You know the expression, “Don’t cry over spilled milk.” It has several implications. First, the word “spill” usually means that a finite quantity of liquid pours out of a vessel. And then stops. Because the vessel becomes empty. It also suggests that it was an accident – but not an entirely unexpected one. All evidence suggests that when there is a glass of milk next to a child, there is a significant chance that the child will knock over the milk with their flailing limbs at the dinner table. It happens to my son all the time – sometimes more than once during a single sitting! So we are not surprised, and we put protective measures into place, like using washable placemats and taking all homework away from the table before the liquids come out. These strategies help to alleviate the negative impacts of the spreading liquids.
Hmmm. What can we learn from this analogy?
- Be prepared. Have a “plan b” and maybe even a “plan c, d, e and f” just in case.
- So far, there is NO end to the oil spewing from the bottom of the gulf. I think we should consider renaming this environmental disaster something
Image from National Wildlife Federation
other than a “spill.” It’s more like an “oil eruption.” But other words come to mind, too: surge, torrent, fountain or rupture.
Okay, enough complaining. What can we do about it?
The National Wildlife Federation set up an awesome page to teach kids about this disaster – how it happened, the effects it is having on wildlife and tips for reducing our dependence on oil, so this might not happen again. Please check it out and share it with your children!
Talk to hair dressers and dog groomers in your community. Tell them that they can collect hair and fur clippings to send to Matter of Trust, who stuffs them into old nylons and uses them as booms to absorb oil on the surface of the water. Check this out:
What would you name this catastrophe? How have you discussed it with your kids?
