Earth Day is making progress, but more to do

Earth Day is over for another year and the planet seems as messy as ever. We have yet to master the art of creating plastics that disintegrate into nothingness after they have finished doing whatever they were designed to do.

Instead, we have created a culture where people carry plastic water bottles everywhere much like a toddler carries a pacifier. We spend extra for something that is piped into most homes and businesses and which we pay for on a monthly basis. It is easier and cheaper to pour tap water into a reusable cup than to spend money for bottled water, but that has gone out of style.

Don’t get me started on grocery bags. On the positive side, I am no longer the only one who uses cloth bags or ones made from recyclable materials. At least it is a start. Most people I see in line at the store seem to prefer the plastic bags provided by the store.  The problem is that plastic bags tend to escape their owners once they are empty. They flee to the nearest tree in route to finding a vacation home in my trees and bushes. If they are lucky, a good wind will untangle them and allow them to continue on their journey to who knows where.

Milk used to come in paper containers and before that they came in glass milk bottles. Yes, I am old enough to remember glass bottles brought by milkmen and placed in a silver insulated box out by the sidewalk. Now, plastic rules.

I do reuse some of the the empty milk jugs. I fill them with tap water and let them sit until it is time to water the plants. This allows the chlorine to dissipate and the water to come to room temperature. It is only when they inevitably leak that I toss them into the recycle bin.

We humans love our plastic. It envelopes almost everything from magazines, to yogurt, to cheese. Almost every product in a grocery store is enveloped in plastic. Even fresh fruits and vegetables are not immune to the protection the filmy stuff provides.

When was the last time you went to a regular retail store and your purchases were wrapped in paper then placed into a paper bag emblazoned with the store’s logo? I can’t remember the last time that happened.

The truth is that we cannot go back to a simpler time. Plastic rules because it is the cheapest and best product for the job. It is as versatile as it is practical. Disposal is the main problem. 

Plastic cups, candy wrappers, cigarette packages and other detritus still gets tossed casually from car windows. The bins provided by recycling companies don’t have lids and if the bins are full and set out for the company to collect and if a stiff wind comes along, there is  trash everywhere.

With all the progress in technology I am surprised that someone has yet to develop an economic  and simple way for debris to return to the earth from which it came. There are more opportunities than ever to use recycled materials. It is only a matter of time before someone finds a way to clean up the place that we call home.

The concept of dedicating a day to caring for our mother planet is a good one. There has been progress. The earth reaps great benefits from the Environmental Protection Agency and the tangle of regulations it produces. The air is clearer. Various polluted areas have been cleaned. Our water is cleaner. Smoking is banned in most indoor spaces and that has made a huge difference to me. No longer do I avoid a business because I dislike the smoke.

Earth Day has slipped by for another year. Progress has been made but much is left for us to do. Perhaps our children will look on pollution as obsolete as those silver boxes that used to be filled with dairy products.  We can only hope.