Holiday wishlist.

About a month ago, I heard a marine research pilot on the radio struggling to find words to describe what he saw somewhere between the coast of Los Angeles and Hawaii: an area of floating garbage twice the size of Texas; birds and fish, their insides stuffed with synthetics, dying. Over the course of time plastic, which makes about 80% of the garbage patch breaks down, thus entering the food chain. And this was over 10 years ago.

As I listened, I wondered where the plastic water bottles I drank from must have gone. I realized I hadn't thought about it — ever.

Now that I have, I'm developing a new understanding of the importance of our environment and how fragile it is. And while I’m proud that our office is taking steps to be more Earth-conscious, I know that we — like everyone — still have a long way to go. And since it’s the season, I thought I’d share my holiday wishlist:

I wish we saw the polluted ocean in our own backyards, so we could see what must be done.

I wish the use of biodegradable materials was part of our daily lives.

I wish there were recycle bins for everything, on every street — even to separate glass by color. (Like they've had in Germany for years.)

I wish human beings respected each other more, fought less and spent trillions of dollars on renewable energy sources, energy conservation and forest preservation instead of weapons.

I wish Black Friday wasn't Black, but Green — and that people didn't feel an uncontrollable urge to fill their lives with stuff they don't really need.

I wish Green wasn't just the new flavor of the month.

I wish people didn't act as if “it“ won't happen in their lifetimes.

I wish Earth Day was every day. — Albena, Senior Designer