The Horrifying Impact of Plastic Pollution

This is the third blog this week I have done on plastic. If this doesn’t cause you to reduce plastic use, nothing will. Plastic is harmful to wildlife, but it is also ending up in our food. Make reduction of plastic-use a daily habit.

Photo: Shutterstock

“The horrifying impact of plastic pollution on marine life is well documented. Greenpeace found that plastic pollution in the ocean has negatively affected at least 267 species worldwide, including 86 percent of all sea turtle species, 44 percent of all seabird species and 43 percent of all marine mammal species. Large pieces of plastic floating in the ocean are easily mistaken for food by seabirds, whales, dolphins and turtles. When plastic is ingested by these animals, it blocks their digestive tracts and gets lodged in their windpipes, cutting off or filling their stomach, which results in malnutrition, starvation and death. It also causes fatalities due to infection, drowning and entanglement.” Earth911. Read the entire article here

Simple ways to reduce your plastic pollution:

Start simple and add one idea at a time
Bring your own shopping bags
Buy bulk and refill your own containers
Don’t purchase bottled water
Say “No” to straws, plastic spoons, forks, and knives
Always choose glass containers over plastic!
Never purchase Styrofoam (Be aware of meat and produce trays)

Rising Oceans and A Migrant Crisis

The Oceans Are Rising Faster than they have in 3,000 years

2015 was the warmest year on record, and January 2016 was the warmest recorded. Alaska, Minnesota and Wisconsin have enjoyed a mild winter. The winter warmth has been pleasant, and because this is just weather, it will probably be brutal next year. It is the long-term trends that are troubling. Sadly, the problem lies in our oceans. Eighty to ninety per cent of this heat goes into the oceans. So of course the oceans are rising with the melting glaciers. Also, as the oceans heat they expand taking up more space. With record warm years, no wonder that the oceans are rising at a very fast rate.

Our planet is already in crisis as migrants are leaving Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries. We haven’t seen anything in compared to the migrant crisis that will be created by the rising oceans. Those living on the ocean coasts and the islands that will be inundated and disappear will need to find new homes .

The Syrian crisis was caused in part by our warming earth, the continued rising of warm oceans will create migrant problems that will be an even greater challenge! Miami, Venice, Bangladesh and London are a few that could disappear. Where will these people forced out of their disappearing cities, farms, and villages go?

Denial of our man-made climate crisis will not continue to work, and everyone needs to take personal responsibility to reduce their carbon footprints. Just committing to turning off lights and to drive less can make a big difference. What is one thing you do?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/02/23/as-the-arctic-roasts-alaska-bakes-in-one-of-its-warmest-winters-ever/?utm_content=buffer586cc&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2016/02/17/january_2016_was_the_hottest_january_on_record.html

Our Plastic Life is Sad

Plastic bottles on the way to the Agean Sea — A river of plastic bottles on the way to the Aegean Sea

A recent study by the Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation has found that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. This is a terrible man-made crisis, and not enough is being done to stop the cascade of plastic. Everyone of us needs to take personal responsibility to reduce our plastic consumption. The plastic industry is unchecked, and never should such a nuisance product been put into society without a plan to clean up or reuse. We are stuck with plastic, but we can all reduce the amount of plastic we use today and every day from now on. Especially think carefully before you purchase a plastic tubes that cannot be recycled. There is too much information in this post, but I hope you can find one thing below to help you to reduce your plastic consumption!

http://onegreenplanet.org/crushplastic

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/stunning-infographic-shows-how-our-plastic-habit-impacts-the-ocean-and-marine-animals/

12packwaterbottles

14 Ways You Can #CrushPlastic in Your Daily Life

Carry a spare canvas bag for groceries or small items you might purchase throughout your day.
Bring a reusable water bottle instead of buying a plastic one.
Take a mug with you to work or class and ditch the plastic cups.
Say no to plastic straws and utensils when eating out and bring your own stainless steel reusable ones.
Use mason jars when grocery shopping to store all your bulk food items.
Use cloth or reusable bags instead of produce bags when food shopping.
Replace your plastic food storage bags with stainless steel tins or mason jars.
DIY your own cosmetics instead of buying ones in plastic tubes. http://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/ultimate-guide-to-diy-beauty/
Reduce plastic packaging in your cleaning routine by making your own natural cleaners. http://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/ultimate-guide-to-diy-cleaning/
Avoid microbeads in your exfoliating face or body wash.
Try DIY-ing your shampoo and conditioner instead of buying plastic bottles.
Switch to bar soap and shampoo to avoid plastic packaging.
Skip the plastic tube toothpaste and make your own! http://www.onegreenplanet.org/lifestyle/ultimate-guide-to-diy-hygiene/
Buy plastic-free beauty, hygiene, and cleaning products, like bamboo toothbrushes, plastic-free makeup brushes and natural material sponges.

https://health4earth.com/2015/05/05/surprising-things-about-plastic/

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/people-who-prove-that-living-plastic-free-is-possible/

http://ecowatch.com/2016/01/20/more-plastic-than-fish-in-ocean/?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=137ca14cc3-Top_News_1_24_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-137ca14cc3-85912169

Single-Use is Ocean Abuse

Below is from Plastic Pollution Coalition: http://plasticpollutioncoalition.org/

Take The Pledge to Use Less Plastic Every Day http://actnow.surfrider.org/app/sign-petition?0&engagementId=58936

Change Begins Onshore

Plastic lasts forever… our oceans are turning into plastic soup.

It doesn’t biodegrade and no naturally occurring organisms can break it down. Plastic photodegrades, which means that sunlight breaks it down into smaller and smaller pieces. Those small pieces drift in the ocean and are mistaken for food by fish and birds.

It is undisputable that plastic pollution is killing marine life through ingestion and entanglement in plastic marine litter.

Up to 80% of the plastic in our oceans comes from the land – us. Single-use is ocean abuse. So, make a pledge today to make these simple 5 changes, which will have a huge impact on our oceans health:

1) Use cloth shopping bags. For each reusable bag you use, it’s estimated that another 400 plastic bags will be kept from being used.
2) Forget bottled water and carry a reusable canteen. Every reusable water bottle will keep another 167 plastic bottles from entering the environment.
3) Bring a reusable mug when you go to your local coffee shop.
4) Skip the straw, which are one of the top 10 items found on beaches.
5) And, of course, Recycle!

TAKE THE PLEDGE: COMMIT to Rising Above Plastics! http://actnow.surfrider.org/app/sign-petition?0&engagementId=58936

http://www.organicgardening.com/living/5-key-strategies-plastic-free-life

http://blog.oceanconservancy.org/2015/02/13/trashing-the-ocean-new-study-provides-first-estimate-of-how-much-plastic-flows-into-the-ocean/

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/great-pacific-garbage-patch-is-destroying-the-oceans/

Our Living Beautiful Oceans

I love lakes, I love rivers and I love the ocean. This blog from the point of the view of the sea and tide shows a deep appreciation of the ocean and made me happy. It is so real. I worry about the way we are taking care of our all water bodies, and feel hope when others think about how important and unique our oceans are to all of us. I think you will like it also:

https://smallthingsmakeabigchange.wordpress.com/2015/03/12/sea-and-a-tide/

The Oceans Belong To Us All!

The discouraging ocean pollution I saw this year in the Caribbean

Fifteen years ago when I was in the Dominican Republic and I was shocked by the piles of plastic waste standing on the streets. Since then I have been sorry to observe plastic waste in many other countries. It really bothers me when I see it in streams washing into the sea. In January 2015 my adventures took me to St. Kitts, Antigua, Dominica and St Luci in the Caribbean. The plastic bag waste seemed better, but the ubiquitous Styrofoam container use has become ridiculous . Instead of searching for good food it became, “Where can we eat on a real plate?” Most local food was served in Styrofoam boxes, even to sit down and eat inside a local restaurant. Styrofoam containers and plastic bottles fill the gutters and beaches. The Caribbean is without doubt one of the most beautiful places on our earth, but the waste and pollution they are sending into our oceans is unacceptable. An effort is made to pick up trash on tourist beaches and around cruise boat areas. I assume the tourist boards do know this behavior of trashing is not acceptable. Styrofoam breaks into tiny little pieces, it could survive for hundreds of years, and I can’t imagine the harm it does to sea life?
How can the world community help them recycle, replace Styrofoam, and help protect our oceans? The World Bank? Rotary International? Coca-Cola? Plastic Bank? Ocean Conservancy?

Hope For the Future?

The Plastic Collected by The Plastic Bank, is Recycled into Social Plastic®. Please Ask Brands to Help Keep Plastic Out of the Oceans While Helping People in Need By Using Recycled Social Plastic®. http://plasticbank.org/

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/02/12/npr-plastic-sea This is a must listen to!

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-china-plastic-waste-oceans-20150211-story.html

Latest Cruise Ship Study

Smaller boats are often more environment friendly

Our oceans are struggling. Ninety-three percent of the heat from global warming is entering and heating our oceans. This is making the oceans more acidic. I was sad to read that some cruise companies are still dumping poorly treated and raw sewage into our oceans.

On my recent Caribbean trip (not on a cruise) I was surprised by how the Caribbean economy survives on cruise boats visiting their shores, and how these mega 10 story boats fill the small harbors of these islands. Many of us that live in the northern latitudes need a break from the dark cold days of winter. With some research you can choose a cruise more friendly to the environment. Read below how you can have a more environmentally favorable cruise:

Cruise ships dumped more than a billion gallons of sewage in the ocean this year, much of it raw or poorly treated, according to federal data analyzed by Friends of the Earth, which continues the call for stronger rules to protect oceans, coasts, sea life and people. – See more at: http://www.foe.org/news/news-releases/2014-12-cruise-ships-flushed-more-than-a-billion-gallons-of-sewage-into-oceans#sthash.BiRiIEeb.dpuf http://www.foe.org/cruise-report-card

Cruise_Ship_Report_Card_2014

http://highseasalliance.org/content/meeting-closes-major-step-ocean

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2015/new-york-times-01-15-2015.html