Having grown up in the country, I was surrounded by cattails which I
loved, and only later learned of their irreplaceable value to wildlife.
Unfortunately, a European invasive variety of the beautiful purple
loosestrife, for a while even sold in garden centers, has taken over
where "allowed" and, with up to 2 1/2 million seeds (!) per plant and
no value whatsoever, has taken over many wetlands, eliminating the
essential cattails. More on what to do when summer comes.
I've always had only well or spring water, except for the six years I
lived in New York City, where the water from Ashokan Reservoir in the
Catskills was great. As a child, I'd drink out of streams in our
fields. If anything, I think it made me healthier. In the 1970s, I
worked on the dumping of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), a hazardous
plasticizer, among other things, into the Hudson River north of Albany
by General Electric, where they remain to this day, though manufacture
by Monsanto was discontinued in 1976. The Condensed Chemical Dictionary
calls them "highly toxic." If I'm not mistaken, I think they're also at
the bottom of the water on the Burlington waterfront.
That began my interest in plastics and their potential for migration
into foods and liquids, especially under heat and freezing. A close
friend, after a bout with breast cancer, was told by her doctor not to
use water in plastic bottles. For the life of me, I cannot understand
the amount of money spent on plastic-bottled water, or on sugar-water
(sodas), especially when one considers the amount of work that goes
into a totally healthy product, milk! For goodness sake, take water in
re-used glass bottles.
The Food and Drug Administration has halted the use of some plastics on
food and liquids, but not nearly enough, in my opinion. Where there's a
will, there's a way: I would never cook foods in plastic -- have now
replaced all food containers with glass -- nor would I allow a baby to
use plastic pacifiers. Remember when they used to be made in the USA,
of rubber?
I sincerely hope, for the health, savings and environment of us all,
that Spencer, his classmates, their teacher, Jean Berthiaume, and those
reading this, that this will be followed up. We're countering huge
industries, but as Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small
group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed,
it's the only thing that ever has." I can vouch for that! Good work,
Spencer and Mr. Berthiaume.
Judy Larson DiMario, Fayston
Educator, former legislator
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