Plastic is everywhere in our lives, but it is not necessary to use plastic for Christmas decorations. Prior centuries enjoyed many degradable ornaments for their Christmas trees. Perhaps the most common natural ornaments are made from popcorn strings with dried fruit such as cranberries or cherries for colour. Candles were traditional lighting decorations too, but anyone using candles needs to be aware of the fire danger. A dry tree poses special risks, and a nearby fire extinguisher is a good precaution, but proper care reduces the risk: spraying the needles of the tree with water can help, and placing the candles away from other boughs. Above all, care is needed, but the effort is well worthwhile to help to preserve God's creation. Thanks to Oskar and Rachel for the suggestion!
The amount of plastic in the environment puts God's creation at risk. "The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) explores the Arctic, Antarctic, and the seas and coastal regions of the temperate latitudes, from the atmosphere to the deep sea. It has researched plastic pollution in the ocean for 15 years and developed state-of-the-art methodologies for the standardised detection of small microplastics in different environments. The work aims to unveil the distribution of plastic pollutants as well as its impacts on marine life and trends over time to provide scientific data that are needed to combat plastic pollution in the oceans." ( Link ) "If entangled underwater, air-breathing animals cannot return to the sea surface to breathe and die of suffocation. But even gill-breathing animals are affected: if fish or invertebrates remain entangled for too long, they starve or are eaten. The odour of carcasses attracts further anima...
Plastic waste in water has long been one of the major pollution problems, but there may now be a solution in sight, according to a Reuters article by Irene Wang ( LINK ): “Researchers in Japan have developed a plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours, offering up a potential solution for a modern-day scourge polluting oceans and harming wildlife. … [T]he new material is as strong as petroleum-based plastics but breaks down into its original components when exposed to salt. Those components can then be further processed by naturally occurring bacteria, thereby avoiding generating microplastics that can harm aquatic life and enter the food chain.” A key factor will be persuading commercial users to adopt in this form of plastic. Doing so will likely take both social pressure perhaps financial incentives. Nonetheless, water soluble plastic could be important for preserving God's creation.
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