500 Years From Now On A River

500 Years From Now On A River

  Or: The history we are making for future generations to cope with.
Or: How to spend a Friday night in June making up the future.  
Or: What I found on the river 6/29/12  (and yes, I do extract the trash I find)



 In the year 2512 The Egoan Era followed the Cenozoic Era.  The Egoan Era was marked by profound arrogance and a widespread assumption on the part of humans that they were superior to everything, which brought a sense of entitlement that was undeserved. 

Here are a few pictures of remnants of that unfortunate age. 

The Egoans used plastic 'bobbers' to fish with (before fish were depleted to near extinction)

Styrofoam, made from petroleum and synthetic chemicals. They made disposable things that accumulated in the environment without biodegrading. 

The Egoans ate a lot of fast food. Cheetos are believed to have been a snack product (pseudo-food eaten by Egoans) The bag lasted centuries longer than the contents.

Blue Ribbons were awarded at various competitions, blue being the best quality, which was ironic, since Pabst was the worst fermented beverage known to mankind.

The Egoans paid for individually contained liquids; including water, soda (a refined sugar sweetened substance) and pseudo-fruit juices. All packaged in plastic. Despite efforts of the generations that followed, items like this are still persistent in the environment. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

July22 Took an empty Bud Light beer can out of the water.  Put it in the kayak to throw away later. When I got to the take-out site a man was there with binoculars and a clipboard. "Counting birds?" I asked.  He was. Says he surveys water birds every two weeks. 

"Need a hand getting out?" he asked. 

"Nope. Thanks." I say.  Then a look passed over his face. I looked down to see what he was seeing. "Oh," I explained, "that's not my beer can. I found it in the river."  He looked a bit doubtful. 

I tossed the can in a trash bin that the city keeps down by the portage. (Thanks Westbrook! for providing one) 

Then I saw the trash (pictured below) about ten feet from the trashcan. The city shouldn't also have to put up a sign 'THIS IS WHERE TRASH BELONGS' for people to get it. I'd say 'people, dispose of trash in the proper bins or take it with you,' but the people who need that message never heed that message.  But here goes: 'If you can't dispose of your trash properly don't create it in the first place.' 

There. Now I feel better.