To the editor:

It is difficult to venture out for a walk, a bike ride, or put a canoe in the water without seeing the blight and pollution caused by ubiquitous nip bottles that degrade Marion’s streets, parks, streams, bays, beaches, fields, and properties.  

I believe the phrase “…including the conservation of natural resources and the prevention of blight and pollution of the environment…” found in Marion bylaw C. 230-1.3 meets the criteria to effectively ban 100-milliliter bottles. 

Nip bottles eat away at the natural landscape with uniformity and indifference. It is an environmental erosion that some people carry out with extraordinary efficiency, but more is at stake than the detritus of consumer culture. What is being lost irrevocably is the historic and esthetic character of Marion—its identity, quality, and charm. 

As the visual blight of nip bottles spread, the distribution indicates a decline in a community’s health and its livable environment. Earth Day cleanup efforts, however praiseworthy are not the answer. The problem is profoundly environmental; the problem cuts to the essential amenity and viability of Marion in terms of quality of life. 

Sincerely,

Eileen J. Marum, Marion