a great stepping stone to making you feel that
little bit better about the state of our planet.
(12:54):
Because action is the antidote to apathy.
So I will see you next week, Kyodo.
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