Use natural fiber clothing only, no polyester, just cotton or whatever other natural fibers. Try to use less packaged food. But one of the major sources of microplastics is tire wear from vehicles, not sure what can be done about from a personal level other than not drive, which, I mean, who’s really gonna do that?
Of course they will, but the simple fact of the matter is that it is not possible or reasonable to get by without a car in most places in the US. Elsewhere in the world, maybe. Cities, maybe. But not most of the US.
Most societies actually got around perfectly fine for most of history without driving. It’s really only in the past seventy years or so that urban planners brains collectively escaped their heads and started designing cities where it’s impossible to do anything without exploding some old dinosaur goo in a giant expensive death machine.
Because their cities were designed in sensible ways where that wasn’t necessary.
Parts of the country are still halfway reasonable. I’m in Manhattan, and can walk twenty minutes to Penn Station, where I can hop on a train and be in downtown Philadelphia in under two hours. I can get to most places in NYC by subway faster than you could drive there. A train to the airport can get me anywhere in the world.
None of this requires a car, and air travel aside, this was how most of the developed world was set up for the past several hundred years.
Unfortunately, all of the best fitness wear is polyester or otherwise plastic based. And it’s so far superior to the alternatives that there is no switching away from it.
I just remembered there are some great products made of bamboo, wool, or hemp! Yah, the vast majority of great products are plastic. Perhaps one day we’ll have like a scale or way to know if basically the product lasts or if it will shed a lot of plastic. That way we could switch to great plastic rather than stop using it entirely. Oof.
Hmm, interesting regarding them coming from vehicles. As far as microplastics from clothing, does anyone know if they are absorbed through the skin? I would think they would only readily be absorded thought food and water intake, but I am just surmising.
Let me think. Ah: We could actually solve two problems at once, microplastics and rolling resistance, by using steel wheels on steel streets. Make a street lane two beams of steel, that saves on material, and the wheels conical so that they follow those beams automatically, replacing the car’s differential. In case we need more grip we can spray sand, though as the street is now steel we can also use magnets for breaking. I should patent that!
Use natural fiber clothing only, no polyester, just cotton or whatever other natural fibers. Try to use less packaged food. But one of the major sources of microplastics is tire wear from vehicles, not sure what can be done about from a personal level other than not drive, which, I mean, who’s really gonna do that?
Fuckcars would like to have a word with you about that last thing
Of course they will, but the simple fact of the matter is that it is not possible or reasonable to get by without a car in most places in the US. Elsewhere in the world, maybe. Cities, maybe. But not most of the US.
Most of the US population lives in cities, just like in any other industrialised country.
Wait do we have a fuckcars now? Link please!
we have two: !fuck_cars@lemmy.ml and !fuckcars@lemmy.world
Most societies actually got around perfectly fine for most of history without driving. It’s really only in the past seventy years or so that urban planners brains collectively escaped their heads and started designing cities where it’s impossible to do anything without exploding some old dinosaur goo in a giant expensive death machine.
They also didn’t often travel very far.
Because their cities were designed in sensible ways where that wasn’t necessary.
Parts of the country are still halfway reasonable. I’m in Manhattan, and can walk twenty minutes to Penn Station, where I can hop on a train and be in downtown Philadelphia in under two hours. I can get to most places in NYC by subway faster than you could drive there. A train to the airport can get me anywhere in the world.
None of this requires a car, and air travel aside, this was how most of the developed world was set up for the past several hundred years.
One more reason to wear a well-fitted respirator
I would fucking love to not drive. Just don’t take away my fitnesswear.
Unfortunately, all of the best fitness wear is polyester or otherwise plastic based. And it’s so far superior to the alternatives that there is no switching away from it.
I just remembered there are some great products made of bamboo, wool, or hemp! Yah, the vast majority of great products are plastic. Perhaps one day we’ll have like a scale or way to know if basically the product lasts or if it will shed a lot of plastic. That way we could switch to great plastic rather than stop using it entirely. Oof.
deleted by creator
Hmm, interesting regarding them coming from vehicles. As far as microplastics from clothing, does anyone know if they are absorbed through the skin? I would think they would only readily be absorded thought food and water intake, but I am just surmising.
Apparently, they are mostly absorbed from drinking water and inhalation in relatively equal amounts according to science direct.
Mostly clothes form microplastics during cleaning which end up in the waterways.
You breathe in the microscopic particles created from abrasion.
Let me think. Ah: We could actually solve two problems at once, microplastics and rolling resistance, by using steel wheels on steel streets. Make a street lane two beams of steel, that saves on material, and the wheels conical so that they follow those beams automatically, replacing the car’s differential. In case we need more grip we can spray sand, though as the street is now steel we can also use magnets for breaking. I should patent that!
No polyester is difficult 😭 do you know if there any other natural fibers somewhat comparable or breathable, for cycling etc.?
No driving is easy for me right now - my car has two wheels and I’m the engine 🚲🤪
Not driving isn’t an option in my area. Not if you want to be employed.
Its a 30 minute drive to the bus stop to get to work. Plus travel time along bus stops.
Its a 35 minute drive to the front door.
If its still half an hour to just get to the bus stop, what’s the point even, at a personal level?
Captain Planet told me in the 90s what was gonna happen. Corporations just took it as a play book to accelerate shit.