Happy Earth Day 2024: The News Could Be Better
Today is Earth Day, also known as World Earth Day and as International Mother Earth Day. This day each year is devoted to fostering worldwide awareness of the threats to our environment and to promote the sustainability of planet Earth. Earth Day.org has hosted World Earth Day on April 22nd since 1970. It has been estimated that around 1 billion people around the world engage in activities that bring awareness to the climate crisis and are meant to encourage changes in the way things are done as they relate to our environment.
Planet vs. Plastics:
Each year has a theme, and the 2024 theme is Planet vs. Plastics, the objective of which is to bring into focus the issue of just how harmful the effects of widespread plastic use in the world has become. From its creation to the end of its use, plastics contribute significantly to greenhouse gases as those gasses are omitted at every step of the plastic lifecycle. Fossil fuels are used for extraction and transportation, refining, manufacturing, managing waste and at the end of its use the Harm caused to our oceans, landscape, and our air have been studied extensively for years and are showing increasingly concerning results. Plastics are showing up in human blood and in mothers breastmilk. Plastics are showing up more and more in human tissue and studies have shown that we are even inhaling pieces of plastic which are in the atmosphere.
According to Monica P. Medina, former U.S. State Department Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs all of the pieces of plastic ever created are still in the environment in some way as they never degrade.
ScienceNews.org has reported that micro plastics have been found from the deepest place on earth, the Mariana Trench all the way to the summit of Mount Everest. Defined as pieces of plastic less than 5 mm across, they find their way into our lungs, and the harmful effects of which are just now being studied.
One of Westport’s most beloved features are our beaches and the enjoyment of Long Island Sound, so the affects of plastics in our oceans and how to mitigate the damage they cause should be of concern.
Sustainable Westport Is Fighting Back!
According to their website, The mission of Sustainable Westport is to inspire, support, and connect residents, organizations, and the Town of Westport in furtherance of the town’s resolution to become a Net Zero community by the year 2050. Westport has long been a pioneer in sustainability – whether it was being the first town east of the Mississippi to ban single-use plastic bags, declaring “We Are Still In” when the U.S. announced it would be withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, or having the first fully-electric police car on the East coast. In 2017, the RTM, adopted a resolution for Westport to use its best efforts to become a Net Zero community by 2050, where we have reduced our impacts across energy, water, and waste, so that they are sustainably managed, using approaches that are economically viable, of social benefit, and environmentally responsible. This goal – one of the first in the state – is a reflection of our community’s dedication to creating and nurturing a truly sustainable town.
We can all help and Sustainable Westport has provided a resource guide on their website which provides many ways we can help combat the destruction to our environment.
Visit Sustainable Westport to learn how to help.
For additional resources and information visit: EarthDay.org, and also ScienceNews.org
Story by J.C. Martin