Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Frosty the Plastic Man

Yesterday I decided to practice what I blog and headed out with my daughter, Jocelyn, to my favourite local stretch of Lake Ontario beach. On this barrier between Second Marsh and Lake Ontario it is unusual to see other people because it is probably a kilometre and a half from the road. We went equipped with two green garbage bags and work gloves. Our goal was to pick up garbage along the beach.

Unfortunately we were able to fill both bags within a 50 metre stretch and in less than thirty minutes.

What did we find? There was some paper junk, including cups from a popular doughnut chain. By far the majority of what we gleaned was made of plastic. Some of it was odd -- wheels from childrens' toys, a baby soother, the cup holder from a car, a travel mug. There were many disposable lighters and a syringe. In the bizarre category was Frosty the Castaway.

The clear winner by volume(no pun intended) was bottles, bottles and more bottles. Some were for soft drinks but there were dozens of disposable water bottles. A short while ago few of us drank water from bottles and the idea of purchasing H2O would have made us laugh. Now a beach which is frequented by few people is marred by this plastic junk. Winter storms had tossed this light-weight flotsam and jetsom well up into the trees.

Think about this. It's only about sixty years since plastic started into common use. Most of what has been produced during those six decades still exists somewhere, in landfills, and at the bottom of lakes and oceans and along fencerows.

Here is the good part of our recent walks on this beach. A green heron surveying the marsh from a tree branch. Caspian terns hovering and plunging into the water in search of food. Irridescent swallows doing acrobatics as they snatch insects from the air. A loon's haunting call from out on the lake.

As we walked back to the car the full bags bumped awkwardly against our legs. My determination to make a difference as a Christian who cares for this planet deepened.

7 comments:

Nancy said...

I have recently purchased stainless steel water bottles (Klean Kanteen)including one for my niece which is a sippy cup. My daughter has been using one at school and although she complains that it is heavier than the plastic ones, she knows the reason we have gone stainless steel. I have started using mine at work as well and have started up many a conversation with colleagues and students. Some staff have now purchased them as well. Small steps will eventually make a difference.

My mother for years has carried a bag with her to pick up garbage on her walks, you have just inspired me to be a little more aware and to try and do the same more frequently. Thank you.

David Mundy said...

Hi Nancy -- we have been on the look-out for stainless steel bottles ourselves. Where did you find yours?

I often think about carrying a bag for trash and don't do it. Yesterday was a reminder that there is a lot to do!

Nancy said...

It was Laura who put me on to the brand, Klean Kanteen, do a google search for the company. Laura got hers directly from them via the net from the US, however when I did my search I found two places in BC that were selling them and ordered mine through Canada. Patty too has ordered hers through BC. I searched for what I wanted and then phoned in my order. It only took a week for them to arrive. They are all similar in price, however watch what they say about the lids because some charge extra for the different lids. I also know that Mountain Equipment is carrying several different styles however when I went looking in January they only had a glass style which was quite wide and didn't have a waterbottle lid, I am told they now have more. http://www.greenbeans.ca/GB-KK.htm
http://www.kwkids.com/Store.htm The American site is: http://www.kleankanteen.com/

Deborah Laforet said...

I'm finding that packing lunches has become a dilemma for me. In packing lunches for the boys, I want to limit the amount of garbage. Most snacks you buy in a store come in some kind of plastic packaging. Also, I use reusable plastic containers for other foods or sandwich bags. I have thought about creating my own sandwich bags that can be washed, but I'm not sure how to replace the plastic containers yet. Still working on it and looking for practical options.
The Klean Kanteen water bottles look interesting. Thanks for the info.

David Mundy said...

The good thing about sturdy plastic containers is that they can be used hundreds of times rather than once and thrown away.

I'm really dating myself to say that I can remember my paper lunch bags and sandwiches wrapped in wax paper! It does show that our culture has changed a great deal since the late sixties when I started highschool. Thanks Deb.

Nancy said...

Deb
www.mountainbaby.com has stainless steel food containers for lunches. They are under the feeding accessories.

Deborah Laforet said...

Nancy,
Thanks! I checked out the website. 100% recyclable! Thanks for the information.