Plastic Pollution Is Everywhere—Even Here
Shelly Dolbeer, Creative Director & BD Lead. A personal reflection on microplastics, rural sustainability, and the work we still need to do.
Plastic pollution is everywhere—I live at 9,200 feet in the Colorado mountains—surrounded by evergreens, crisp air, and silence so deep you can hear snow fall. It feels untouched. Wild. Clean.
But recently, I learned something that surprised me: even here, in this remote part of the world, plastic pollution is quietly seeping in.
Microplastics Made It Personal
Like most people in the clean energy space, I talk about sustainability often. But I’ll admit—I hadn’t given much thought to microplastics until recently. Then, during a casual online rabbit hole (you know the kind), I discovered just how pervasive they are.
They’re in our oceans, our food, our air—and yes, our drinking water.
That’s when it stopped being theoretical. I thought: Could they be in my water, too?
I live off well water. It’s hard, it’s mineral-heavy, and we’ve struggled with buildup for years. The idea that something as unnatural as plastic particles could be making their way into my mountain home hit differently.
Sustainability Is Harder Than It Looks
Living remotely comes with beauty—but also limitations.
- There’s no curbside composting or bulk zero-waste store
- Online orders often come with layers of plastic packaging
- Even switching to plastic-free products requires research, cost, and experimentation
I work in clean energy and communications. I know what should be done—but I also know what real life looks like. And sometimes, that includes plastic.
So, What Now?
I’m not writing this because I have all the answers. I’m writing this because I don’t.
I’m learning. I’m reading. I’m swapping out what I can. And more importantly, I’m staying curious about how my personal choices align with the professional mission I believe in.
Because beating plastic pollution isn’t just about cities, or campaigns, or Earth Day declarations. It’s about real people, in real places, doing the best they can with what they have.
A Clean Energy Future Includes Cleaner Living
At Equinox Creative, we’re proud to support clean energy programs, electrification initiatives, and community-based sustainability solutions. But as we think about the future, we also must remember that systems and behaviors go hand-in-hand.
We need infrastructure that makes clean living easier—and we need empathy for those navigating it with imperfect options.
So, if you’ve found plastic-free solutions that work for rural or remote areas, especially those dealing with hard water and limited access, I’d love to hear them.
Progress isn’t about perfection.
It’s about asking better questions—and starting where we are.