Creation Care Pagosa is honored to bring eminent scientist Dr. Terry L. Root to our community to speak on the 2024 Earth Day theme: “Planet vs. Plastics: Innocent Wildlife and Plastic Don’t Mix.” She will speak on April 25 at 6pm at the Community United Methodist Church (CUMC), located at 434 Lewis St.
Microplastics are everywhere. These plastic particles, which range from smaller than a single virus particle to as large as the width of a pencil, have been found in the trillions in oceans and tissues of sea animals, as well in drinking water, rain, air, human tissue, and breast milk.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), since microplastics don’t break down quickly and cells in the body that manage waste can’t degrade them, microplastics accumulate in organisms, wildlife and people alike.
Creation Care is trying to raise awareness of the dangers of plastics in our environment.
Chuck Riehm, vice chair of the San Juan Water Conservancy District Board of Directors, reports, “In more than 200 people undergoing surgery, scientists found that nearly 60 percent of patients had microplastics or even smaller nanoplastics in the plaque build-up in the main neck artery. Those patients were 4.5 times more likely to experience a heart attack, a stroke, or death in the approximately three years after the surgery than were those whose arteries were plastic-free” (Source: EPA).
Herb Grover, noted local scientist and professor, says, “What we are coming to understand is that the use of various forms of plastics in household and industrial applications has resulted in contamination of our entire planet with litter and debris that is harmful to all of creation, but more importantly, microplastics we now find in biological tissue everywhere. Recent studies have documented the potential health effects of microplastics, in particular the association of blood-borne microplastics with increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. Public education and government intervention through more stringent regulations on the production, use, and cleanup of ‘forever’ chemicals, including plastics, is our only option for stemming these eternal threats to human health and the sustainability of the biosphere.”
“As a member of United Women in Faith, I have a strong interest in climate justice,” said Laura Lunsford, district president of United Women in Faith and co-founder of Creation Care Pagosa. “I look forward to what Dr. Root has to share about plastics, not only as a non-biodegradable waste product, but also as a pollutant during the manufacturing process. Through education and action, I believe we can reverse the destructive impact of plastics on our community.”
Creation Care Pagosa is a faith-based environmental stewardship organization open to everyone in the community. We meet on the fourth Thursday of every month (except for March) at CUMC.
If you have questions or would like to join our mailing list, please contact Sarah.Riehm@gmail.com.