On the Plastic Oceans

There is a garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean that has accumulated all of the plastic humans have thrown away that never made it to a recycle plant or garbage dump. Not only does it sit there and look nasty, it breaks down into consumable parts that fish and other marine mammals eat. This is causing them to die of lack of nutrition, and it also genetically alters them due to having chemicals in their systems. The plastic layer also chokes out the ocean by covering the surface and not allowing for oxygen to permeate into the water. This essentially suffocates all the living things and eliminates species from the bottom up.

This also affects humans, as we consume the fish and higher level creatures. As you travel up the foodchain, the concentration of chemicals increases and accumulates in larger animals - this is known as bioaccumulation, and it also happens with mercury as it gets into the ocean from the burning of fossil fuels. When humans eat these larger animals we also bioaccumulate.

See an impactful presentation on bottle cap accumulation in the Pacific Gyre by Captain Charles Moore, who has led expeditions to see the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.

Easy things to do that help the situation:

>Use plastic as sparingly as possible - instead of plastic bags and ziplocs, use reusable containers that can be recycled once their life is over. Make a consumer statement by refusing to purchase over-packaged food and goods.

>Buy a reusable water bottle - metal ones are very popular for good reason, as they last a long time and seep no chemicals harmful to humans (I have a klean kanteen, and I love it!) Plastic bottles are one of the biggest offenders for plastic waste.

>Sort your plastic waste into recycling - take a few seconds and make a plastic recycling bag for your home. In some places you can take your plastic bottles and your cans into a depot for a recycle refund. In places that don't have pick up for recycling, there is generally a place where you can drop it off at a centre

>Reduce the use - this is the most important one. Look at your lifestyle and pick out where you can cut the plastic out of your life - this can often be good for cost-efficiency, too! Do you eat out a lot? Often the containers from eating out are plastic or styrofoam - making this kind of lifestyle change is good for your health, your wallet and the environment :)

These are the easy changes that can be done solo - signing petitions, getting involved with organizations or donating to a cause is the next awesome step.

Keep tabs on everything by searching for stuff you care about on facebook, twitter and other sites.