When I go to the grocery store I routinely grab a cart left carelessly in a parking spot or that's been left stranded at some remote point. My hands are empty and the cart needs to go where I am going. I haven't seen anyone else do this either."

Clif, my husband and I do this all the time, so you're NOT alone.

I thought the letter was great, but there are some things that have gotten out of our control. For instance, motor oil is now being sold in plastic bottles instead of recyclable cans. The bottles MAY be recyclable [I haven't checked], but what was wrong with the cans?

I agree with your views on plastic packaging, a modern day scourge. It is up to individuals to avoid the plastic to the max, and therefore have a financial impact on the sellers eg supermarkets in the UK. The alternative is local shopping with reusable bags and promoting this to others.

They will never change so we must force the issue by personal choices. In truth, plastic packaging is unnecessary.

I've had quite a time getting to the point where I can always remember to have my own bag with me when I go grocery shopping. It involves being aware of what I am doing and why. In a convenience-mad society this is no small achievement.

Our economic system rewards the entrepreneur for selling on one hand, but on the other it rewards indolence and mindlessness by the consumer. If something can make things easier, if it will call for less effort and thinking, it has a very good chance of selling.

For all that has been said about plastic bags, I have noticed that on Saturday, when the local grocery store has the most customers, it is rare to see anyone with their own bag(s). At my grocery there is the option of paper bags, yet even as some communities ban plastic bags, most folks when given the object take plastic.

When I walk down the street I pick up litter – my hands are usually free, I am capable of bending over and the job needs doing. I've never seen anyone else do this.

When I go to the grocery store I routinely grab a cart left carelessly in a parking spot or that's been left stranded at some remote point. My hands are empty and the cart needs to go where I am going. I haven't seen anyone else do this either.

My point is that we are mostly in robotic in daily life; not thinking either of what we are doing or why. Focused on getting the immediate errand over with ASAP, we run on automatic pilot leaving our thinking about what we do for work, because there we are paid for it.

We should never forget that each of us is a being in the world and there is no separating the two. The world is what I make it and my slightest movement, my most insignificant act has a result, a consequence.

I'll let others condemn the captains of industry for what they do. I look to myself first for responsibility. For me, the greatest offense against the world is to live and act unconsciously.

Mother Nature forgive us, we know not what we do.

The letter itself was brilliantly written. I will use that as a template for my letter writing campaigns

While I personally agree with a great deal of what you say, I disagree a bit about the section on public demand.

Demand isn't about what the public "says"…it's about what they buy. And every time I walk into the grocery store I see people walking about with handfuls of plastic bags, even when reusable bags are placed at every register for them to buy. They're not that expensive…maybe 5-10% of a single week's grocery budget, but they still don't buy them!

The iPhone is a very cool invention…and millions of people have purchased them…but more people do not have for one really big reason – they are expensive. And until it becomes a better economical option for companies to stop providing plastic bags, packaging, etc. they simply will continue to manufacture these items. Obviously the government can step in by placing a tax or ban on these items but innovation alone isn't going to make plastics use decline. Capitalism at work.

But I applaud you…you are what we need to spread the word about consumption reduction and I'll forward your response to as many people as will listen. Thank you so much for posting your opinions here, very thought provoking.

Hey Chris and all,
First, please let me appreciate your art out loud, it is awesome and so thought provoking, great stuff!

I appreciate all of your comments, read it all carefully.

To your first point on the rabidly anti-plasts. They're out there, anyone who thinks we'd be better off with no plastics in the world falls into that category. They're the ones who worry me (as you noted, we agree on much) mainly because they're not informed. When I speak one on one with most and describe a world without plastics they almost all agree with me that it has become an essential material for many things.

When a plastics professional comes across a true hater of all plastics, they'll tend to dismiss that person and their viewpoint. When they come across reasonable viewpoints about health and waste they are un-dismissible and tend to be taken seriously.

I believe in our capitalist system, but it isn't without it's blemishes. Your comments about greedy execs really applies to virtually all publically held stock companies. Those execs have one concern over all others… stock prices. It's the nature of the system. Replace all the execs and all the new execs will find they have the same motivation.

So even I (the libertarian leaner) see we need government to ride herd on these guys. Government is really the only entity that can provide alternative motivations to these guys. through taxes, credits and regulations that make/force the stock companies to comply.

Large corps will only do what they are forced to do and whats good for themselves. Even when they do good, its for the goodwill they'll collect.

I'm generalizing, there are exceptions, but I believe its mostly quite accurate.

I think pretty much, appealing to public companies is idealistic and not likely to result in much change. The effective course, to me, is to grow your numbers and appeal to politicians.

And I think addressing the public to not participate is wasteful consumption will be more effective than convincing companies to not make plastic disposables.

Anyway, just my opinion on tactics to help us achieve less waste, better health.

Chris, thanks again for your art.

ps; Beth may be worried I don't want my full name published, but I don't mind It's Greg Koski, plastics.com, come visit us, ALL polite viewpoints are welcome.

viv in nz