In the past few weeks Richard Eckersley has noticed a change in people who come into his shop. The previous (以前的) Manchester United footballer, who turned his back on the game to set up the UK’s first “zero waste” store on Totnes High Street in Devon, says it is no longer only environmentalists who came in, looking for a cleaner way to shop. “A lot of new people are coming in. We are getting calls every week from around the country from people wanting to set up something similar in their towns,” says Eckersley, who set up the Earth.Food.Love shop with his wife Nicola in March 2017.
More than 200 miles away, Ingrid Caldironi shares the enthusiasm. She set up the plastic-free (无塑料的) Bulk Market in east London. “We have had an amazing response,” she says. Eckersley and Caldironi are at the head of an anti-plastic movement in the UK that has been fuelled by newspaper investigations including The Guardian’s Bottling It series and The Blue Planet television series.
But their enthusiasm is not shared by big supermarkets, which have no interest in reducing their plastic waste. “For a nation of shopkeepers we are falling behind in this race,” says Sian Sutherland, founder of the campaign A Plastic Planet which led the calls for plastic-free goods shelves. Wandering through supermarkets where everything is covered in plastic, Sutherland says action rather than words is needed. Her co-founder Frederikke Magnussen explains the origins of their campaign. “It started with two unreasonable women who wanted choice — and supermarkets are all about choice, right? I can buy sugar-free, fat-free, African food, Asian food, yet if I want to buy plastic-free it is impossible for me to do so.”
Eckersley says, “After Willow, my daughter, was born, it made me think about what future lies ahead for her. I wanted to say that I at least tried, and I wanted to make a difference.”
8. What has happened to Richard Eckersley’s business?
A.It has spread worldwide. |
B.It is attracting large numbers of customers. |
C.It has received many complaints about its goods. |
D.It is facing fierce competition from other similar stores. |
9. What do we know about Ingrid Caldironi?
A.She lost money on her business. |
B.She built a plastic-free store in Devon. |
C.She had little interest in waste reduction. |
D.She took part in an anti-plastic movement. |
10. How have big supermarkets reacted to the plastic-free idea?
A.They are giving up their original ideas. |
B.They are offering more choices. |
C.They show little concern for it. |
D.They support it. |
11. What led to the campaign A Plastic Planet?
A.Customers’ need for plastic-free goods. |
B.Plastic coverings in supermarkets. |
C.The Blue Planet television series. |
D.Richard Eckersley’s store. |