No Time to Waste.
Eco-Art Competition 2021.

An IV bag is used to treat the symptoms, not the problem. My painting depicts an image that is similar in shape and form to a typical IV bag, and attached to the tube, there is a tag with the words “Biodegrade--Plastic”. It is evident that we are running out of time—there is no time to waste. We cannot be wasting time, energy, or resources treating the symptoms of global warming instead of resolving the root cause of it. Due to capitalism and the desire to find an easy solution to a complex problem, we are often led to associate the word “biodegradable” with “good” and “eco-friendly”. We are under the impression that we are slowly saving the Earth, but in reality, we are just slowly delaying its end. Many of us are unaware of the problems of biodegradable plastic, and so we turn a blind eye to the production of biodegradable goods. Some biodegradable plastics require certain conditions, such as a specific temperature or climate, in order for it to actually biodegrade. With that being said, often times, these conditions are not met, and so biodegradable plastics adds to the pollution. While some biodegradable plastics, for example, those made of certain plants, can be more easily decomposed, they are in low supply and less accessible than normal plastic. This issue concerning biodegradable plastic is important to me because I used to be under the assumption that I was helping the environment by switching over to biodegradable plastic. The problem is that it was too good to be true—by relying on biodegradable plastics, I neglected the importance of recycling, reusing, and reducing. It was devasting for me to know that I wasn’t helping my home, but rather contributing to global warming and pollution. My goal of this