Photo by Mikhail Nilov, Pexels.
By Valerie Chandler
Every April 22, the world comes together in pursuit of a greener planet with a more sustainable future. The 2024 theme for Earth Day is “Planet vs. Plastics” and marks the 54th anniversary of the global movement. The theme serves as an opportunity for continued dedication to and action for a healthier, plastic-free world.
This year Earth Day falls on a Monday. Two area organizations will host Earth Day activities during the prior weekend.
In Ludington, A Few Friends for the Environment of the World (AFFEW) will hold its 34th annual Earth Day event on Saturday, April 20, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m, at the United Methodist Church, 5810 E. Bryant St. Free workshops, presentations and exhibits are designed to educate and inspire attendees. Find out more at affew.org.
In Manistee, the 3rd annual Great Lakes Environmental Festival will kick off three days of activities on Friday, April 19, with a 6 p.m. awards dinner at Blue Fish Kitchen + Bar, 312 River St. Tickets are $40. On Saturday, April 20, the Manistee High School, at 525 12th St., will be the site of free speaker presentations and an “expo” of businesses and organizations. A children’s film will be shown at 10 a.m. at the Vogue Theatre, 383 River St. Admission is 25 cents. An environmental worship service will be held 10 a.m., Sunday, April 21, at the First Congregational UCC Church, 412 Fourth St. For festival details, go to glef.us.
Handy but harmful
Plastic is everywhere. If yours is a typical household, the kitchen probably harbors the most plastic in your home — but look around any room. From TV remote controls to potted plant containers. Picture frames to pens. Light switches to carpets. (Carpet materials such as olefin and nylon are types of plastics.) Toothpaste, cosmetics and clothing. It seems plastic is a household mainstay.
Plastic can also be dangerous to the health of every creature on the planet.
According to the U.N. Environment Programme (unep.org), one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute worldwide, and up to five trillion plastic bags are used every year. Plastic was first introduced in the 1950s. Since then, 9.1 billion tons have been produced. Science.org reports that, sadly, 79% of that plastic (still!) sits in landfills or is found in the environment. Americans buy commercially bottled water at an estimated rate of 50 billion bottles per year, reports Earthday.org. That equates to every U.S. citizen purchasing, on average, 13 bottles per month. If each of us purchased and faithfully used a reusable water bottle, we could save an average of 156 plastic water bottles per person, per year.
Microplastics, macro effects
Plastics are not harmless. They break down into tiny particles, 5 millimeters and smaller, called microplastics, that contaminate the soil and water and enter the food chain when birds, animals, insects and fish unknowingly ingest them. (There are even smaller particles called nanoplastics, formed when microplastics break down.) The United Nations News has reported there are more microplastics in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way. By 2050, there will be more plastic (by weight) in the oceans than there are fish.
An estimated 75-199 million tons of plastic are currently floating in the oceans, (unep.org). Preventing plastic pollution is difficult for many countries which lack the infrastructure — such as sanitary landfills, recycling capacity and proper management and disposal systems — to halt it.
Have you heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? While you may imagine a floating island of trash, it is actually an area of microplastics so concentrated that it makes the water look cloudy. These particles can be the result of larger plastics degrading over time and are intermixed with other debris such as fishing gear, shoes, toys and other items lost at sea. There are other patches in the oceans without names, but this one was named because it is the largest. These patches are created by swirling currents in the ocean, like a vortex of trash.
Microplastics become entangled with coral reefs, physically damaging them. More than 7,000 species of fish, plants, invertebrates, turtles and marine mammals found in the coral reef ecosystem are at risk from physical and toxic chemical damage.
Many of the toxins found in microplastics, as well as other pesticides and chemicals in trash, threaten and diminish animal and insect populations worldwide. The negative impact on insects alone can be detrimental to the entire planet because insects pollinate plants, and many of these plants are what humans and other animals depend on for food. Without the pollination or the pollinator insects, that part of the food chain disappears.
We’ve yet to discover what effect the microplastics found lodged in our lungs, circulating in our bloodstreams, deposited in placentas and contaminating breast milk, have on our health. The tiny particles are both inhaled and ingested. (Read “Microplastics are in our bodies. Here’s why we don’t know the health risks”, Anne Pinto Rodrigues, Science News, March 24, 2023.)
Recycling and reusing are responsible practices that everyone can implement at home and at work. Learn your local recycling center’s rules, especially regarding plastics. Do everything you can, whether making little changes or adopting a different lifestyle, to help protect what we have and save the Earth’s air, water and soil for future generations.
Valerie Chandler lives in Wellston with her husband Matthew and their border collie/Australian shepherd. A citizen and employee of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, she is also a cancer survivor who loves to spend time with her family and has many interests.
