To the Editor:
I thought I knew everything I needed to know about the plastics that are in our oceans until I saw the Jo Ruxton and Adam Leipzig film “A Plastic Ocean,” presented by Pleasant Bay Community Boating, with a Skype Q and A with Jo Ruxton.
At the panel discussion after the film, one of the panelists, Laura Ludwig of the Center for Coastal Studies, said her wedding ring is made from plastic, because plastic is forever.
This concept of plastic being here on this planet forever has moved me deeply. Since that day I have considered every piece of plastic in my life as a commitment, a responsibility, and a marriage. Plastic is forever; once produced it is literally plastic forever. It cannot become soil or water, something natural. It will always be toxic to humans and to animals. If it’s burned, the chemicals released will always be toxic and harmful to animals and to humans.
I have been looking around at my life that is filled with plastic things: my shower curtain, the paint on the walls, the spandex in my tights and skirt, my toothbrush …
What is my commitment to these things that will still be on this planet in some toxic shape long after I have gone on into eternity? What is my responsibility?
Suzanna Nickerson
Edgartown