What is missing from the picture is us. Earth, animals and man are connected intimately. The whale is us, the tree is us. If a chemical is put out there, it will end up in us. We are the ultimate toxic waste dumps.
Environmental illnesses are on the rise in all living things.
Allergies, asthma, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, lupus, infertility, ADHD, occupational diseases, anxiety attacks, depression, mental illness, headaches, candida, depressed immune systems, etc. The answer is multi-dimensional. Earth Day failed to educate people about the limited range of choices consumers really have, and how industry, especially the automotive, petrochemical, and paper industries, bear more responsibility than the rest of us. Blaming the system gets us close. Still no one seems to be aware of what any of this has done to human health.