It demonstrates the significant impact that can be achieved at the local level.
Following a recent meeting to discuss the condition of a beloved lake, officials are considering ways to reduce the use of single-use plastics throughout the county.
Sierra Sun reported that Placer County's board of supervisors held a special meeting to hear from experts reporting on Lake Tahoe. The State of the Lake report, written by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, gave an update on the lake's overall health. Among the findings were warmer temperatures, increased rainfall, decreased snowfall, and reduced clarity.
One of the presenters, county management analyst Ryan Murray, noted that all of the proposed actions will have downstream effects.
"One of the components that I find fascinating about this work is nothing, as we know, happens in a silo," Murray said.
The board weighed a potential ban on plastic water bottles and polystyrene food containers, which has been enacted in other states and nations. There were some misgivings about the impact such a ban could have on local businesses. However, a representative from the League to Save Lake Tahoe pointed out that most of the business owners they'd spoken to were open to the ban and had already taken their own steps to reduce the use of single-use plastics.
Lake Tahoe welcomes around 15 million visitors every year, and it's also home to over 300 species of birds, fish, and mammals, per Wildlands Network. One noteworthy resident is the American pine marten, an adorable yet incredibly efficient mid-level hunter, which is listed as a species of special concern by California. Keeping plastic waste out of the lake and surrounding area will benefit visitors and wildlife alike.
The possible ban demonstrates the significant impact that can be achieved at the local level; for all of the attention paid to national affairs, much can be accomplished locally. Individually, we can all contribute to the broader effort to reduce plastic waste by ditching those single-use items like bags, food containers, and water bottles.