This might be the one instance I think creating some waste is acceptable. We toss more Starbucks cups in the trash a day than these glasses would amount to.

Oh fuck off with the mindless cynicism.

The amount of plastic used in those glasses, which is only in the lenses as the rest is card paper, is a fraction of what's in typical disposable consumer goods. I guarantee you've already thrown out more plastic in the last week than is in a whole ten pack of those glasses.

Meanwhile, events like this are a great way to remind people of the natural world we live in and how miniscule our experience of it is relative to the enormity of even just our solar system.

Solar eclipses are one of the VERY few solar system scale events that can be observed without expensive equipment. If you don't see why it's important for everyone to see then you probably should have stayed in school.

FWIW given the downvotes, I think your points are valid, although I think things are more complex and need a more nuanced response. (For example, I see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I don't want to blind myself as a result of enjoying--weather willing.)

It alarms me when I see people react angrily or defensively by mere exposure to the idea that we as a society need to consume less if we want to 'flatten the curve,' so to speak, of climate change. These are really important conversations that we need to be having. And there is a lot of corporate and ultra-wealth interest in us not having these conversations and not taking action (sooner versus later). I think they may have a hand in disseminating the idea that any such cut-backs we make will greatly reduce our quality of living and "how dare they!" kind of thing that is really black-and-white and denial-based. But it can play into the human psyche and fend off critical thinking and a willingness to examine one's own role in things pretty effectively

Please, do watch the eclipse without them, then.