From little things big things grow
Pebble in the Pond
By Tracey Ellis
From man's great technological advances have also come environmental challenges, not the least, plastic. Each year more than 300 billion pounds of plastic is produced; very little is recycled.
Many of these plastic products have a short lifespan and soon find their way into landfills and the ocean. In the ocean, this plastic gradually begins to break down into smaller from the action of the sun, wind and currents, into bite-sized pieces that are consumed by wildlife--with deadly results. Much of this plastic can be found in big swirling garbage dumps in the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean gyres. Plastic bags top the list of ocean pollution.
Earth Day is coming up April 22 and Pebble in the Pond Environmental Society is looking for an Earth Day Hero. Local children have been invited to tell their story on how they would save the world from an overabundance of plastic in 100 words or less. This follows on the heels of successful beeswax cloth wrap demonstrations in classrooms to show how we can replace plastic wrap and sandwich bags in the schools. Small steps for sure, from which bigger things will grow.
This is the mindset at Pebble in the Pond Environmental Society, where new members are joining a global community of like-minded people who are concerned about mankind's reliance on plastic, a petroleum-based product. Pipsters, as we like to be called, educate, inform and advocate for the reduction of plastic consumption through four simple steps: refuse, reuse, reduce and recycle.
"As our membership increases, so too does the growth of consciousness and the will to make a change," says Board President Judi Tyabji-Wilson, who is also one of the founding members of the organization. The society's first small step towards rethinking the use of plastic was to create a community sustainable cloth bag program that will become Powell River's small part in making a big change to a global problem.
Pebble in the Pond Environmental Society is hosting World Earth Day celebrations at Willingdon Beach on Saturday, April 24 from 10 am to 6 pm. Expect fun activities, food and live entertainment, but expect to come to a realization that small change can make a big difference. See the difference from a local cleanup effort and take advantage of educational opportunities like the eco-kids corner.
World Earth Day presents the opportunity to take your turn to as a hero. A 'heroic' effort can be as simple as choosing to bring your own cloth bags to the grocery store; drinking water from the tap instead of plastic water bottles; or joining in a local beach cleanup.
As Ross Perot said, "The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river."
Earth Day may be on April 22, but really, every day is Earth Day!
For more information on the Earth Day Hero contest or World Earth Day Celebrations, go to pebpond.com. Become a member and join the every-widening ripple of concerned global citizens willing to make a small change, to make a big difference for the Earth.
