The Royals Have a Greener Wedding

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, visiting Sunderland in
February. The royals are important figures to many Brits.
Photo by Mariam Khattab. Used with permission.

On May 19, Prince Harry married American Meghan Markle. This was a pretty big deal in England and most everyone I knew watched them tie the knot. But their marriage also came with a symbolic gesture for the environment.

The wedding featured a 1968 E-Type Jaguar that had been converted to electric power. This symbol of Eco-friendly cars is a big deal when around 11 million people watched the wedding in the UK and over 22 million in the US.

The royal family matters to many British people as a symbol of unity in their democratic monarchy. While the government makes legal changes to help the environment, the quintessential symbol of Great Britain is also making symbolic changes to help.

The royals have always had a huge influence on trends, especially in fashion. A highly visible and influential family, the simple donning of certain items can boost the profits and stocks of the company. Wedding dresses often follow the trend laid out by royal weddings.

This influence doesn’t necessarily have to be confined to fashion and the deliberate choice of an electric vehicle symbolizes Britain’s commitment to helping the environment. While Prince Harry marries an American, maybe America should become more committed to helping the environment.

The UK Shows How Environmental Change Starts on a Government Level

Seaburn Beach in Sunderland, UK.

I often feel frustrated when I try to help the environment on an individual level, because I know that for every product I recycle, a big company out there makes a thousand products that can’t be recycled.

Companies and the government have a lot more influence on the environment than the individual consumer. Society is starting to realize this and the UK is starting to implement change.

“Everyone needs to recycle,” said Eva Clark, a plastic-free activist in the UK. “But if companies stopped using so much plastic then there wouldn’t be as much plastic waste.”

Cities along the coasts of England, like Sunderland in the North East, feel and see the effects of plastic usage in real time. Sunderland Cabinet Member for City Services, Councilor Michael Mordey, noted this change.

“There's been a huge increase in the amount of plastic produced over the last 50 years with a 20 fold increase worldwide,” Mordey said. “You only have to walk along the seafront to see the impact that's having on our beaches.”

Maybe because of this proximity to the ocean, environmental urgency in the country is palpable.

In January of this year, Prime Minister Theresa May pledged to abolish all plastic waste in the UK by 2042. It is an ambitious notion, but the plan was criticized for a lack of urgency and detail. Overall, there wasn’t enough bite in May’s plan according to many environmental groups.

But maybe there are teeth after all: the Independent exclusively reported last week that a source close to the government said a new ‘plastic tax’ would make it too expensive for companies to continue using single-use plastics on a practical level.

This measure, should it be proposed, is similar to other regulations meant to reduce waste For instance, using plastic bags at any large supermarket costs 5 pence. There is also a proposed ban on plastic straws in the country, but many companies have already opted to use paper straws.

What about the US? Recycling and waste is not regulated on such a massive level and the country has not made any sort of plastic free commitment like the UK. But individuals and businesses are still trying, like in Aspen, CO.

On May 23, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that a 20 cent fee on paper bags at two of the city’s supermarkets was not unconstitutional. This could mean more local efforts across the state to start regulating waste.

From what I’ve noticed, the UK is taking a more active role against waste, especially plastic waste. This may be because of its smaller size or the amount of towns influenced by waste, but their government and businesses are taking a more conscious method to help the environment.

Maybe the US will need to start locally, but policies like the UK’s create massive change in a way that doesn’t majorly affect individuals.

“I don’t think it really affects anyone that massively,” Clark said. “Them making the small changes doesn’t really affect anyone’s life because there are alternatives. Everyone gets used to it. They get over it.”

A Little Label Does a Lot for Recycling

My biggest struggle after eating packaged food is trying to decide where to throw the wrapping away. It seems plastic, but is it the type of plastic that should be recycled? If I'm not sure, which I'm usually not, my default is to just throw it away.

Well, it was until I came to the UK.

In the US, there is a way to check. On plastics there is usually a small number inside a triangle made of arrows, which ranges from 1 to 7, and from there (if you're aware of their meanings) make the proper recycling decision.

This system makes me, the consumer, have to work pretty hard to recycle and often I won't.

Alternatively, most products in the UK have clear labels that describe the packaging and whether or not it is recycled. So if I'm ever unsure about a package, I simply look at the product and it tells me “widely recycled,” “check local recycling,” or “not currently recycled.”

This scheme started in the UK in 2009 and now over 550 brands use the standardized labeling.

It works: more than 7 in 10 consumers in the UK recognize this message.

Most consumers want to help the environment, so making it easy for them creates obvious results. The UK recycles 43.5 per cent of waste while the US recycles only 34.6 per cent, according to the World Recycling League. So maybe it's time to be a bit clearer about recycling in America.