I guess today is Earth Day. Whatever that means? I guess it is a way for us humans to try to tell other of our species that we need to pay attention to our environment. We not really doing a very good job. Telling each other or with the environment.
The problem is that most of the human population on this planet is in pretty dire straits. At least compared to what we think is minimum standard of living. And when humans are in dire straits, then their environment is always going to be in a bad situation. That is a fact.
I was just returning from walking Bromont and saw two girls in a car smoking. First the driver, then the passenger, threw their cigarette butts out the window. Both still smoldering. I hate it when people do that. I’m not sure how it became somewhat acceptable for people to do that, but someone needs to tell them it is wrong. I guess you tell them by giving them citations when they do it. But, that doesn’t really work. Most cops have no interest in writing a littering ticket. It needs to be everyone condoning the problem, not just people thinking it is wrong.
When they are burning the ditches around here, I am amazed how many discarded bottles and cans there are. Nearly all are associated with beer. I understand the issue. It is against the law to have an open container in the automobile, so why not just throw it out the window when your done drinking/breaking the law.
In Iowa they have had a bottle/can deposit for a long time. I don’t remember whether it is a nickel or a dime. But it is enough that most people don’t what to throw their empties away. I think there should be National mandatory bottle deposit. It is a sad state that we will not throw a bottle out a car window and pollute for a dime, but that is the way we Americans do things.
Anyway, Earth Day. I think that we’re doing about everything we can currently for temporary enjoyment of this planet. I really don’t know if it is going to come back and bite us in the ass or not. One thing for sure, it it does, it is going to be biting us humans harder than we think.
The animals aren’t celebrating Earth Day, it our holiday. Everyday is Earth Day for them. We are just screwing those days up.
Seems like today is a good day to start eating vegetables out of the garden.
Bromont was wandering around some today.
We live out in the country and have a pretty long road frontage. In spite of having had bottle and can deposits for decades, morons still throw them (along with lots of other stuff) along our road. I guess they’re just too lazy to take their trash home to dispose of properly.
Iowa has a nickel deposit. Michigan is a dime deposit. It really makes a difference. You find a lot less bottles in the ditch in Iowa than in the surrounding states without deposits. In Iowa people don’t throw them out the window as often and if they do al lot of people will stop and pick them up for the deposit. I remember a ride once where we came across a guy who had been picking up bottles and cans and stuffing them in his skinsuit. He had a dollar or two stuffed in there and looked like the Michelan man.
I’d go one step further and institute a national deposit on plastic bottles. A quarter per bottle, redeemable at recycling centers. This would 1) discourage people from using “disposable” plastic water bottles like they’re nothing, and 2) encourage recycling of bottles if people choose to use them.
I always want to take those discarded cigarettes and toss them back into the car, telling the smoker “hey you must have dropped this by accident”.
Bottle deposits encourage mainly the poor and homeless to collect and return bottles and cans. If that’s what you want, great, just don’t fool yourself into thinking a nickel is going to have any impact on what the average gas guzzler driving, cigarette butt tossing citizen is going to do with their beverage container.
A quarter bottle deposit would only serve to discourage the purchase of bottled beverages in the first place.
I almost did that one time when a cop threw his butt out the window of his patrol car when he was stopped at ahead of me at a traffic light. Probably best that I thought better of the idea – most people (cops included) don’t like to have their errors pointed out to them.
Living in Ohio, I amazed at the amount of trash I see along the roads everywhere I ride.
Regarding the cop throwing a cigarette out, why not say something? It really doesn’t take anything but some courage.
Who really cares if he doesn’t like having his actions pointed out?
What can he possibly do?
On that note, at least take note of the time, location, car number, whatever and send an email to the Chief of the department. I do it a lot and I make a point of reminding them that they are tax payer supported and it is their responsibility to adhere to the laws just like they expect us to do. You would be amazed at the number of local Chiefs who have responded and are in agreement.
Discarded containers? Littering? Trash? Go ahead and ask me about it-I’ve been knee deep in it for the last 7 years. You can check my web site for details.
After picking up all the litter I do, I’ve come to the conclusion there are more evil people in this world than good people. And they breed.
I hate cigarette butts. In the military they used to have police walks – basically you go around with others “policing” the area, which means picking up trash. I simply refused to pick up cigarette butts. I don’t smoke them so I won’t pick them up.
I don’t know how many times I’ve had lit butts thrown out car windows and bounce off me while I was riding down the road. Many many burns. I’d like to think it was by accident. I’m not all that sure though.
45 years ago on the first Earth Day I was a junior at Drake Univ. in Des Moines majoring in environmental science and avoiding the draft with time in Viet Nam.
Cigarette butts and beer bottles and cans – those aren’t much trouble, pretty minor in the scheme of things. If you’re really concerned about climate change, you’ll never, ever fly in a jet aircraft again. They burn hydrocarbon fuel and lots of it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_aviation And the effects, if we continue business as usual – and there’s every sign that that’s *exactly* what will happen no matter who gets elected, Dem or Rep – will be severe and sooner in arriving rather than later: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZdhPnsp4Is
This was years ago, but one day after work, myself and two of my co-workers were sitting outside of our plant when this young guy, who is waiting to pick someone up, opens his car door and empties his ashtray onto the sidewalk. My buddy, who is a huge guy, grabs a dust pan and whisk broom. He calmly walked over, whisked up all of those butts and dumped them through the guy’s back window into his back seat! The guy didn’t say a single word! Lol!
That’s funny I once did a similar thing years ago. I’m not a big guy. I was working as an auto mechanic and the new guy in a small place. The manger would smoke in the office and throw his butts on the floor in the shop. After a few days I grew tried of this collected a days worth of butts with a dust pan and brush and deposited them on the floor in his office right in front of him. I liked to keep a tidy shop. He wasn’t to happy
but didn’t know what to say. Looking back I guess I can be some what of an ass at times.