Geeze, after 20 years of our being in the Plastic Pollution biz, you'd think there'd be no need for that National Geographic Planet or Plastic? issue...it shouldn't even be a question. Oh! The infinite ways of hubris! Let's see, where did we leave that magic wand? But at least this latest Nat Geo has got everybody talking and is having a big impact way beyond our "plastic people community."
Thanks to Janis Selby Jones for amping up the blue in this pic of the magazine cover with a background of blue plastic collected from North County beaches in San Diego.
Check out Mandy Barker's photo spread (pages 76-77) of Coca-Cola caps. In the bottom left-hand corner, Kehoe Beach is named. Those are our caps from "our" beach. We were thrilled to be included in such a powerful visual explication of consumer culture, that shows Coca-Cola the international impact of their bottles and caps in the ocean and on beaches. Sorry to single out Coke, 'cause Lord knows, after a couple of hours toiling in the garden, there's nothing like a tumbler of Coke on ice (with a glass straw—keeping a modicum of virtue intact). Just wondering how Coca-Cola will respond?!?
It seems that Kraft has responded. We had heard that the red cheese spreaders are gone from their Handi-snacks. After collecting over the years, just under 600 of the little red sticks from Kehoe Beach, in 2010 we had a dialogue going with Kraft to get them to replace the plastic sticks with bamboo or something...no avail. A recent stop at the market to check on the product confirmed the change. Nabisco is touting their environmental stance. However, we were astonished to find on the Internet blowback from some consumers "as loyal white cracker enthusiasts" who are petitioning via change.org for Kraft to put the red sticks back. They are longing for the traditional - they really do miss those red rectangles. Doesn't anything stay the same any more? And they complain about how hard it is to get a butter knife into the small square cheese compartment. YIKES. What happened to convenience? An ongoing Ritz Facebook page is the place to voice your pro or con complaints.
June 5 is World Environment Day and June 8 is World Ocean Day so, with all the awareness and action building events and fun, we should be feeling the blue wave. This year the WED theme is #BeatPlasticPollution. World Ocean Day the action focus is to prevent plastic pollution and encourage solutions for a healthy ocean.
Yeah, lots of blue yammering and promises for the ocean along with the red Coca-Cola caps and some interesting news from Kraft about white crackers makes our personal theme this year is BLUE, RED and WHITE.
We are angry and feeling unpatriotic as the Trump administration's EPA continues to roll back important environmental legislation. Next up are fuel efficiency standards. United States standards were on pace to become by 2025 the most aggressive in the world. What happened to the US being an exemplar, leading the charge for the health of the planet? Fortunately, the powerhouse of California is ready to fight the fight. Attorney General Xavier Becerra has vowed to meet in court any attempts to revoke California’s clean air waiver.
Judith, remembering the choking smog in Southern California during her college days in Claremont, when the air was so thick that you couldn't even see across the street, lungs aching with every ozone-infused breath, cries out, "what are these people thinking?"
Hey, GOP what about states rights?
Where is the conserve in conservative? Roger Scruton in this long essay in a search for an answer takes up the call to think local, think small while recognizing the importance of thinking beyond our time by consulting "the interests of the unborn and the dead."
