Our rising use of plastic does indeed have an affect on both us and on nature. You may well have read about the floating plastic island in the pacific, or all the debris (much of it plastic, washed up on the west coast after a tsunami. Of course, cutting the rings of 6-pack holders has been “a thing” for decades, especially after seeing photos of birds with their heads stuck through them in garbage dumps. Recently, I read about micro-bits of plastic showing up in fish guts, caused in part by make-up removers.

If I haven’t depressed you enough, here on the west coast of Michigan, floating in from Lake Michigan — the only All-American Great Lake, completely within US boundries — sometimes large debris is washed onto our sand beaches,  like pieces from ships or docks or swept off land or boats, like buckets or bigger. But there are also tiny bits of plastic less than 1/4″ in diameter, like those we spotted on our last visit to South Haven.

Plastic is everywhere, from our car dashboard to dish soap pods to diapers. I will not do a blame-game. Awareness is good. Action is better. London has started (so I’ve read) to use milkmen to home-deliver in glass bottles, and already people are making milkman jokes instead of taking it seriously. When shopping, do you try to reach for glass bottles vs plastic? Are you a diligent recycler as best you can be? Be the best that you can be. Be the best you can be for nature and us and our earth.