Pic Of The Day #775

Posted on June 1, 2019 | 7 Comments

A few of the many ducks preparing for today’s Sunrise Rotary Club Great Race. Did yours win? (Photo/Dan Woog)

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7 responses to “Pic Of The Day #775”

  1. Sharon Paulsen | June 1, 2019 at 9:49 pm |

    Super cute, and a fun yearly event, etc..

    But, I keep feeling like “events” like these are counterproductive to our environmental crisis.

    I mean, in all sincerity, where do we think all the little plastic cutesy-duck-dumplings end up going, after they are manufactured, placed in a river for a one day event, and then collected for, what … recycling?

    Even if these bathtub “toys” were to be, say, re-donated to a children’s hospital or some other worthy cause, at the end of the day, it’s just more plastic that will eventually worm it’s way into our increasingly dying ecosystem.

    Whales are washing up on shorelines, dead, with bellies full of plastic.

    FULL of plastic!

    The beloved vacation destinations of the world have floating seas of plastic waste.

    Sure, go swim in that mess. Have at it.

    So, while I am sorry to be negatively high-jacking Dan’s awesome posts with my diatribe here, I feel like there is some level of denial about everything we humans are doing to our planet, right down to the nitty gritty of traditional behaviors/rituals.

    Dan, I love your blog and all that you communicate, so thanks for the open forum.

    I imagine my comment may piss off a few, or more. But, I am okay with that, because we are in a serious environmental crisis, and I cannot ride the “gloss-over” wave.

  2. Donna Renzulli | June 2, 2019 at 11:55 am |

    Dear Sharon,
    These ducks are not “recycled” into the ecosystem.. After the event they are collected, cleaned, then put away for next year’s event. Even the plastic bags that hold the ducks for sale the day of the event are reused next year. No plastic waste here. Hopefully this clarifies the situation for you.
    A bit condescending when you did not know the situation.

  3. Jacqueline Masumian | June 2, 2019 at 1:33 pm |

    With all due respect, the little ducks in Saturday’s race are re-used year after year and therefore do very little environmental damage. Your heartfelt concerns for the environment are valid. We should all be very careful with our use of plastics.

  4. Helen Garten | June 2, 2019 at 3:48 pm |

    I can confirm that Westport Sunrise Rotary recovers and reuses the ducks, plastic bags and most everything else we use for the Great Duck Race.

    Also, although the Great Duck Race is a fun event for the community, it has a serioUs purpose. The money we raise goes directly to local and international charities that support early education, housing and environmental learning. Rotary Clubs worldwide fund clean water initiatives.

    If you want to learn more about Rotary, join us for breakfast at the Westport Inn on a Friday (we meet at 7:30 am). All are welcome.

    Helen Garten
    (I apologize if this is a duplicate post; First didn’t seem to go through)

  5. Sharon Paulsen | June 2, 2019 at 10:12 pm |

    Thanks to everyone who responded to my comment.

    I’ve always thought the Duck Race was enjoyable and for great cause! No question in my mind about that.

    I was actually generalizing in a “big picture” kind of way, and didn’t mean to denigrate this event directly.

    I’m looking through the lens of overall human mis-steps, occurring over recent decades (and centuries), and when I saw the “pile” of plastic ducks in the photo here, it just triggered the thoughts that I posted.

    I already knew I’d step on some toes, so please know that I get it, when it comes to these events.

    But please also know that we have to eventually change how we do everything in the world, moving forward (including NOT making any more plastic stuff … cute ducklings, water bottles, and on and on).

    Peace!

    (FYI: for those who may not be aware, the plastics that we use for just about everything manufactured, do eventually “break down”, but they break down into tiny microbial parts. Those teeny tiny little parts affect the teeny tiny basis of our oceanic and land creatures, from the bottom up. Yep, we’re talking bugs ‘n slugs, “good” bacteria, tiny little jellyfish … and a million other creatures and cells that we are losing almost daily. No joke).

    My science is generalized here, so please don’t ask me to post every single article I’ve ever read or researched over the past 30/40 years, regarding our arrival at today’s crisis.

    Just know that my communication is meant to bring awareness, because it’s just that important.

    ♥️ my old Westport.