Climate Protest
Dear Editor: This past Friday we saw youth leaders from around the world rise up to call awareness to the issue of climate change. These events will continue through this week until Friday the 27th.
This Tuesday, youth leaders in Sitka have organized a school walk out to inform Sitkans about the lack of legislation combating climate change. We invite the public to join us in the high school front parking lot from 11:30 to 11:45 a.m. There will be speeches from high school students and resources detailing how to act to combat climate change.
Many people question the effectiveness of demonstrating. They say that standing up and yelling doesn’t do anything. However, the town of Sitka needs to show that climate change is impacting us and that we care about our future. Politicians may not look at Facebook posts, but they do pay attention to the news. Even if we fail to change the minds of our representatives, we can still educate and inspire our community. That is our goal with this climate strike. We want to provide information on our changing climate and inspire adults to vote and advocate for issues they care about.
I’ll see you on Tuesday!
Cora Dow, Sitka
Alaska Politics
Dear Editor: One of my livelihoods is driving a tour vehicle, which I very much enjoy, mostly because the people are so interesting. Today I had the most interesting question of this season: “Who is worse, Palin or Dunleavy?” Well, you can imagine my surprise at that question, even though it’s a reasonable enough question considering the circumstances.
I gave the guest my standard answer, that we don’t talk politics or religion as a rule. But it got me thinking. I was never a fan of Mrs. Palin and her policies and when she quit, I think even her fans gave up on her. As to our current governor, I am with the 70 percent of Alaskans who, according to polls, support a recall, but at this point, I would settle for him quitting as well.
Jeff Budd, Sitka
Supports Bag Ban
Dear Editor: I want to add another perspective on the so called bag ban, a more long-term viewpoint.
I work on the water and have since the late seventies. Back in the ’70s and ’80s it was common for the fleets, cruise ship, other maritime vessels to dump waste into our waters. The beaches were packed with trawl web, foreign gill nets, general garbage, bags of cruise ship waste – you name it.
There seemed to be little awareness of where all this waste went, it was pitch it in the big ocean.
Sometime in late seventies international talks, negotiations took place to deal with garbage in the oceans as well as other clean environmental issues. The outcome was MARPOL, which came in effect in 1988. It took a while for results to become apparent. Us beachcombers started seeing much less of all types of debris on the beach. It worked until the plastic scourge started, the plastics totally took the place of the old thrash on beaches.
I look at this bag ban as a start in our efforts to reduce and somehow replace the scourge of plastics that has hit the earth.
It’s a start, people. It’s a small step in the right direction for a healthier future for humans and all other living beings.
John Murray, Sitka
No to Bag Ban
Dear Editor: I admire anyone who is trying to reduce plastic use. I feel guilty throwing out any plastic container. I reuse many. That said, I saw plastic kitchen garbage bags on sale last week for 13 cents a bag. I assume very few people do not put their garbage into plastic bags. I do, and I will continue to, whether I have to buy them for 13 cents a piece, or use the ones I get free from the grocery store.
I see cases of bottled water for sale, when we have perfectly good drinking water in Sitka. Personally, I would ban those before banning reusable grocery bags. I would also ban those plastic single-serve salad containers. I would ban much of the double-plastic-wrapped containers of just about anything.
Each of us has a conscience, and we get to decide how much plastic we use, and how we dispose of it. When I have more grocery bags than I need, I bring them to the Salvation Army store. Other people I see use them to cover their bicycle seats. Some people cut them into strips to crochet rugs, which I have seen in folk museums.
I would encourage everyone to reuse those green bags as many times as possible, before they hold your kitchen and/or bathroom garbage, before ending up in the trash we ship to Oregon. Banning one plastic bag to make me buy a commercial box of plastic bags just doesn’t seem very smart to me. If you want to ban ALL plastic bags, bring that to a vote, but why pick on the only one I use?
If there is someone out there who lives without using plastic bags of any kind – Bravo! I’d like to hear about. And if you bring your own cloth bag to the grocery store, good for you too (so long as you aren’t buying and using commercial ones).
We all have to live with our own awareness and conscience. Please let me make up my own mind on how I choose to contribute to reducing my part of the myriad problems we humans have created.
Kris Hoffmann, Sitka
