Irresponsible humans and plastic
I am in agreement with David Knighton’s March 6 letter (“Irresponsible humans leading cause for litter”) indicating that irresponsible humans cause litter. Sad but true. But that is not the only factor. Producing something that is absolutely unnecessary, using it once and then discarding it, is ludicrous!
About 50 billion plastic water bottles a year are made for our use in this country. The energy used to make these plastic water bottles…
Consumes 17 million barrels of oil.
Would fuel 1.3 million cars for a year (and this doesn’t include the fuel to transport the bottles to you).
Would provide enough energy for 190,000 homes for a year.
The U.S.’s recycling rate for plastic is about 23 percent, which means 38 billion plastic bottles end up in the landfill or as litter. As you walk around Carson City, take note of the plastic items (bottles, bags, etc.) that “we” irresponsibly discard.
Indicating that the U.S. ranks 20th in the “polluters’ world” doesn’t absolve us of much. We really need to become a leader in addressing pollution, pollution of all kinds! According to Earthday.org, as noted by Knighton, “In the Los Angeles area, more than 10 metric tons of plastic fragments, such as bags, straws and bottles, are carried into the Pacific Ocean every day.” That’s just L.A.!
Plastic is ubiquitous. Eliminating all plastic is as unrealistic as globally changing our littering habits. If we can eliminate or substantially reduce single use plastic items, we will be headed in the right direction.
If you are concerned about the health of the planet and the environmental direction of our country, get involved! Check out citizensclimatelobby.org and find out what you can do. Email cclcarsoncity@gmail.com to join our local Citizens’ Climate Lobby group.
Rob Bastien
Carson City
NC student seeks help with state project
Dear People of the Great State of Nevada,
Hello! I am a fourth grade student in North Carolina. In fourth grade, we research a state for our State Fair, and I have chosen your state! Now I am very excited to learn more about the great state of Nevada as I work on my report.
Most of the information I get will be from books and websites. However, the best information comes from the people who live and love their state! This is why I am writing to you. I was hoping that you would be willing to send me some small items to help me learn more about the best things in your state. It could be things like postcards, maps, pictures, general information, this newspaper article, or any other items that you think would be useful. You can mail items to the address below by April 30 for our State Fair on May 17. I really appreciate your help and will do my very best to send a thank you note to each and every person who takes the time and makes the effort to help me with this project. Thank you in advance for your consideration!
Sincerely,
Andrew Kayhart
Mrs. Smith’s Class
Charlotte Latin School
9502 Providence Road
Charlotte, NC 28277
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