I considered not including this photo, since the plastic trash makes it visually unappealing. I decided to add it anyway, to make a point about the effect our decisions have on the environment. Getting outdoors to walk by the lake or go fishing is a great way to spend a day, and I wish more people would do it. But the decisions we make, like tossing away a lighter or leaving a soda bottle behind, can harm wildlife and diminish otherwise beautiful places.
This photo was taken near the San Joaquin River, in the “breadbasket of America.” The water this plastic is leaching chemicals into is the same water that irrigates the fields that grow the crops you eat. It’s easy to think of “nature” as parks and natural places outside of town, but it’s where we live, it’s where our food and water come from, and it’s something our health and safety depend on.
