Let’s All Love Mother Earth
By Richard E. Hyman
Today we “celebrate” the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. A date established to raise awareness about the condition of our planet.
As climate change must continue to be top of mind, let’s pause to look around and appreciate nature’s beauty, on land and in water.
It’s springtime. Earth is awakening from a not so cold and shallow slumber. The beauty is breathtaking.
In this Coronavirus world, it seems that the birds are singing more beautifully, the wildflowers are even prettier, and life itself feels more precious.
Thankfully, wild creatures are catching a break, getting a temporary reprieve from crowded city streets, highways, bays and shorelines.
Meanwhile there’s a second worldwide epidemic—the incorrect disposal of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). People are carelessly tossing items to the ground, or wishfully but not much better, inappropriately putting their PPE in recycling. The U.S. Centers For Disease Control (CDC) says that used disposable vinyl, latex or nitrile gloves should be discarded in an appropriate receptacle. Masks and sanitizing wipes should also be appropriately put in regular trash. They are not recyclable.
PPE is not only a potential hazardous waste, which can spread the virus, but the materials are non-biodegradable. Littering PPE on sidewalks and parking lots means that they will wash into nearby waterways, e.g. streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and the ocean. Some debris may last years in the water, while other material will decompose, breaking down into toxic microplastics for fish and other creatures to eat.
These items must be disposed of responsibly, taken home and put in regular trash. “Wish-cycling” won’t make it right.
In this stressful and unsettling time, there is all the more reason to listen to the birds and take simple selfless steps to care for Earth. Our individual actions do matter.
Jane Goodall said: “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
We’ve only got one Mother Earth. Let’s make a difference by loving and protecting her!