Alan Smithe

Screaming Spring Alan Smithe

It feels strange to say, but human beings have become the only species on the planet which does not live in harmony with nature. You don't need to be some tree-hugging hippy to notice that we've actually taken this inharmonious relationship to a level of destruction. We're long past petty discussions of electric automobiles and plastic straws. We aren't going to save ourselves with less toilet flushes. We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. No need for drastic action; we simply need to be responsible for what we produce because it will ultimately require disposal. We can't eliminate waste from society, but we can put things in the right place. Sometimes it only takes a few people and a bit of ambition to start a movement. Three seemingly uninteresting characters managed to make the entire world look at their load before dumping in the trash. A frustrated journalist, a minimum-wage cook, and a food bank volunteer crossed paths and managed to light a fire that stinks like a landfill. The dumps are overloaded, and they have been this way for a while. Two of the biggest contributors to this waste are plastic and food, both of which can be easily controlled. Our problems have just been hidden away from us, and the discussions seem to die out before they really begin.