Photo of Peanut the Turtle courtesy MDC.
by Don Corrigan
Visitors to Powder Valley Nature Center know what plastic pollution can do to the planet’s creatures. There they can find the misshapen “Peanut the Turtle,” a victim of being caught in a plastic six-pack holder.
Peanut was rescued from the plastic entrapment just in time. The turtle has a safe home and has been a mascot for cleaning up our habitat. We are not just saving reptiles and amphibians. We are saving ourselves.
Plastic is everywhere – not just in Midwest watersheds where Peanut tried to find a home. Plastic from the products we use every day finds its way into our rivers, landscapes, and oceans.
An estimated 14 million tons of plastic travels down streams and rivers and enter sour oceans every year. This migration makes plastic pollution an issue that reaches far beyond litter and recycling.
A new documentary, Plastic Earth, takes a closer look at the scale of the problem while exploring the people, technologies, and ideas working toward a more sustainable future. Environmentalists are addressing the problem.
Despite all the attacks on them and their work – and the very word “environmentalism” – they persist in the struggle to clean up the habitats and ecological systems which we depend on to live.
The Citizens’ Climate Lobby in Missouri’s 8th Congressional District invites state residents for a community screening of Plastic Earth. The documentary examines 10 ways society can combat plastic pollution.
Plastic Earth highlights solutions and infrastructure being developed around the world to address the plastic crisis. The film offers an opportunity to learn more about challenges surrounding plastics.
The documentary offers a hopeful and positive message considering what individuals and communities can do to be part of the solution to plastic pollution.
Mark your calendar for Sunday, August 30 at 2 p.m.; or for Monday, August 31 at 5:30 p.m. at the Phelps County Courthouse Meeting Room, 200 N. Main Street , Rolla, Missouri.
Whether you’re already involved in environmental work or simply want to learn more about plastic pollution and possible solutions, this free community event offers a chance to watch, learn, connect, and continue the conversation.
The event is free and open to the public. Please register in advance.
Environmental Echo 