While in Toronto in May of 2022, for our Great Lakes Cruise, Cecile and I, and our friends Nelson and Susan Bye, decided to visit Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada in the heart of downtown Toronto, which we had read was a must-see tourist attraction.
What caught my attention was a three-story-tall giant plastic tap art installation by celebrated artist and activist Benjamin Von Wong, that was spewing single-use plastic waste all over the entrance of the aquarium (see my photo). It is a symbol of the global plastic pollution crisis. Since 1950s global plastic production and consumption has grown exponentially. It is expected to increase by 70% by 2040 if changes aren’t made.
This plastic art installation was also featured at the United Nations headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. As Earth Day 2024 puts a spotlight on the world’s climate crisis, negotiators from 175 countries are gathering for the fourth round of the United Nations Plastic Treaty negotiations this week in Canada, to draft a global, legally binding agreement by the end of the year.
It took awhile, but this exhibit had a profound effect on my using single-use plastic water bottles during the day and on my daily bike rides. I have cut my usage by over 95%. Like most people I thought we were doing our share by recycling, only to realize that wasn’t addressing the root of the problem.
Postscript: Some of the health problems associated with plastics include respiratory problems, asthma, diabetes, reproductive and hormone issues, obesity, cancer, and heart disease, and microscopic plastic particles are showing up in our bodies.
