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Paper or Plastic? |
Paper or plastic?
It’s a fantastic question
That I just have to ask.
See, I always chose paper,
My mum always chose paper,
Because it’s better than plastic,
Right?
But when we use paper,
We’re killing our life.
A tree is the essence,
We should worship trees like gods.
They feed us breath,
And bear us fruit,
Yet we pluck their seeds
Like it ain't no thang
Without even a thought
Or a thank you,
Without the realization
That we just drew blood.
But we did.
See, no one teaches our kids
To love their land.
So they drop to their knees
And carve letters into our trees.
They should be writing letters to the trees,
Love letters.
Describing in detail
The beauty they see
When the sunlight hits their branches.
And the chills you get
When the wind rustles through their leaves
Like finger tips dancing on piano keys.
Go ahead,
Call me a tree hugger…..
You’re goddamn right!
And I’ll throw x’s and o’s
‘Cause I know
That tree needs love,
So it can produce
Healthy fruit,
And anger-free air.
Now I’ve got a challenge for you
If you dare.
The next time you become aware
Of a beautiful tree,
Give it a hug
From you and me.
Then say
“Thank you,”
For allowing you to breathe.
And another thing,
The next time you visit a bathroom,
Remember,
You don’t need 30 sheets
To keep your ass groomed.
I’m not asking you to be unsanitary,
I’m just asking you to be wary
Of what you throw in our toilets.
From tampons
To cigarettes.
Don’t you see how much
We destroy our oceans
With each flush?
So tell me,
Are you really aware
Of what you put into the air?
We don’t think about it enough,
But this is the only earth we have,
And we’re destroying it.
I’ll tell you what,
If you treat your land like shit,
It will return the favor.
How long do you actually think
Our land will stay stable
Before it finally turns the table?
Tell me if you’re able
To deal with what we’re leaving
For our children
To live in.
In a land fill,
Paper decomposes to release methane,
And burning it produces CO2 emissions.
Choosing recycling as your decision
Reduces water and energy use.
In addition,
Recycling means less stress on the forests
And could contribute to forest protection and
growth.
Do you realize
We don’t even recycle half
The paper we use.
It’s like we don’t mind lighting
This destructive fuse.
I know I’m getting off track
So I’m gunna flash back,
Because there was another part
To my question.
Plastic?
I remember the catch phrase
“Plastic is fantastic”
And I think about how drastic
It really is.
I see people carrying bottles of water
And visible only to me are the toxic, floating
Mole-
Cules.
It’s out of sight,
But still in mind.
It’s almost funny that we can’t find
A better means of transportation
Than this non-biodegradable
Abomination.
Manufacturing PET
(the plastic used most often
when making bottles)
Generates more toxic emissions
Than manufacturing glass.
Under these conditions
You’d think we’d make better decisions.
PET bottles generate more than 100 times
The toxic emissions to air and water
Than making the same size bottle
Out of glass.
But thoughts such as that
Seem to be a thing of the past.
‘Cause plastic packaging is cheaper,
So I don’t wonder why for most people
It’s a keeper.
See, some plastic is made from oil,
Which we kill for.
Then it gets dumped in our ocean
Which our animals die for.
Which every other night I cry for.
Did you know,
Plastic products make up 80%
Of every garbage mound you see?
It only takes the slightest gust of wind
To blow hundreds of these toxic particles into
the sky
And into the air you breathe,
And we question why some people die.
In our visions of nuclear holocaust,
The ultimate survivors have always been
The cockroaches.
But hold the phone,
We have a new fight for the throne!
The more powerful
Insidious symbol of durability,
Plastic Bags!
Between 500 billion and a trillion
Plastic bags are consumed world wide
Each year.
So I ask you,
Do you really need that whole plastic bag
For just that one little mag?
A study done in Ireland concluded
That plastic bags
Last for millions of years.
And as they decompose,
Tiny, toxic, bits seep into
The soil, lakes, rivers and the oceans.
I’m sure it never crosses your mind,
But in other parts of the world,
They’re running out of time.
The Nairobi River in Kenya
Is dying.
So is the Red Sea
And almost every other body of water
I see.
It clogs up everything-
Rivers, storm water drainage systems, and sewer
lines.
Good God,
Were running out of time!
See, just like guns don’t kill people,
Neither does the plastic.
We the people
Are killing ourselves.
The plastic we see around us every day
Is mostly on a one way
Trip to an incinerator or landfill
Where it begins to kill.
Incinerating plastic
Releases chlorine into the atmosphere.
It leaves heavy metals in the incineration ash.
Now, if plastic is put into a landfill,
Additives with names so insane,
I can’t even name
Leak into our water supply
And slowly but surely we all start to die.
Recycling plastic saves energy
And reduces pollution.
Recycled plastic can be made into everything
From fleeces to benches.
But how many of us actually take the time
To find
A recycling bin?
It’s as if killing our planet
Wasn’t a mortal sin.
So what’s a world to do?
It seems there are so few
Who care.
And even less who dare
To make a difference.
I hold on this sheet of recycled paper
3 answers:
1) We can reduce
The amount we accumulate.
Carry a tote bag to the grocery store.
Don’t let a another plastic bag
Walk through your front door.
2) Re-use
Everything you can.
Which is pretty much
Anything made by man.
And 3) Recycle
Anything that’s able.
Don’t forget to check the label.
And maybe together we can choose
A different plan
For this,
Our one and only land.
copyright 2004
Jasmin
Jordan |
