I take for granted the abundance of nature that has always been at my fingertips. I was born and raised in Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I’ve always had access to a lake: I was living on it or had to walk 5 minutes to take a swim. My childhood memories are of my parents, siblings, and I wading through swamp to find the oldest tree, driving for hours in the Keweenaw Peninsula to find the best patch of berries, or being launched off of my older brother’s shoulders into cool lake water followed by competitions to see who could hold their breath the longest. I moved to Northern Michigan University on the shores of Lake Superior and my life revolving around nature exploded even more. Weeks and weeks were spent finding beaches or camp spots. At the time it was mostly about gathering with friends, but we all had the intention of being outside. I never strayed too far from the water as I moved from college to my first career job. Imagine my shock as I realized the shores of Lake Michigan were mostly private. I began to experience an ounce of what most of the population goes through to have access to nature. After some time, my little sister had moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan for her first big move away from home. More shock entailed when the pollution of the water in that area affected my sister and her boyfriend. It wasnt safe to eat the fish due to all the micro plastic. They eventually moved North to have more access to nature, but the lesson I learned about our water systems never left my mind. Eventually I left my career and went back into the restaurant life I knew and loved. Without my intention, I ended up working for a zero-waste company that used compostable plastics and composted all of its food waste. It wasnt a perfect system but it was making the best effort I have ever seen. I now own my own business and we use compostable plastic even though it is triple the price of the other to-go containers. There are a few other establishments in our area making the switch too. My hope is that it will become the norm and less expensive with more companies using it. I currently live back in the same town I grew up in. Most people here dont give a rip about plastic getting into our water system. I talk about it when the timing is right with an ear that will listen. Otherwise, I hope people see my to-go containers and think about what more they can do to help our human made problems and how they affect the environment.
