Heading to the Beach for the 4th?

Can’t wait! It will be beautiful. The forecast is fabulous: sunny summertime weather. Here in the northeast it will be hot. There is no place I’d rather be than the beach.

But plastic is here with me! Sure, this is one tiny plastic straw I stepped on at the beach. BUT: There is no escaping the remnants of the single use plastic floating out in the ocean. My co-blogger is right: it is Litter That Lasts.

Production of plastic has come at a breakneck pace: Virtually half of the plastic ever manufactured has been made in the past 15 years.

The June issue of National Geographic‘s feature article is on the plethora of plastic. The cover summation:

18 billion pounds of plastic ends up in the ocean each year. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Rivers and lakes have their share of plastic refuse too, though in the U.S. not as great as the oceans. Keep your eye out for littered plastic in your travels. You won’t have to look too hard.

So while you are enjoying the beach or the lake or a river this weekend, see if you can TAKE ONE SMALL STEP and enjoy all of your beverages in reusable containers, with reusable straws only.