Earth Day

                                     

        Earth day is a reminder to all people that our planet provides for us and that we should treat it with respect. Many of the issues surrounding climate change and the extinction of so many species of animals have been pushed aside; often for monetary gains.
Having a day such as Earth day to celebrate the life that mother earth provides for all of us is of great importance not only for our species survival but that of all other animals. People are generally naïve when it comes to things that are beyond their own selfish motives. Having a day set aside to remind us is not only a good way to push for immediate action, but to also put some of the issues concerning climate change and pollution into perspective for those individuals who don’t concern themselves with it. Many of the more simple ways to take action like recycling and reusing are not being practiced by many people still.  There is so much more that could be done to help keep our planet safe, however if people allow themselves to set aside the time to do these things they may find that their mindset will change and further action will take place.
Having the general public understand the importance of keeping our planet safe is only a small piece of the larger more looming issue. The issue that I speak of is money. Large corporations make decisions based on profit alone; while rarely looking at the environmental effects of the choices they make. We the people should be better advocates for the planet and stand up for mother earth rather than using and abusing her. If we don’t take action and stand up for her then this day we call Earth day will never be rejoiced over again.

Plastic Island

              

 

               Plastic Paradise is an eye-opening documentary about the ever-growing issue of plastic usage in the world. The documentary explores how the plastic industry has boomed since its introduction in the 1930’s, and how it has grown to become one of the most heavily used products since.

The problem with plastic is that it’s not biodegradable, and this has taken a heavy toll on the oceans as seen in the movie. The film shows how there is a large cluster of floating plastic debris that has accumulated in the central Pacific Ocean. This cluster of debris ranges in size from roughly the size of Texas all the way up to the size of the continental U.S. This is disturbing to hear and I had no idea that it was such a large amount of debris. It was also troubling to hear how this has interrupted the fragile ecosystem, especially the breed of albatross that breed on Midway Island. Another portion of the documentary that pissed me off was when Angela Sun went to a large gathering for plastic companies and conducted interviews. The people she interviewed were not only ignorant, but plain stupid as well. One of the company heads interviewed was asked how he felt about the many species of birds that are swallowing plastic and dying; his response was priceless. He stated that any bird that would swallow plastic must be dumb. It was no surprise that these companies would be on the defense over their products, but you would expect slightly more intelligent responses to the many issues surrounding single-use plastic products. The sheds light on many other things; some of which include the estrogen like chemicals found in plastic, the potentially life threatening effects of plastic usage, and the ways in which we can reduce our usage. The fact that the largest U.S. export to China is plastic waste should be disturbing enough to people to motivate change.   

The issues associated with continued plastic usage are many, but talking about these issues and not taking action is pointless. Unless we all take the initiative and take action, instead of waiting for others to do it first; then we will surely kill this planet.