I’ve spent at least one day at the beach each summer since I’ve been able to get myself there. It is routine, it is calming, and it is the same thing that the people I’ve grown up with have done every summer. Spending time at the lake is a luxury that we Clevelanders all take for granted, a normal part of our summer routines. But one aspect of growing up on Lake Erie is abnormal. Warnings about lake pollution and bacteria levels seem nothing out of the ordinary. In Cleveland there are constant jokes about the cleanliness of the lake and rivers. “Well, at least the river isn’t burning” or “The lake might actually be safe to swim in today” are phrases not uncommon in the casual summer conversation of a Clevelander. It is this cavalier attitude that I have only recently begun to question, why are these water conditions taken so lightly? Why don’t the people around me take the care of the largest source of fresh water at their disposal seriously?
Also, why don’t people stop to think before dropping cigarette butts, plastic bottles, or candy wrappers (all things I’ve found a plethora of at beach cleanups) in a place that has given them nothing but pleasant days in the sun? Questions like these lead me to consider not only what more I could do to improve the condition of Lake Erie and its tributaries, but also how I could talk to the people around me about why they take these resources for granted. In summers to come, I hope to convince those around me to look into what these bodies of water mean to them. It is my hope that, in doing so, attitudes toward the protection of this beautiful water might change.
Leave a Reply