Batavia man takes challenge to reduce plastic use

BATAVIA – Keith Line has had a lifelong passion for the environment. An energy auditor by trade, he helps people insulate their homes and teaches them how to save energy.

“Saving energy ultimately saves on pollution, and that’s the reason I went into that [profession],” he said.

Line, a Batavia resident, created EarthyRobot.com as a vehicle to share information about the environment. The website features videos, a podcast and more. Its prime focus is environmental impact, science and how technology can really help. In a video in the series titled “Doing stuff with stuff,” he makes a do-it-yourself car air freshener out of an old pair of underwear.

“Sometimes I create videos that are quirky or funny to prove a point, and other times they are serious. Getting the information out is just something I’ve been driven to do,” Line said. “I’ve been an environmentalist forever, I guess. It’s always mattered to me.”

Line recently embarked on a 30-day quest to use fewer plastics, thanks in part to his daughter.

“About two months ago, I went on a field trip with my daughter, who’s in third grade, and it was to the Pioneer School,” Line said. “We were talking about what kind of clothes they could wear, and none of the kids had clothes on that weren’t plastic.

“It got me thinking – being someone that really cares about what’s going on in the environment, how am I not doing better with plastic?”

Line said the 30-day focus on reducing his plastic use opened his eyes to the amount of disposable plastics that litter the local area.

“How many places do you go where you don’t see a bag in a tree?” he said. “And, ultimately, all of that stuff finds its way to water and to creatures in the wild. It’s pretty destructive.”

Line admits the 30-day no plastic challenge is difficult, and wants to support anyone interested in trying it. He created a hashtag, #30dayplasticchallenge, and has a post dedicated to it on Facebook.com/earthyrobot. Line also suggests visiting www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org for more inspiration.

“If people use [the hashtag], I’ll include their videos on EarthyRobot.com and share them on Facebook,” he said.

Line said the amount of plastics in daily life is staggering. For example, if a person uses an average of two plastic bottles for water, soda or some other beverage each day, that adds up to almost 730 bottles each year and over 7,000 over 10 years.

But what can people do about it?

“The No. 1 thing we can do for ourselves is to take a look at what we’re using, consuming and bringing home. Saying no to plastic bags is a very simple thing people can do. That is a colossal amount of plastic that is used every day,” Line said.

One tip Line suggested was simply declining plastic straws, and instead using a reusable glass straw.

“There are enough straws used every day to go around the planet two times,” Line said. “We can drink without straws. It’s not difficult – we’ve done it all our lives.”

Line also suggested opting for experiences over things – something he talks about with his daughter.

“Kids toys are loaded with plastics. If you’ve ever had to put something together after a birthday or Christmas, there are 5,000 little things and they are all wrapped in plastic unnecessarily. Very rarely do kids’ toys get recycled,” he said. “So we talk about the idea about giving ‘things to do’ versus giving ‘things.’ It’s actually much more exciting. If you give somebody a trip or a day away on an adventure as a family, that really becomes a great memory.”

Line said one of the challenges in reducing plastic use is getting over the feeling of being inconvenienced.

“I think one of the big things that people are fearful of is being inconvenienced. My answer to that is ‘so what?’ It’s OK to be a little inconvenienced,” he said. “We don’t have to have everything in our lives to be packaged and compartmentalized and handed to us on a plate. It’s OK to carry stuff and to try a little bit.”

Line understands that while not everyone may be as passionate about the environment as he is, everyone can make a positive impact.

“I’m not opposed to things we need in our lives. I don’t think everyone will get behind full-on minimalism. And that’s OK,” he said. “We need balance. We need all kinds of people in the world.”

Take the #30dayplasticchallenge Visit Facebook.com/EarthyRobot for support and ideas from others taking the challenge, including Keith Line

Other things you can do to make an impact:  • Adopt a highway • Volunteer for a cleanup with a park district or forest preserve • Cook for yourself with natural ingredients • Sort and recycle your trash • Use alternatives to disposable plastics like soap bars, glass straws, reusable cups • Insulate your home