Knowing: Plastic Ocean
Creating a wave of change
Welcome to part one of the first three part series! Each Wednesday there will be a post here on SaltWaterVibes on our oceans! Each topic lasts three weeks and will be separated by Knowing, Caring, Change. Our oceans need our help if we want to keep exploring, enjoying, and existing.
Have you ever thought about plastic? What it’s made from? Where does it go after it’s thrown away? How is it recycled? Why is it e v e r y w h e r e?
Our plastic pollution isn’t just a problem any more - it’s a crisis.
Plastic is everywhere and were producing more of it than ever before. From single use water bottles, razors, bags, cups, utensils and even toothbrushes it’s hard to find things that aren’t plastic. Plastic straws - even come in plastic. But did you know that 80% of A L L plastic made is ending up in our ocean?
Welcome to my favorite beach on Oahu. Rashawn and I could play in the turquoise blue wave break all day. But every time we came back to shore, reality always hit. Plastic. Everywhere. I'd bring trash bags and quickly fill them with mounds of old wrappers, lighters, and hundreds of broken down peices of plastic.
Thats right, our planets lifeline is being filled with plastic from 5000+ foot depths, to the very surface. Our marine life cannot escape it and neither can we. Its showing up on shores and in our food chain. Now is the time more than ever to get educated and make a change.
Here's what you need to know
We are plastic consumers. It is almost impossible to get rid of plastic in our society today, but we can make changes in lowering production, recycling old plastic, and proper disposal to help lower our impact. The truth is, the damage is done, but we can stop any further damage together.
FACTS
- Over 550 million plastic straws are thrown away every day, just in the US & UK - and there headed right for Big Blue.
- Plastic bags have an average use time of 15 minutes or less. They are clogging marine life's stomachs and habitat.
- Every piece of plastic ever made is still in existence in some form. Over time larger pieces of plastic breaks down into micro bits of plastic. It will never decompose and is being consumed by fish and sea birds across the world.
- Plastic trash is found in 90% of sea birds. The record for one bird was 276 pieces of plastic inside their stomach.
- There is no away. Only 14.2% of our plastic produced is properly recycled. Every year we waste millions of tons of plastic and dump it into landfills and our oceans.
Today we can't live without plastic. But we are producing more than 300 million tons of plastic every year - HALF of which is single use only. Every milk lid, soda top, fork, plate or cup will be used once and tossed in the trash. Landfills are overflowing and all that trash and plastic is finding its way into waterways that lead to the oceans.
our sea life needs your help
Each year more and more marine animals are being affected by this plastic pollution. From whales dying from plastic bag consumption, fish swallowing micro plastic pieces, turtles mistaking plastic as jellyfish, and a ration of 1:2 plankton to plastic ration - it cannot go on. This is their habitat and world and we are destroying it.
The ocean is the largest eco-system we have covering over 70% of the planet. Without the ocean, we have no life. Now more than ever it is time to realize our plastic production and use is out of control. Our oceans deserve better, so lets do better.
Learn more on plasticoceans.org
see you next wednesday for Caring: Plastic OCean
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