Planet vs. Plastics is the theme for Earth Day 2024. It’s a challenging effort to educate the human race on the detrimental health risks that plastic is having on all forms of life around the world and to every delicate ecosystem, especially the planet’s oceans.

Those of us living in this community should be particularly concerned since we live in close proximity to the largest freshwater lake in the world. Plastic seems to be in every product in every grocery store. Most people insist on bagging their produce in flimsy little bags. Then the majority of you bag your beef, bullets, beer and other items into more plastic bags then take them out to your internal combustion engines. Quite often, I see people abandon a bag or two before even getting into their vehicles, which in turn leads to it blowing in the wind or washing down storm drains, creeks, the canal or our big beautiful lake. Scenarios similar to this are happening countless times every day around the world. Stop using plastic bags or other household items enclosed in plastic.

Recycling does not work. At least 95% of the plastic created is not recycled. Those bins in all the grocery stores in this area are a joke. People have put tracking devices in bales of plastic bags and found most end up in landfills. The only thing being recycled by the plastic industry are lies.

Certainly by now, most people have seen videos or heard of sea turtles confusing a floating plastic bag with a jellyfish, consuming it and eventually being choked by the bag. Most folks have seen or heard of the giant “garbage batches” in every one of the world’s oceans. Scientists now estimate by 2050 there will be more plastic by weight than fish in the ocean.

Scientists say that one liter of bottled water contains about 240,000 tiny pieces of plastic. The average American consumes the equivalent of a credit card per week of micro plastics. The list of horrors that plastic is doing to all forms of life on this planet is extensive.

We Homo sapiens are choking the life out of this planet. I hear very few success stories even though many are doing great work to solve these problems.

Love is the key to solving them. All life is equal. Get involved in the environmental movement. Act now. If the politicians you vote for aren’t environmentalists, they don’t deserve your vote or your respect.

Love Mother Earth as much as you love yourself. Celebrate Earth Day everybody!

Stephen G. Lesjak

Houghton