Let's Go Lego!

In keeping with last week's blog, "The Building Blocks of Education: Plastic?", which discussed the use of eco-bricks, this week's focus is also on eco-friendly bricks, on a smaller scale. Additionally, the title of this blog "What You're Missing Missing About the Climate Crisis" is fitting as this news was released in 2018 and I missed it myself, just as you may have! So, if you haven't guessed by the title yet, the topic of the week is Lego's new line: Plants from Plants.
Lego released their line of Plants from Plants Legos in 2018 as the first of many steps for the company to reach a completely sustainable status for core products and packaging by 2030. The plastic used to create the Legos has been verified as 98% plant-based by using sugar cane plants as the base. Wait, it gets better! The sugar cane plants are sustainable as they grow at the same rates, or faster, than they produce the plastics for the Legos. Lego has also partnered with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) for guidance on how to best source the sugar cane plants.
The plastic does not taste or smell like sugar, and is not any visually or textually different than other Legos. So that means kids can pair their old Lego bricks with the new plant based ones for seamless creations. Even the most loved of plant Legos will not be damaged as they are not biodegradable (I suppose you can't have it all...yet), so they are just as durable as the previous plastic ones.
There must be a catch, right? Wrong. The price of these Legos will not be affected by the fact they are sustainable and plant-based. If you still aren't convinced to reach for these over the old Legos because of their sustainability, and fair price, they're also perfect for boys and girls, so you can't go wrong! There are kits available including complex tree houses and countless creatures. Even though a kid may not understand the value that these eco-friendly toys pose, they'll sure understand how cute the botanical characters Shy Marvin and Woody Wheel are.
For the parents or purchasers who do understand this value, there are very few reasons to reach for any other toys. Lego is setting a great example for every other toy company on the market by proving sustainable products at equal prices are possible. 60 years ago, the first plastic Lego brick was created, and in less than 20 years the classic plastic will hopefully be completely replaced by modern and sustainable materials. Lego has already made other great strides toward sustainability and encouraging kids to help rather than harm the Earth with toys like the model wind turbine, and are continuing this with their plants from plants line. Changes like these coming from large companies make big differences and encourage many other companies to do the same. They are heading in the right direction and hopefully many others will follow their path.
Find Plant From Plant Legos Here:
https://www.lego.com/en-us/campaigns/plantsfromplants