Think about how all of the things you use are made.
Typically, we don’t think much about where the things we use in every day life come from. Turns out a huge portion of commonly used materials come from petrochemicals. Here are a few every day items made from petrochemicals:
1. Gasoline and diesel fuel
2. Every plastic item you can think of
3. Clothing fibers like polyester
4. Paint
5. Pesticides
6. Fertilizers
7. Wax used in candles, makeup, crayons, and gum
Since 2005, oil refineries have reported 3,339 accidents resulting in 24 million pounds of air pollution and 25 million gallons of water pollution.
In 2011 alone, refineries reported over 1 million pounds of air pollution and over 1.3 million gallons of water pollution.
The more we continue our heavy use of petrochemicals, the more we perpetuate the power of the industry and its unsafe practices and negative environmental impacts. It’s difficult to change your ways completely, but it’s not that difficult not to make 1 or 2 small changes. If everyone makes a few small changes in their use of petrochemical products, the industry will start to feel the effects. These changes will send a message to the industry that in order to keep their customers, they need to eliminate their accident problem!
The purpose of this festival is to help you identify some small changes you can make to use products made in created safer, more environmentally sustainable ways.
At the festival:
1. Check out our Green Business Expo, featuring green initiatives being taken by local businesses, non-profit organizations, artisans, and restaurants and illustrate the petrochemical alternatives they provide.
2. Take the Rethinking Petrochemicals self-guided tour of the festival, which highlights businesses taking especially important or creative initiatives.
3. Think about how you individually, and we collectively can reduce our dependence on petrochemicals. Finding alternatives to petrochemicals will keep us and our environment safe and healthy.
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