On April 5, Áine went down to Springfield, IL to be recognized for being a good citizen.
She had entered a contest sponsored by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, looking for students to write a poem on how to “Slash Your Trash.” She and eleven other students were chosen statewide as the finalists and were honored with a presentation at the state capitol. Here is her poem:
PLASTIC PANDEMONIUM
By Áine McCormack
Fifth Grade
Plastic utensils and plastic straws too,
Plastic spatulas for your barbecue.
Fake plastic plants and clear plastic wrap,
Plastic water bottles and their plastic caps!
Polyester pants with a bad pleather belt,
Styrofoam cups that microwaves melt.
In the light and the heat, they emit toxic fumes.
These are the objects that fill all our rooms.
Just think of it all, that we’ve bought, and we’ve lost,
While some might be free, there’s always a cost.
Fish bellies full of plastic, not food.
Feathers so tangled, to the land birds are glued.
Microplastics in soil, so plants cannot grow,
And plastic in our blood, from your head to your toe.
There is simply too much plastic to let it all be,
We always need landfills from the mountains to the sea.
And they all overflow into nature, much worse,
So we must do something to be freed from this curse!
Reduce, reuse, recycle is usually what to do,
But unfortunately for plastic, there are only two.
Recycling plastic is almost never done,
Most of it goes to the landfill, ton by plastic ton.
Instead, use paper, use metal, use glass!
For recycling, these materials are always first class.
Reuse the plastic you already own,
Don’t waste your money on dumb plastic clones.
So let’s all pitch in, you don’t need any cash.
To save our planet and our future, we must slash our trash.
It was a good visit for her to meet the head of the Illinois EPA, and also reinforced the idea that even an eleven-year-old girl needs to have awareness and can take some action to remind us all that we need to be good citizens. Even a poem or a song can have some impact on others. As long as it is delivered in respect and with integrity.
Áine also was able to observe other good citizens in action. There was a protest, part of the world-wide “Hand’s Off” protest in which she also took part. It was an opportunity for her to see what can be done when citizens come together to take a stand against a government that is doing harm to its people. Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Assembly are important foundation stones of democracy. To observe it in action on a massive scale is a wonderful gift of experience. Such exercises of Freedom, gives me hope for her future and what is left of mine.
READ MARTIN’S OTHER BLOG HERE.