Originally published June 6/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.
Think Globally, Act Locally appears on our logo. I was recently asked what that meant.
It took me by surprise. I gave a rather weak explanation about being aware of the big picture in the world and making changes at home.
A recent headline ‘Sick whale with dozens of plastic bags in stomach dies’, reminded me of this again.
Plastic is everywhere. Creatures become entangled in plastic rings from drink cans, or fishing nets or rope. It becomes mixed in with the food for sea creatures causing poor health and death.
Huge, deep patches of plastic have accumulated where ocean currents meet affecting the amount of sunlight for plant life in the ocean.
Some of it has been irresponsibly dumped directly into the ocean. Much of it travels to the oceans through streams and lakes or is blown in the wind.
It is easy to blame cruise ships or countries who have used the ocean as their dump.
We must do our part here at home. Locally there are lots of plastic bags and other items in trees, ditches and wild areas. While it seems the ocean is a long ways away, the water in our rivers and lakes travels to the ocean.
It is easy to say that very little of it comes from here. But we don’t need to add our little bit to the big picture problem. We need to do our part locally.
Many community members are busy cleaning up litter. Locally our community looks better.
In the big picture it reduces the adverse effects on the animals and the pressure on our oceans that are a huge part of the earth’s life support system.
Think Globally, Act Locally appears on our logo. I was recently asked what that meant.
It took me by surprise. I gave a rather weak explanation about being aware of the big picture in the world and making changes at home.
A recent headline ‘Sick whale with dozens of plastic bags in stomach dies’, reminded me of this again.
Plastic is everywhere. Creatures become entangled in plastic rings from drink cans, or fishing nets or rope. It becomes mixed in with the food for sea creatures causing poor health and death.
Huge, deep patches of plastic have accumulated where ocean currents meet affecting the amount of sunlight for plant life in the ocean.
Some of it has been irresponsibly dumped directly into the ocean. Much of it travels to the oceans through streams and lakes or is blown in the wind.
It is easy to blame cruise ships or countries who have used the ocean as their dump.
We must do our part here at home. Locally there are lots of plastic bags and other items in trees, ditches and wild areas. While it seems the ocean is a long ways away, the water in our rivers and lakes travels to the ocean.
It is easy to say that very little of it comes from here. But we don’t need to add our little bit to the big picture problem. We need to do our part locally.
Many community members are busy cleaning up litter. Locally our community looks better.
In the big picture it reduces the adverse effects on the animals and the pressure on our oceans that are a huge part of the earth’s life support system.
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