Offshore wind, reduce plastics, World's Fair

Europe can teach us about offshore wind

In the immortal words of Yogi Berra, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over,” and offshore wind ain’t over yet [“NY nixes 3 offshore wind projects,” News, April 24].

This time, it was an American company, GE Vernova, dropping the ball, amusing if only for all the anti-wind rhetoric unleashed about profit-hungry multinationals.

Now, Gov. Kathy Hochul needs to seek new bids.

Perhaps a team from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, which has been administering the awards, and its colleagues in other Atlantic Coast states should consider an instructional trip to northern Europe. It has had offshore wind for more than 30 years, so they must be doing something right. Let’s find out what it is and do it here.

 — Debra Handel, Shoreham

State action would help reduce plastics

This year’s theme for Earth Month, which takes place every April, was “Planet v. Plastics.” New York State still could take a historic step in decreasing plastic pollution by passing the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act [“Reduce plastics to protect our health,” Opinion, April  25].

As the plastics industry doubles down on lobbying against this bill, accumulating research is revealing the health risks associated with plastic. Microplastics have been found in human blood, breast milk and placentas.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people with microplastics in their carotid artery tissues were twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke in the next three years than people who did not.

Chemicals in plastics have been associated with autoimmune diseases, endocrine disorders and cancer.

The packaging reduction act would ban the use of 15 chemicals from use in plastic packaging, decrease the amount of plastic packaging by 50% over the next 12 years, and hold companies financially responsible for the disposal of the packaging they produce.

In recognition of our responsibility as stewards of the environment and public health, the State Legislature needs to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act.

 — Jennifer Vogt, East Northport

There is a simple way to help avoid plastic packaging of fruit and vegetables [“How one shopper avoids ‘pointless plastic,’  ” News, April 22]. Unwrap those bananas and broccoli and leave the plastic right in the bin or drop it off at the customer service desk. That puts the problem of disposal back on the supermarket and shows your disapproval.

Other ways to discourage use of plastic: Buy soft drinks only in cans and choose other food products sold in glass or aluminum. Stop buying detergent in huge plastic jugs and use one packaged in a nearly weightless cardboard or compostable paper that dissolves.

And let state legislators know you want them to pass a packaging reduction law that would make product manufacturers financially responsible for the waste they generate.

 — Frances Whittelsey, Huntington

The writer chairs the environmental justice committee of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington.

World’s Fair opened a new community

I was a librarian working at the Cincinnati Public Library in 1965. Early that year, I was given an opportunity to work at the New York World’s Fair for a few weeks at an exposition called “Library/USA” [“  ‘Like a giant playground,’  ” LI Life, April 28].

I had never been to New York City or Long Island.

Our job was to explain the beginnings of the internet. Back in those days, most people had never heard of

such a thing.

One day we had a visit from John Lindsay, who was running for New York mayor. I explained to him that someday computers would change how we get information. It was quite a thrill illustrating to the future mayor what the world is experiencing today.

When the fair was over, I wanted to come back here. A few months later, I was lucky enough to be offered a job working at the Suffolk Cooperative Library System, in Bellport. I worked there until my retirement in 2012. How much I would have missed if I hadn’t come to the World’s Fair!

 — Philip Levering, Yaphank

The article and photos brought back many fond memories of the World’s Fair. Chief among them was the dinosaur park. I remember we went several times to the fair. We lived in Jackson Heights, which was only about two miles from the fairgrounds. This made for a convenient and fun outing on weekends.

On the way to each visit, my parents made the mistake of asking this 4-year-old which exhibit I wanted to see. Every time, I would say, “Dinosaurs!” After the third visit that I said this, they would groan, but each trip included a visit to “Dinoland.”

 — Shereen Margolis Briggs, Port Washington