West Michigan Environmental Action Council’s Post

About 50% of the world’s population experiences severe water scarcity for at least part of the year. (IPCC, 2022) This World Water Day, we applaud communities across the globe that are uniting to address these water scarcity issues. Here is how TNC is getting involved: https://nature.ly/3Vv8na5

What in the world is #WorldWaterDay? Every March 22nd, this day comes to remind us of the importance of water in our lives. Check out our new blog on how VDH works to ensure that all Virginians have access to #CleanWater: https://ow.ly/eTyn50QZSwF

🌳💦 Did you know, trees play a critical role when it comes to supplying, purifying, and protecting freshwater. Trees act like sponges that absorb water when it is plentiful and release it over time, recharging groundwater supplies. Just another benefit of trees! ✏️ Help us save our trees to save our future: https://lnkd.in/gU68sU94

I wrote an exam paper on ways to fight plastic water pollution. This approach, among others is very useful, however, not applicable in all waterways. Therefore, a combination of many different ones is likely the way forward. First and foremost, though, the way forward is to produce less plastic and to not disseminate and discard it into water/marine systems.

Another intriguing example of the notion that we should keep our minds and cognitive sense open for every solution possible. Because,... Trivial solutions can compound to make huge impacts. And, making huge impacts is the need of the hour. Let's embrace a problem-solving mindset instead of a skeptic one. #pollutioncontrol #waterpollution #innovation

In some tremendously basic solutions are the most successful achievements

This is so smart

Brilliant and simple. This should be everywhere...

The most difficult issue behind plastic pollution is that we keep creating new plastic from petroleum bi products. There is a point, where keeping petroleum plastics in a Closed Loop Cycle as they responsibly should be, is at odds with plastic production using recycled plastic products. In reality, they are very serioys adversaries. Yet, despite our knowledge of the unknown consequences and frightening health and safety implications at all levels of this form of plastic entering the environment, we rage on with not only production, but finding more and more uses for it and accepting little to no responsibility for its ultimate potential for harm. While we desperately need more of the types of removeale systems emerging, the one removal system many people globally seem to ignore is to refuse to toss it out. Right now, after moving in to an apartment where there is no recycling bin, I'm facing this challenge myself. Although I don't litter, thise resource is,so prevalent, it's almost impossible to avoid. Municipalities in Canada are striving to do better, but there is not a comprehensive model that allows for,all forms of petroleum based plastics to be recycled that works economically. Add to this, the 'BLENDING' of this material and byproducts into fabrics and even cardboard with natural fiber making those products impossible to compost safely and more difficult, if not impossible to recycle. There is no sensibility at work that is supported universally that cares to com0rehend , acknowledge or prevent negative long orcshort term consequences regarding the careless use of these materials. Cutting down more trees for paper products us not the answer. That like cutting down forests that capture CO2 and provide important natural self actualized ecosystems in order to fuel the biofuel industry that was meant to yse 'WASTE' produced from as one example...agriculture.. is a misuse and redirection of that entire concept. How we manage to transform great ideas into toxic hazards, greenwashed switcharoos, and misuse of once well conceived ideas is about whats'easier, cheeper, less threateningbto the status quo and your network within your economic ecisystems'. Smoke and Mirrors economics, and business practices when it comes to health, whether it's your personal health in the immediate sense or the entire planets... is never going to change? Unless the Hundred Monkeys theory can take over with a healthy happy cure immediately. If we went to full stop on these toxic behaviors, we woukd still have to wait for the powerful momentum of what we have been doing to slow down and get it under control. Which brings us right back to the role if projects like this post describes. Nit only do they fight that building momentum, if by chance, good luck...genuine commitment and actions, actually coukd put the breaks on, these are the kinds of actions needed to save us from a 'Polluted for Time Immemorial' scenario.

The best solution is sometimes with the simplest ingredient.