If you’ve ever read anything we’ve written (for argument’s sake, let’s assume/hope you have), you’d know that we can’t get enough of Queen Elizabeth II.
And there’s nothing quite like The Queen, y’know, at the age of 91, going ahead and pledging to do her part to save the world.
That’s right, Her Majesty has teamed up with none other than the wildlife warrior himself, Sir David Attenborough, to declare a war on plastic.
Following the release of Attenborough’s documentary Blue Planet, Buckingham Palace released a statement outlining The Queen’s new waste plans that would see plastic straws and bottles banned from the Royal estates.
And, according to The Telegraph, internal caters at Windsor Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, as well as Buckingham Palace, will now only be allowed to use china plates, glasses and recyclable paper cups.
“Across the organisation, the Royal Household is committed to reducing its environmental impact,” a spokesman for Buckingham Palace stated.
“As part of that, we have taken a number of practical steps to cut back on the use of plastics. At all levels, there’s a strong desire to tackle this issue.”
As reported by the ABC, a 2010 study highlighted the devastating impact plastic is having on Australian environments. Indeed, an analysis of waters surrounding Oz uncovered that there were roughly 4,000 microplastic fragments per square square kilometre.
This is a shocking statistic considering that between 5,000 and 15,000 sea turtles are tangled in plastic and fishing gear that washes ashore in northern Australia alone.
So, what can YOU do to save the environment? Make like The Queen and reduce your carbon footprint by committing some of these plastic-nixing tips to memory:
Take your own shopping bags to the supermarkets – even just reusing plastic bags from your kitchen cupboard can reduce waste
Don’t use plastic bags when shopping for fruit and vegetables
Switch Glad-wrap for containers
Use your own containers when purchasing meat from the deli
Refuse a straw and just use your lips to sip on a drink
Use an electric shaver over plastic