Earth week?

Posted in: Opinion on April 29, 2010 at 1:18 am |

By John Soltes

(April 29, 2010) — Earth Day has come and gone, but hopefully the message of the environmental checkpoint has not faded. Too often we address the problems and challenges facing the environment with easily digestible time frames like Earth Day or Arbor Day. But this concern should not begin and end with these nature-filled holidays. The only way to sustain protection of our environment is through sustaining a sense of immediacy to solving the problems that face planet Earth.

When responding to environmental issues, one single citizen can often feel helpless. Sure, I can pick up a piece of litter, but in the grand scheme of things, does this help? The answer is a middling yes and no.

That one piece of garbage could have made its way into the Hackensack River, Passaic River or the preserved Meadowlands — causing the habitat of a fish, bird or microorganism to change. Now, one candy wrapper or cigarette butt is not going to disrupt an entire ecosystem. But littering is a slippery slope. Once garbage is seen on the side of the street or in parks throughout the South Bergen region, it gives a clear message to other potential litterers that this is a dirty, messy place.

Suddenly, one person’s cigarette butt is 10 cigarette butts, and then more and more and more will follow. Eventually, this garbage makes its way into the catch basins in the street, which spill right into the estuaries in the local area.

So, yes, your one single piece of garbage could have a devastating effect if it is not properly disposed of.

But, even if everyone was properly getting rid of their waste, the world would still face severe challenges. How does one refrain from throwing garbage out the car window when driving down the New Jersey Turnpike, where companies are spewing pollution into the air? This is where the feeling of helplessness comes into focus. For despite the best efforts of every eco-friendly resident, many companies are simply beating the world senseless with their harmful practices.

Legislation needs to curb pollution, and then maybe locals will see the simple act of discarding a cigarette butt out the window as a cause for concern.

Tags: Earth Day garbage Soltes