The other night I wandered down to Atlantic Beach, Fl. The area around the amphitheater was decorated to the hilt for Christmas. There were several prominent pieces, all donated by local businesses. Christmas music was playing through speakers strung across the palm trees and bubbles from the bubble machine danced in the salty air, mingling with laughter from the children. One section especially spoke to my heart. Presented by, Beaches Go Green, there were several well lit monuments highlighting the damage caused by plastic. They had crafted huge sea animals with hundreds of strung together plastic bottles and wrapped them in flashing, Christmas lights. Interspersed throughout the monuments were signs advertising conservation issues such as the 4 R’s: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and how sea turtles mistake plastic grocery bags for jelly fish. Once the turtles ingest the bags they cannot regurgitate, They do not have the ability.
It was a classy demonstration that utilized the platform of a Christmas light show to showcase important issues to the next generation. A brilliant idea, one I hope will be copied in the near future. All of us have a responsibility to protect and conserve the resources we take for granted. All of us can, and should, make little changes that add up to big change. The easiest? Stop using plastic grocery bags. Get a canvas tote or use paper. Throw your plastic bottles in a green can instead of the trashcan. Plastic usage is an inevitable part of our daily lives due to the explosion in plastic production of the 1940’s. However, all of us can change one use of plastic and make a tremendous impact.