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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

"If it can, it will."

With the previous blog posts being a little more stream-line and serious, I thought I would take a minute to share with you the things that I have been doing to try and cut back on my plastic use. Before I went to Punta Allen and saw all the plastic on the beach, and even before I started doing research on the problem, I was your average, plastic-pumping person. My parents, however, raised me and my brother to be conscious about things like recycling, not littering, and keeping trash to a minimum; I think this has helped me in cutting back my plastic use today. Recently, I have made a strong effort to:



- Ask the cashiers at Wal-Mart to use as few bags as possible… did you know they wrap a bottle of wine with one plastic bag, and then put it into another? What a waist.
- My roommates and I do not throw away our plastic bags; since we have moved in we just thrown them in a separate bucket that has been long sense overflowing. I took them to Wal-Mart where they have a bag-drop. (It’s free!)
- I have recently realized that the use of a lid and straw on paper cups is entirely unnecessary unless you are traveling at fast speeds or around sharp turns.
- I have begun to use my Nalgene water bottle every day instead of buying 24-packs of plastic water bottles. Tip: Put them in the freezer over night for long-lasting cold water.
- Most importantly, I recycle everything that can possibly be recycled. My slogan; “If it can, it will.” Meaning, if it can be recycled, it will be recycled.


So it’s not a lengthy list, but I am proud of the effort I am making. If anyone has more ideas to help me be more anti-plastic, please feel free to pitch in!


I know you were probably wondering, “enough with the psycho-babble, where is the video?” Well, I won’t hold you back anymore; check out this rendition of the song “Empire State of Mind” (originally performed by Jay Z and Alicia Keys) that these young people did as their way of speaking out against plastic pollution.


One of the arguments made in the video is to ban the use of plastic bags; well, their message was heard. As of yesterday, November 16th, 2010, a ban passed on the use of plastic bags from unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, in California. THIS IS AWESOME!



ARE YOU DOING YOUR PART?

Monday, November 15, 2010

Patch-zilla

I hope you found that video interesting AND encouraging. Obviously the Pacific Gyre is nothing to shrug your shoulders at, and slowly more and more people are becoming aware of what a massive problem this actually is. If you don’t know about it, or want to know more read on… or at least look at the pictures!






As you know from my previous post, the gyre is actually so big that it has split into two separate patches. According to Howstuffworks.com, the patches are connected by the Subtropical Convergence Zone, a 6,000-mile long current. Considering that this only connects the two gyres, millions of pound of trash collect in the current as well.






Let’s dig a little deeper and take a look into what the patches really consist of. As I have mentioned earlier, the patch mainly consists of plastic. A study done in 2006 by The United Nations Environment Program reported that every square mile of ocean contains 46,000 pieces of plastic. The world produces over 200 billion pounds of plastic a year, and about 10 percent of it ends up in the ocean. Also according to Howstuffworks.com, seventy percent of this plastic sinks, while the rest of it floats or washes up on shore.




According to wikipedia.org, when plastics reach the ocean, they often break down into smaller pieces, while still remaining a polymer, or a large molecule composed of repeating structural units, connected by covalent chemical bonds. This process continues until the previous solid plastic, and eventually releases toxic chemicals into the ocean such as bisphenol A, PCBs and polystyrene.


With all this said, CLICK HERE to  watch yet another wonderful video.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

A Pacific Full of Plastic

I’m sure that you are wondering where all of this trash is winding up. I have mentioned the location of Punta Allen, Mexico and the battle they are waging with the trash monster. There is a lot of information still to come on that, as well as the trash war occuring at Alaska's Gore Point. But for right now, check out this video on what is commonly known as the “pacific gyre” AKA the “pacific vortex” “garbage patch” or “the floating island.”
Quick facts about this gorilla of ocean garbage:
-          Technically called the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre
-          Located in the northern section of the Pacific Ocean
-          It mostly consists of plastic
-          It is the largest landfill in the world, and it is floating in the ocean
-          It has actually gotten so large that it has broken into two separate gyres:  The Western Pacific Garbage Patch, and the Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch
-          Scientists have estimated that the Eastern Patch is bigger than the size of Texas.
Without further ado, CHECK IT OUT!


 

Monday, November 1, 2010

Problematic Plastic Pollution

When most people hear the words “beach” or “ocean” an image of sandy, white, deserted beaches and pristine, turquoise waters comes to mind.  Few people however, unfortunately picture trash-covered beaches where the sand is barely visible and sludgy, polluted water. Waste from cruise ships, fishing vessels, cargo ships, even trash from land, is increasingly contaminating and destroying beaches and oceans all over the world.

This waste, frequently called "marine debris" is, defined by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as "any persistent, manufactured, or processed solid material that is directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment." This debris can consist of any object that threatens marine life, the health of humans, or interferes with navigation.  

Cruise ships are one of the oceans biggest enemies. These ships, also known commonly as “floating cities” produce an unimaginable amount of waste. According to oceana.org, the average ship holds between 3,000 and 5,000 people and produces:

-          Up to 30,000 gallons of human waste (sewage).
-           255,500 gallons of gray water (water produced from laundries, sinks, showers, etc).
-           7,000 gallons of oily bilge water that is all released into the ocean.
-          In one day, they can produce the amount exhaust equivalent to 12,000 vehicles.
Worst of all, however, is that in one year, 15 billion pounds of trash is dumped into oceans worldwide. The most abundant form of trash floating around or washing up, is plastic. According to an article by Donovan Hohn from the New York Times, as of 2008 oceanographers have concluded that, depending on the location of the sample, between 60 and 95 percent of the trash in the ocean is made of plastic. Plastic does not disintegrate; if anything, it breaks apart.
When I visited Punta Allen, Mexico with my family, we were allowed to borrow snorkeling gear only if we collected trash while on the beach. I was completely appalled at the number of plastic bottle caps I collected; well over 100 in a matter of minutes. Along with the bottle caps, I collected shampoo bottles, soda bottles, milk cartons, plastic silverware, netting, shards of sharp, broken plastic, a baby doll arm, 12 flip-flops, and hundreds of other pieces of debris.  


Trash is something that we humans produce and therefore should take responsibility for. Why are the helpless beaches, and oceans and marine life paying consequences for all of this?