Randy Sturgill: Single-use plastics endangering our coast

North Carolina is responsible for some important “firsts” in our nation’s history. We were the first state to instruct delegates to vote for independence from England. As our license plate boasts, aviation began here when the Wright brothers completed their first flight in Kitty Hawk. Plus, the first American mini-golf course was constructed here in Pinehurst. (OK, maybe that last one wasn’t quite as significant.)

The point is, we have a history of leading. Yet we’re lagging behind our fellow states when it comes to combatting a growing problem that affects North Carolina intimately: plastic pollution. An estimated 33 billion pounds of plastic enter the ocean every year — that’s roughly equivalent to dumping two garbage trucks full of plastic into the oceans every minute. Marine life is choking on it, and people are now breathing, eating and drinking it. It’s everywhere — including our state’s coastlines.