Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1213119
By Sharon Cates, Resident Have you noticed that more restaurants and eateries are not giving straws with their beverages? If you ask, the server will bring you one but if your glass is clean why not forgo the straw? Another suggestion is to carry your own reusable straw. I've been told they are making them out of bamboo now. It may not seem essential but "baby steps" are important, especially when we realize that plastic trash in our oceans is a world-wide crisis. I'm also asking you to reconsider using those convenient plastic water bottles that many people carry. Our oceans are full of the empty offenders. I know that some people refill them at home and feel they are doing their part for the environment, still many seem to miss the recycling bin. I recently heard a doctor on TV saying that he didn't advise refilling those bottles without thoroughly cleaning them as they can harbor bacteria. Considering their small openings, thoroughly cleaning them isn't easy. His recommendation was to carry your own refillable glass or aluminum bottle and washing it in the dishwasher. My personal preference is the glass bottles that have the rubber webbing cover. They are not easily broken. National Geographic says it takes 1,000 years to decompose a plastic bottle in a landfill. Let's not forget the plastic grocery bags we frequently don't remember to carry back to the store and thus pay the 10ยข charge for each one we use. Granted that the minimal charge does not mean a lot to our wallets but those plastic bags tend to accumulate and one way or another end up in the landfills and our oceans. Those of us with sewing machines could easily put a cloth shopping bag together. Just a little more than a yard of substantial fabric will provide two and if you desire, make it creative. Baby steps. I haven't touched on how trash affects marine life. Birds eat plastic thinking its food and feel full so they starve to death. Fish as well as seals and turtles get tangled in plastic bags and netting and if not rescued usually die. Some of the online photos are heartbreaking. The U.S. government is working with the EPA to tackle the marine litter problem through domestic and international Trash Free Waters initiatives. The Australian Marine Conservation Society has welcomed their government's legislation to introduce a ban on single use plastics. Volunteers with small boats comb waters for debris. 4-Ocean, an organization based in Florida, hires workers to remove trash in the Caribbean Ocean. National Geographic states the Pacific Ocean has a mass of trash that would cover the state of Texas twice. The Weather Channel says one garbage truck of plastic enters our oceans every minute. Unfathomable. Take the time to visit the several websites available. Looking at the photos and reading the current information will help you understand the severity of this problem and why scientists and environmentalists have declared a War on Plastics. The War on Plastics 18 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | MARCH 2020