Environment - Jane Thomey
The theme of this year’s Earth Day on April 22 is Invest in our Planet. Not only do we do not need to be reminded about the importance of the natural world; each individual needs a healthy Earth to ensure our survival, health and happiness. If we use our voices, our wallets and our votes, we can begin to make a difference in healing our Earth.
One of the main targets of this year’s Earth Day is the indiscriminate use of single-use plastics. Especially during the pandemic, their use has increased exponentially. We are literally drowning in plastic. At the current rate, the mass of plastic waste in the ocean is expected to exceed the mass of fish by 2050. While there have been campaigns to stoke public awareness of the threat, plastic use continues unabated.
Industry pressure has prevented the passage of measures to restrict single-use plastics in California. In a move to bypass the legislature, environmentalists have crafted an initiative for the November ballot known as the California Recycling and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act that would restrict their use.
It is intended to prompt legislators to deliver a measure that proponents of the initiative would deem acceptable and the industry would accept as workable. This would be ideal solution because it would spell out in detail the provisions and also the penalties for noncompliance. With such a measure the initiative would be removed from the ballot
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With so much at stake, our voice to influence our legislators about the need for such a law matters. If the public must decide, make good use of your vote. And by all means, never forget to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. You are Investing in Our Planet. Every day is an Earth Day.
