About a year ago, I wrote about the world's largest landfill in the Pacific Ocean--twice the size of TX, expanding far below the surface---and the situation has only gotten worse. 1.9 million bits of plastic per square mile in some areas. Since then, the Atlantic garbage patch was discovered.The Surfrider Foundation recently released this public service announcement, which is very short yet powerful...
What can you do?
- Reduce, reuse, RECYCLE! It's your responsibility (please excuse the lecture, but come on)!
- Buy items that are minimally packaged.
- Eliminate bottled water from your vocabulary -- in the US we toss out enough disposable water bottles to circle the equator every 2.9 days and this number is increasing. Only 15% or less is actually recycled! Worried about your tap water? Get it tested!
- Say no to plastic retail bags. And paper is not the better option. Bring your own bag!
- Sign the STOP Plastic Bags global petition.
- Share this with everyone you know.
You can find updated information about plastic marine pollution on 5gyres.org. For more about the perils of plastic in general, you'll want to read Get Ready to Get Mad at Bottled Water.
About Lynn.
She's the founder of myEARTH360.com and a contributor to Just Cause Magazine. You can follow her on twitter and find her on facebook. She lives with her son, husband and two cats in the NW Chicago suburbs and is just a little obsessed with water related issues and the environment.