Residents, officials need to get educated on disposable plastic

Plastic makes it possible. From aerospace and transportation, to medicine and computer technology, our future relies on plastic. You know whose future does not rely on plastic? Our local businesses.

What I saw at the town of Jupiter’s Beach Committee meeting July 23 was a perfect picture of what’s wrong in American politics right now; people are completely ignorant to what’s happening right in front of their eyes.

It was painfully obvious that many of the members hadn’t read and understood the straw ordinance because the questions they brought up are covered in it extensively. They were also offered materials on approaches to the educational period of the ordinance, and most didn’t read that either. Carol Watson, the one person who really visited business owners and did her due diligence was treated with disregard, and as an “alternate” she wasn’t allowed to vote on the matter, even though she did more research than the rest of the group combined.

It was repeated that they don’t want to “drop the hammer” on local businesses, but it’s obvious local businesses are not the problem. Most are converting to paper on their own. This is a beach town after all; our people care about the ocean. Managers of national chains, on the other hand, are powerless to make policy changes like this without direction from corporate, and corporate won’t make the change until they’re forced to legally. You don’t need to protect local businesses from their residents. The woman who crafted this ordinance and the people who helped her are on a mission to educate, not issue fines.

Gail Whipple specifically spoke of “education being the answer” as if the activists in the room didn’t embody that already. The educational period is an important part of the ordinance. In her case, I’m less surprised she didn’t read her materials; she showed up to the meeting over an hour late. Watson, the alternate who did all the research, should have had a vote over Whipple, who arrived two-thirds of the way into a meeting, no matter the reason for her tardiness.

Plastic straws are not going to make or break this town. They’re not the largest ocean polluter, they’re just one of the easiest to get rid of. Our future will dictate we learn to treat plastic with more respect. It will also dictate we treat our politics with more respect. For example, advisory board members who fail to do their homework will be replaced by people who care. RYAN DARLING, JUPITER