Eliminate Styrofoam

Care2 posted the following petition which is intended to give guidance to legislation emerging in California. 
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/417/342/275/?cid=Facebook_california-ban-styrofoam

This is what I wrote with a few little edits:  "California is a state of exquisite beauty (all states are but just in different ways). Please protect this precious and exhaustible resource.  In 1997, our city (Grand Forks, ND) was beseiged by a remarkable flood. When we returned for a long and exhaustive clean-up, we found undamaged styrofoam everywhere.  We chased those peanuts everywhere.  It was so obvious to us that styrofoam (which is typically used in a few minutes) will be around forever.  Ever since, we have cut styrofoam out of our lives to the greatest degree that we can.  I would like to think that people would do this on their own.  Some day they will.  But, while we wait, please do so here"

After the Flood (which came with many teachings), I began to see that the styrofoam that we used would last 500 years.  It became apparent to me that whether I intended it or not, that styrofoam cup, plate or peanut was a gift to some future generation 500 years (or 20-25 generations) later.  Surely I could do better than that.  So we (Melanie and I especially) mounted a campaign to eliminate styrofoam.  We have eliminated coffee shops which serve on styrofoam.  We bring our own plates to community picnic or meal functions.  We aren't perfect but we do the best we can to address a situation which we feel needs to be changed.

This decision to eliminate styrofoam was ramped up a bit with the recognition that styrofoam is typically an oil derived product.  In my opinion, styrofoam surely is not worth going to war for, nor is it worth invading some of the last pristine places on this Earth.