Dear President,

I am writing you today with a heavy feeling in my heart. There are many problems in this country that needs to be solved, but I feel the most important issue is the life damaging effects of pollution. Pollution is plain horrific and is slowly destroying little communities one at a time. This affects not only humans but all living creatures due to the particles and gases in the air that we are all breathing and absorbing into our skin, our eyes, and our internal organs.

First of all, us humans are solely responsible for creating this issue and continue to do so knowing the devastating future consequences. As much as people support the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle programs, I don’t see any progress. As a matter of fact, I believe the problem is getting worse and out of hand because our production of waste is increasing substantially more than our ability to effectively recycle all these items. Many countries have already instituted mandatory recycling programs many many years ago and have established systems to significantly reduce waste in their landfills. Japan is highly advanced in their recycling programs due to their limited land; the United States has been slow in implementing advanced systems due to lack of urgency and excess land. Some people are more tolerable to live in these conditions, but people with asthma, lung disease or cardiovascular disease are more like to be affected; even those who are more tolerable currently have an increased chance of developing these conditions in the future due to their living conditions. I feel very anxious about our future as citizens of the United States living in a land with so much waste, and I feel slightly bitter with our consistent insufficiencies and efforts to become a leader and an example to the rest of the world regarding success in the implementation of recycling systems.

Secondly, pollution is destroying many other living creatures within their own environmental surroundings or habitats. These creatures are ingesting this litter which is invading their homes. Imagine having to choose between a pile of plastic bottles or a pile of plastic bags for food. Animals digestion of these products is very common due to their lack of other alternatives. Many of these creatures die everyday due to the unfortunate “food” they don’t know they are ingesting. This makes their lives difficult if they can’t decipher between healthy foods or toxic damaging trash. Consequently, these animals either become ill, move or adapt negatively to a new lifestyle forcing them to invade other creatures food sources or human food sources.This interaction makes it dangerous for both humans and animals because of the instinctive nature of survival among the species.

Lastly, other living organisms, such as plants and trees on land, or living organisms in our water systems such as coral reefs and seaweed, are affected due to their inability to protect themselves. Acid rain is a nasty byproduct of our industrial processes and causes significant harm to our forests and all living organisms. The acid rain is composed of sulfuric and nitric acids keeping these living organisms from getting the nutrients and helpful minerals in the soil. This is a direct attack on our food source as humans. It is baffling to me how our government allows such harmful practices. This is a domino effect and will reach back to humans in the long run. It will start with toxins in the oxygen and begin from there.

In conclusion, we need to enforce more mandatory systems. We need you as the President and leader of our country to establish and inspire advanced modern waste solutions. We look to your guidance and wisdom in this area to ensure that we are safe as a country and united as a whole in the life altering venture. I respectfully request your immediate attention to this matter.

Thank you,

-Michaela Rodriguez