Sueellen21
Registered: January 2013 City/Town/Province: Montgomery Posts: 1
View this Member's Photo Gallery
|
Global warming, rising sea levels, Antarctica melting, excess carbon emissions, do I have your attention now? Our earth as we know it is at a very crucial point right now. We either save it or we destroy it. The smallest things that you think don’t make a difference, such as picking up litter, actually do make a difference. Small actions such as littering impact our world more than you’d ever think. Litter is killing our animals. Imagine all the garbage in the ocean, lakes, and rivers that are hurting our sea creatures. “One can of soda won’t hurt anybody!” Wrong. That can could be toxic to a fish in a pond. That can could scratch an animal in the wild due to its sharpness. Don’t underestimate anything. One day I was walking around my neighborhood picking up litter when I spotted a bird on the ground. I didn’t know what to do. Was the bird hurt? Was it looking for something on the ground? I didn’t know. I slowly approached the creature only to see that the bird was stuck in the rings of a 6-pack. I followed my first instinct and quickly saved the bird. It only takes a small encounter like that and you’re hooked. In 2005, it was estimated that 7 billion tons of litter and waste debris enters the world’s oceans annually and most of this comes from the land. Plastics create up to 99% of this debris. Rivers, streams and storm water drains transport litter hundreds of kilometers to the ocean where currents and winds then carry them all over the world. Cleaning the ocean is not like cleaning land. Oceans are hundreds of miles deep and we do not have the money or technology to clean that, (we shouldn’t have to consider this if we don’t litter!). These are just a few of the problems that litter contributes to. We must take a stand now and slowly help Mother Nature. This is our home after all. It’s selfish to not protect your home. Next time you’re out for a walk on the streets, look out for garbage and pick it up. You are only helping yourself and for the next generations to come. Together, we can all save this earth, one piece of trash at a time.
|