A Plastic Ocean

[Catherine]

Quote:Even if one were totally alone in the world, with no living relatives, the moral responsibility to honour and protect this world remains - and it is a vitally important moral obligation. What a mess we humans have made of this earth. If only we could live more in harmony with nature, as other animals do....

Many people don't have a sense of moral responsibility. Their morality is whatever they can get away with. They have no idea that they owe the planet anything. They can't think in global terms. They just think in terms of what they want right now. Many don't think in terms of being responsible for their own health and live very unhealthy lives. When that catches up with them they are very upset and want someone else to fix it for them. They want some pill that will make them healthy again with no effort on their part. Even the slightest effort towards helping the planet is more than they are willing to do.

We have a very good recycling program in Toronto. They pick the recycling up from people's homes regularly. There are recycling bins on the street next to the garbage cans. There are recycle bins and garbage cans everywhere. So, does that mean we have no litter on the streets and along our streets, rivers, ravines and the lake shore? NO! We have garbage and recyclable materials discarded by thoughtless people everywhere. I have seen people throw the stuff on the ground right next to the bins. Why wouldn't a person just put it in the bin?

We have made it so easy to recycle and people still don't do it. I can picture your lane in the beautiful countryside, covered in empty cans and bottles. People seem to think that once something leaves their hand it is no longer their responsibility. I wish there was some way to gather up the mess and return it to the people who dumped it.

Since we can't do that, those of us who care will be out there picking up garbage as soon as it is warm enough. Someone has to do it. Tobi, I know you will be out there as soon as you have a nice day. I just hope that other people will learn from your example. The day that there are more of us picking up litter than discarding it we will make progress on cleaning up the planet.

I just don't know how we are going to fix the oceans.