April 22 marks Earth Day, the global celebration of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. History shows that Earth Day was not intended to be about personal actions — planting a tree or recycling one’s garbage, although both are good ideas. Instead, the original Earth Day was a public reaction to the enormous environmental damage done by the discharge of largely unregulated industrial pollution into the nation’s air and waterways.

Fast forward a half-century later and environmental threats still exist. From PFAS in drinking water, to toxic waste pollution, to a worsening climate, the world faces enormous challenges in safeguarding our planet. One additional threat: the trash generated by our consumer society.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Americans now generate twice as much waste as they did 50 years ago. What to........

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