Not The Earth Day Poem
I Had Hoped To Pen;
Tears Fell As I Wrote This,
Over and Over, Again
Such Shame We All Should Share,
As We Trash Our World, Everywhere
A report was released, just yesterday
By the group, The Ocean Conservancy
Of over 6 million pounds of discarded trash
Dumped on our own shores by us – you and me
Many of we humans love to deny responsibility
For the extremely dire shape our planet is in today
But 6 million pounds of garbage, on Earth’s shores
It wasn’t dumped by Earth’s animals, who have no say
Trash collectors scoured 33,000 miles of shoreline, worldwide
And over 6 million pounds of trash were found, in just one day
Each and every one of us is truly failing as our planet’s stewards
Each and every one of us, should be hanging our heads, in shame
These volunteers combed beaches and shorelines in 76 nations
From Bahrain to Bangladesh to Canada to the U.S. and in Mexico
On average, 182 pounds of human trash, for every mile of shoreline
No matter which nation’s shore they scoured, everywhere they did go
And this is just a snapshot of one day, on our home world right now
It is just one moment in time, on this now dying planet, that we call home
Horrifically, 81 birds, 63 fish, 40 invertebrates, 30 mammals, and 11 reptiles
Were found dead, killed by our vast human garbage, rotting away in sea foam
By Now, Our Human Shame Should Be Truly Enormous
And It Should Fill Us All, With Such Deep Sorrow and Agony
We Are the Only Species on Mother Earth, To Disrespect Her
It Is Not Her Animal Children Killing Our Planet – It’s You and Me
This horrific report catalogues over 7 million items of callously dumped human trash that were collected by volunteers on a single day last September, as they combed beaches and shorelines in 76 countries and 45 U.S. states.
"This is a snapshot of just one day, one moment in time, and it serves as a powerful reminder of our human carelessness, and how our disparate and random actions have a collective and global impact," said Vikki Spruill, president of The Ocean Conservancy.
The 378,000 volunteers collected, on average, 182 pounds of human trash for every mile of shoreline, on both ocean coastlines and on inland lakes and streams, providing a ‘global snapshot’ of the horrific human dumping today.
The most extensive garbage was very shamefully found here in the United States, where volunteers covered over 10,000 miles -- about a third of the worldwide total -- and picked up 3.9 million pounds of debris.
That's an astounding 390 pounds of trash per mile, among the highest rate of any country. By comparison, volunteers in neighboring Canada collected 74 pounds of trash per mile, and those in neighboring Mexico, 157 pounds per mile. About 65 pounds of trash were collected per mile in China, and about 46 pounds per mile in New Zealand.
But this immense volume of human trash collected in just one day tells only part of this truly horrific story.
These volunteer trash collectors also came across numerous birds, fish, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians that had all died horrible deaths, either because they had attempted to eat our non-biodegradable human garbage, or they had become hideously entangled in it.
And we are doing the very same thing to Earth’s remaining creatures in our remaining forests, mountains, wetlands, and national parks, right now.
It truly makes one feel extremely ashamed to be a human being today. This is the horrendous legacy that we are now leaving to future generations.
And in case you’re wondering, that horrific photo above was taken along the coast of Alaska, once one of the most pristine areas still remaining on Planet Earth.
Share
Print
Save
Thanks for an awakening!
R~
Who will point fingers then?
Blessings and thank you!
Susan
***Lavendar Jazz
I Had Hoped To Pen;"
but the most IMPORTANT Earth Day Poem I have read!
What has happend to our pride for our Earth; our appreciation and respect for what has been given us?? My stomach, too, wretches with this knowledge; how can we not shed tears.
I'll have to double my efforts of picking up trash along the roadsides; and speak louder my disappointment to those who would contaminate! You've penned a SHOCK we ALL need to heed!
Love ya ~~ Micke
Christine
Dan
ET
Fee
WHY ALASKA? BECAUSE OF ALL THE DAMNED CRUISES GOING THERE! DO THE SHIPS ACTUALLY 'DUMP' ALL THAT 'SHIT'? OR IS IT INDIVIDUALS?
The best chance this planet has, is to ship HALF the population into OUTER SPACE - but then, THAT would get POLLUTED TOO!
How do you spell - HUMAN? ASS-HOLES!
PEACE, TOM.
(((HUGS))) and much love, your friend in Tx., Karen Lynn. :( >tears! <
Georg
What a wasteland this is!!!
Sandie May Angel :o)
(((HUGS))) and love, karla.