What is a Nurdle and Why Should We Care?

 

These are "nurdles"

Nurdles, quite simply, are the building blocks of everything plastic.  Your phone, your printer, your computer, everything plastic around you started as a nurdle.  Unfortunately, the nurdles that never get into production are lost or discarded as waste or dumped overboard from ships delivering them to countries around the world.

These nurdles were spilled in a train accident in Pineville LA

Nurdles are plastic resin pellets classified as the primary source of microplastics.  They range in size from 1 to 5 mm in diameter.  There are more than 60 billion pounds of these plastic pellets manufactured in the U.S. every year (27 million tons).

So here's the problem: these nurdles float on water.  When they get into rivers or the ocean, they're easily swallowed by sea turtles, sea birds, fish, crustaceans, etc.   

So what can we do?  First, be aware.  The plastics all around us came from somewhere and they don't decompose in nature.  Don't discard any plastics.  Figure a way to dispose of your water bottles, phones, computers, batteries, whatever--properly.

Second, spend a few minutes the next time you're on a beach looking for nurdles.  Collect them in a jar and make sure you dispose of them properly.

Third, if you're lucky enough to be near a beach during the first weeks of February 2021, take part in the 

THE GREAT NURDLE HUNT
TACKLING WORLDWIDE NURDLE POLLUTION

Check out www.nurdlepatrol.org

Did you know?

Plastics are a chemical cocktail. They contain contaminants from the fossil fuels or recycled products used to make plastic (non-intentionally added substances like heavy metals) as well as additives which are used to make plastics colorful, flexible and useable (additives such as dyes, phthalates and plastizers).

Studies of packaging alone found there could be thousands of additives used and 4-6 non-intentionally added substances for every additive.

Plastics are everywhere and should be treated very carefully and kept out of our environment

National Drive Electric Week

 

National Drive Electric Week, Sep 26-Oct 4, 2020, is a nationwide celebration to raise awareness of the many benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, trucks, motorcycles, and more. They are fun to drive, are less expensive and more convenient to fuel than gasoline vehicles, are better for the environment, promote local jobs, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Each year, National Drive Electric Week includes hundreds of events in communities across the United States and around the world. This year, for the 10th annual National Drive Electric Week, we will be adding online events for the first time, including the NDEW Kick-Off Event event on Sep 24, 2020. Please see the events page for more information about national, state and local events near you.

Check out www.driveelectricweek.org

National Estuaries Week: Restore our Nation's Estuaries

 

An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environments known as ecotone. Wikipedia  Brackish water is water that is slightly saltier than fresh water, but not as salty as sea water.  An "ecotone" is a transition area between two ecological environments--a transition zone, in the case of an estuary, between salt water and fresh water.

Estuaries are known as the "nurseries" of the sea because they provide shelter for many species of fish and a resting place for migratory birds.

Estuaries are the most productive areas on the planet for organic growth and repositories of carbon dioxide--keeping CO2 locked in and restricting global warming.

Without estuaries providing shelter for thousands of fish, mammals and birds, our food production would be greatly reduced.

photo by Nannette O'Hara

 From www.epa.gov: "National Estuaries Week, which first began as National Estuaries Day, was founded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1988 as part of Coastweeks. While Coastweeks was a broad celebration of our nation’s coasts, National Estuaries Day was created to specifically focus on estuaries, with a mission to encourage citizens to explore and appreciate their local estuaries. For many years in the 1990s, NOAA and EPA hosted National Estuaries Day events both locally and nationally. But when federal support declined, the event disappeared for some time with no national effort to hold it together.

Around 2007, Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) saw the opportunity to revive National Estuaries Day. RAE partnered with organizations like the Association of National Estuary Programs (ANEP), the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association (NERRA), and NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management (NOAA OCM), to grow National Estuaries Day, soon overtaking its original reach. It became clear that one day was not enough time to host celebratory events, and many organizations expressed disappointment over not be able to participate. National Estuaries Day became National Estuaries Week in 2013 to provide more opportunities for activities and celebration. Celebrated every third week in September, National Estuaries Week continues to be a unique opportunity to come together and raise awareness for our estuaries and coasts."

Estuaries are an absolutely essential part of our ecosystem and saving them should be important to everyone on this planet, Earth.

Plastic Recycling: Chapter II

 

Many people ask me what possible good will it do to recycle.  What exactly happens to recycled bottles, and plastic wraps, etc.?  Well, unfortunately, the news is not good.

In a recent post, I discussed the numbers inside the recycle arrows and what they mean.  Numbers 3 through 7 are collected in recycle bins, but are actually useless for recycling.

According to YaleEnvironment360: "The new research (by Greenpeace) found that none of the United States’ 367 facilities are capable of processing coffee pods. Just 14 percent of them can process what are known as plastic clamshells, containers commonly used for takeout food, fruit, and baked goods. Just 11 percent of facilities can recycle plastic cups; 4 percent plastic bags; and just 1 percent can process plastic plates, cutlery, straws, and stirrers."

“This survey confirms what many news reports have indicated since China restricted plastic waste imports two years ago — that recycling facilities across the country are not able to sort, sell, and reprocess much of the plastic that companies produce,” Jan Dell, founder of The Last Beach Cleanup and leader of the new survey.

So, when you look at a plastic package and it says "Recyclable", it probably isn't unless it's has a number 1 (PET, polyethylene teraphthalate) or a number 2 (HDPE, high density polyethylene).  Recyclers collect the other plastics, but they end up in landfills and take 500 years to decompose.

Every little bit of trash not disposed of properly creates a problem:

According to the website science.howstuffworks.com: "The trash production in the United States has almost tripled since 1960. This trash is handled in various ways. About 32.5 percent of the trash is recycled or composted, 12.5 percent is burned and 55 percent is buried in landfills [source: EPA]. The amount of trash buried in landfills has doubled since 1960."

My next post will discuss how trash is handled in the U.S.

Trees are the Lungs of the Earth: "Archangel Ancient Tree Archive"

 

The Archangel Ancient Tree Archive is a most amazing organization with an essential mission.  Their mission, in three words, is to "Propagate, Reforest, Archive".  They want to propagate the world's oldest trees before they're gone by cloning them (more later); they want to reforest the earth with the offspring of these ancient trees; and finally, to archive the genetics (the DNA) of these great and ancient trees before they disappear from the earth.  From their website (www.ancienttreearchive.org):  "Trees are excellent at sequestering carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen, and providing beneficial aerosols and medicines. They are essentially a global warming solution." 

The organization is creating a "living library of old-growth tree genetics by cloning these old growth trees through traditional and advanced horticultural propagation for the purpose of future research and functional reforestation".

Their Michigan warehouse houses thousands of trees that have been cloned from the biggest and best trees in the forest.  This is truly selective breeding.  

Trees have DNA.  In fact they have more DNA than humans, which has made cloning trees very difficult.  The Ancient Tree Archive organization has figured out how to clone trees, like Redwoods, and by so doing, will allow these cloned trees to grow just like the originals--tall and strong.  100% of the DNA from the original tree goes into the cloned tree.  Propagating trees from clones is better than propagating from seeds because seeds only capture 50% of the DNA.  And further, the purity of the breed is guaranteed with cloning.  The success rate of propagating using the cloning method is only 3%, but at the scale that AATA organization is using, that becomes many successes.

So they go after the oldest trees they can find.  Cloning young trees is easier, but cloning old trees captures more of the DNA that they want.  They cloned a John Muir giant Sequoia and a 2000 year old bald cypress tree from Florida.

AATA is a non profit organization funded by private donations.  I think what they're doing is critical for the survival of our planet.  Give someone a birthday or Christmas present by donating to AATA.  www.ancienttreearchive.org.

Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act of 2020

On February 11, 2020, U.S. Representative Alan Lowenthal from California's 47th district, introduced HR 5845.  On February 12, 2020 it was referred to the subcommittee on water resources and environment.

"This bill sets forth requirements related to waste and recycling collection systems for a variety of products and materials, including plastics.

The bill makes certain producers of products (e.g., packaging, paper, single-use products, beverage containers, or food service products) fiscally responsible for collecting, managing, and recycling or composting the products after consumer use. In addition, the bill establishes (1) minimum percentages of products that must be reused, recycled, or composted; and (2) an increasing percentage of recycled content that must be contained in beverage containers.
Beginning on January 1, 2022, the bill phases out a variety of single-use products, such as plastic utensils. The bill also sets forth provisions to encourage the reduction of single-use products, including by establishing programs to refund consumers for returning beverage containers and by establishing a tax on carryout bags.
The bill creates a temporary moratorium on new or expanded permits for facilities that manufacture plastics until regulations are updated to address pollution from the facilities.
The Environmental Protection Agency must publish guidelines for a national standardized labeling system for recycling and composting receptacles. Producers must include labels on their products that are easy to read and indicate whether the products are recyclable, compostable, or reusable.
Finally, the bill establishes limitations on the export of plastic waste to other countries."
The best thing we all can do at this point is to contact our congressional representative and let them know that this bill need to be passed.  In order to find out who your congressman is, click here.
Right now there are 79 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.  Make sure your representative stands behind this bill.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a mass of trash spread across 620,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean with more than one trillion pieces of microplastics.  And, of course, fish are consuming the microplastics and the microplastics just travel right on up the food chain.  A June 5, 2019 article in Environmental Science and Technology by Kieran Cox, et al. "evaluated the number of microplastic particles in commonly consumed foods in relation to their recommended daily intake."  They "estimate that annual microplastics consumption by humans ranges from 39000 to 52000 particles a year."  Drinking water from single use plastic bottles would add another 90,000 particles per year, versus 4000 if you use glass or stainless containers.

In a CNET article, "Can we kill plastic?", August 3, 2020, Alison DeNisco Rayome, states, that, "even if discarded, plastic ends up in a landfill and can last there for up to 600 years."

Just look around you; look in your refrigerator, everything is plastic.  We can never get rid of plastic.

But we can, in our own way, reduce our use of single use plastic items.

And what about recycling?  Rayome states "In 2017, only about 8% of plastic produced in the U.S. was recycled.  Global recycling averages closer to 15% to 20% today."

And "virgin" plastic bottles are less expensive to produce than plastic bottles made from recycled plastic.  So what to do?

Start by using water bottles made of non-single use plastic or stainless steel.

Buy stuff that isn't wrapped in plastic.

Buy stuff made with recycled plastic.  Buy stuff that can be disposed of safely.

Be Aware!  Think about that Great Pacific Garbage Patch as you decide what to buy.  And be careful how you dispose of the plastics that you end up with.  That item is going to last 600 years, somewhere.

Just Be Aware!

"Compost Girl" Untangles What Plastics Are Recyclable

In a July 15, 2020 article in the Napa Valley Register by Kendra Bruno ("Compost Girl"), she explained recycling in as clear a way as you will ever hear.

Just because a package or bottle has the recycle logo embossed on it, doesn't mean your waste company considers it recyclable.  Quoting Kendra Bruno:

"Clearing up a big misunderstanding: The “chasing arrows triangle” does not mean the item is recyclable, rather it is just identifying what type of plastic resin it is made from." 

In order to determine what your local recycler will take (if you have a local recycler), you have to go to your town's website and download a list of what they consider recyclable.

Notice that in one of the recycle images above, there is a number 1 in the middle of the chasing arrows.  To quote Kendra again:

"For example, if you see #1 (soda bottles, for example), it stands for polyethylene terephthalate. Have a #6? Well, that is polystyrene (PS) – Styrofoam in a different form. Got a #4 on a film plastic item? That’s a Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)..."

So the numbers are an indication of the kind of plastic that product is made of.

As more and more industries develop ways to use recycled plastics in more innovative ways (see my blog post ) then more and more plastics will find their ways into recycle bins.

Plastic bags and filmy plastics cannot be recycled, at this point, because of the damage they do to the recycling machines.  And many states and localities are phasing out these filmy plastic products.

Kendra finishes her article:

"Curious [about] some actions you can take to help?

• Buy things with less packaging
• Limit online purchases that are shipped using film plastics
• Learn what is recyclable in [your town]
• Buy items made from recycled content, if possible, when you need to purchase something
• Urge for extended producer responsibility
• Don’t use it (as much as you possibly can"
• And you don't need to keep upgrading your cell phone.  That is a huge plastic waste.

The North Face (TM) is Using Recycled Plastic Bottles to Make Clothing!

Tee Shirts Made from Recycled Plastic Bottles

From a North Face press release: The North Face has unveiled its new limited-edition Recover Tee, showcasing the label’s sustainability commitment by recycling plastic bottles. The North Face has collected almost 40,000 pounds of plastic bottles from waste streams in the Alps.  The tees come in long sleeve or short sleeve and sport a new North Face log.  They are selling so fast that most types are already sold out--which shows a need for this kind of pollution control and a public that is willing to support it.  (I am waiting for my tee, which is on its way.)

In other attempts to reduce plastic waste, Johnny Walker will be selling their Scotch whisky in a planet friendly, paper-based spirits bottle made from sustainably sources wood.  A Johnny Walker spokesman was quoted as saying "The technology will allow brands to rethink their packaging designs, or move existing designs into paper, whilst not compromising on the existing quality of the product." 

And finally, the German company, Sandhelden, is using specialized 3D printing technology to transform plastic waste into interior products like vases, sinks and even bathtubs. According to the company, "the process starts with collecting plastic waste the team separates it into categories like color and thickness. The waste is then shredded and frozen so it can be crushed into a powder that is sifted into a uniform grain size for 3D printing. Sandhelden then integrates the powder into their 3D printing process to recycle it into household objects."

Don't forget to recycle your plastics--you may be wearing them or sitting on them!

Coral Reef Awareness Week Starts July 12 2020

Hope for Endangered Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are the foundation of ocean life.  According to Wikipedia: "A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups."  Although reefs are not "living", they provide a home and protection for thousands of invertebrate species.  Coral reefs support more species per square yard than any other ocean environment.

Coral reefs have been around for 50 million years and are in danger of disappearing if we don't act soon.  According to the Coral Restoration Foundation (www.coralrestoration.org), "Since the 1970's, the Florida Reef Tract has lost almost 97% of its once-dominant staghorn and elkhorn coral.  These species are now critically endangered."

The Coral Reef Foundation grows corals in offshore coral reef nurseries and then reintroduces these corals back into the ocean environment.

The reason that coral reefs are important is the same reason that a solid concrete foundation is important to the structure of a house.  If the reefs disappear, the marine life that are protected by the reefs will disappear and the rest of the ocean based food chain will begin disappearing.

You can help protect the reefs by learning about their critical importance in our marine food chain.

Check out www.coralrestoration.org; www.globalcoral.org; www.coralreef.noaa.org; and www.coral.org.

I especially recommend www.coral.org for an excellent education on the origin and importance of coral reefs in our marine ecosystem.

"Ocean Voyages Institute" Sets Record Open Ocean Plastic Cleanup

Continuing our promotion of Plastic Free July (take the challenge at plasticfreejuly.org), the following is a press release from Ocean Voyages Institute:

"HONOLULU, HI — June 23, 2020 – Ocean Voyages Institute’s marine plastic recovery vessel, S/V KWAI, docked at the port of Honolulu today, after a 48-day expedition, successfully removing 103 tons (206,000 lbs.) of fishing nets and consumer plastics from the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, more commonly known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch or Gyre.

“I am so proud of our hard working crew,” says Mary Crowley, founder and executive director of Ocean Voyages Institute. “We exceeded our goal of capturing 100 tons of toxic consumer plastics and derelict ‘ghost’ nets, and in these challenging times, we are continuing to help restore the health of our ocean, which influences our own health and the health of the planet.”

Crowley adds: “The oceans can’t wait for these nets and debris to break down into microplastics which impair the ocean’s ability to store carbon and toxify the fragile ocean food web.”

Do your part during Plastic Free July: stop the use of single use plastic water bottles.  Buy a re-usable water bottle and use it.  

Plastic Free July!

Check out plasticfreejuly.org. 
From their website:
Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastics?

According to the New York Times: "This month millions of people from 177 countries have pledged to cut down on the amount of plastic they use."

If you go to plasticfreejuly.org you can sign up for the plastic free challenge and receive a weekly email giving you tips and tricks to reduce your single use plastic usage.

Plastic free July is not new.  It's more than 10 years old and started in Australia.

From the voicesofearth.org website:

"Plastic leads to destroying the marine life and polluting the earth. Millions of tons of plastic are in the environment as waste, especially in the oceans and seas. ... More than 80% of marine litter is plastic which kills up to 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine creatures each year by ingesting it."

Do your part, take go to plasticfreejuly.org and take the plastic free July challenge.

Think Trees, Trees, Trees!

Red Mangrove Tree, SW Florida

There's a very strong tendency to get discouraged about climate change and global warming.  I will be posting more blogs on microplastics and their effects on all of us.  But today, let's think positively.

50% of all CO2 produced on the earth by refining and manufacturing and automobiles and trucks, etc. is absorbed by the oceans and the forests (the trees of the earth).  25% is absorbed by the ocean and 25% is absorbed by trees.  Currently, approximately 10 billion acres of the earth is covered with trees, down from 12 billion a hundred years ago.  

Why are trees so important?  

Trees are the lungs of the earth

We learned about photosynthesis in High School.   By taking in the CO2 from the air around us, trees produce the oxygen we breathe.

According to saveatree.com: "Both above and below ground, trees are essential to the eco-systems in which they reside. Far reaching roots hold soil in place and fight erosion. Trees absorb and store rainwater which reduce runoff and sediment deposit after storms. This helps the ground water supply recharge, prevents the transport of chemicals into streams and prevents flooding. Fallen leaves make excellent compost that enriches soil."

So, what can we do? 

What a great birthday present: plant a tree.  A tree absorbs about 50 pounds of CO2 per year.  (One human being produces about 4000 pounds of CO2 per year, so it takes about 80 trees per year to offset the CO2 production of one human.  But we need to start somewhere.

So, go bigger: support The Arbor Day Foundation.  Their goal is to plant 20 million trees.  Check it out at arborday.org.

There is something we all can do and every little bit helps: Plant a tree!

HOTMIC: No, it's not what you think

Plastics found intact, in the ocean, from 1988 and 1996

Whenever we hear the words "hot mic", we think of a microphone that is still live and some politician or other saying something they should not have and it's recorded for posterity.

But the HOTMIC I'm referring to in this blog is the Horizontal and Vertical Oceanic Distribution, Transport, and Impact of Microplastics.

For some reason, we humans can't seem to properly dispose of our plastic waste.  The result is the overwhelming amount of plastics that are being carried into the ocean and waterways and being consumed by sea creatures of all types.

I am referring specifically to an article published on June 11, 2020, entitled:  

"Persistence of plastic debris and its colonization by bacterial communities after two decades on the abyssal seafloor" by S. Krause, et al. in Scientific Reports,10,9484. 
According to their research:
"Currently, 5–13 Mt [metric tons] of plastic debris are believed to enter the oceans every year..."
The authors further state that "Currently, more than 60% of all debris present in the oceans is plastic with increasing trend so far". 
Obviously, this can't continue unabated without severe consequences to our planet and our ocean life.  Single use plastics--including water bottles, and particularly, packaging--are quite simply destroying our planet, one metric ton at a time.
There are two organizations working very hard to clean the plastic out of the oceans: 4Ocean (4ocean.com) and The Ocean Cleanup (theoceancleanup.com).
What can we do?  For one thing, we can donate to these worthy causes to provide the money to help them clean up the plastics in the oceans.  We can stop and think before we use any single use plastics for water or shopping and, if we do, we can make sure they're disposed of properly.  And we can make sure all plastics are properly disposed of.
Plastics last forever so we need to dispose of plastics knowing that they won't decompose.

Carbon Dioxide: The Enemy Around Us

There are a lot of words for what's going on around us: Global Warming, Climate Change, Climate Evolution, etc.  But the facts are clear.  

I have wracked my brain to think of a way to clearly describe what is happening.

Imagine that you're lying in bed on a cold night.  You ask your partner or your parent to get you another blanket to warm up.  While you're asleep, they add another blanket, and then another.  What these blankets are now doing is trapping your body heat and warming you way more than necessary, causing you to start sweating.  This is exactly what is happening to the earth.  Greenhouse gases are thickening the atmosphere and not allowing heat from the sun to escape, trapping it right here on our planet.  And carbon dioxide is the main culprit.  And what are the main sources of CO2?

What we can do about this is the subject of my blog.  

We do know this for sure: we can't keep going like this.  A warming earth has consequences and these consequences are not good.

There are things that everyone can start doing immediately.  Think about how we waste energy: driving when we can walk or bike; using inefficient light bulbs; recycling everything recyclable; composting waste.  As we go forward in our discussion, we will discuss ways to reduce energy waste.

Start simple:  recycle everything that is recyclable, especially plastic water bottles.  

Think Clean!

Whence Plastics? Why Worry About My Plastic Water Bottle?

"Plastics are made from natural materials such as cellulose, coal, natural gas, salt and crude oil through a polymerisation or polycondensation process. ... In a polymerisation reactor, monomers such as ethylene and propylene are linked together to form long polymer chains." (From www.plasticseurope.org).  The whole thing starts with crude oil that has been refined to provide the foundation for plastics manufacturing.
So how does crude oil refining--which is essential part of the manufacturing of plastics, effect our planet.
Let's start this discussion with some basic science: surrounding the earth are five layers of atmosphere. The "troposphere" is where humans operate, where we live and breathe.  Above the troposphere there are two layers, the stratosphere and the mesophere--the space where commercial jets fly.  Finally, there's the thermosphere and the exosphere.  Carbon dioxide emissions are thickening all layers (except the exosphere).  Quite simply, the earth has become a "heat trap".  The carbon dioxide buildup has allowed the radiation that would normally exit our "troposphere" be captured--no longer escaping into the exosphere.
According to the National Resources Defense Council (nrdc.org) "In the United States, the burning of fossil fuels to make electricity is the largest source of heat-trapping pollution, producing about two billion tons of CO2 every year. Coal-burning power plants are by far the biggest polluters. The country’s second-largest source of carbon pollution is the transportation sector, which generates about 1.7 billion tons of CO2 emissions a year."
And, according the the Federal EPA: "approximately one ounce of carbon dioxide is emitted for each ounce of polyethylene (PET) produced. PET is the type of plastic most commonly used for beverage bottles. Other sources pin the production ratio of carbon emissions to plastic production closer to 5:1."
So, where you start is simple: start by stopping the use of plastic bags and plastic bottles.
We have to start somewhere.

Microplastics Are Everywhere

Microplastics: plastic debris less than 5mm in length (NOAA)

In the 1967 movie, "The Graduate", with Dustin Hoffman, Mr. Robinson takes newly graduated Dustin Hoffman aside and tells him: "I have one word for you.  Plastics."  Plastics are everywhere and, in many cases, we don't even realize it.  Nylon is a "thermoplastic"; spandex is 85% polyurethane--a plastic, to name a couple of the most popular recent uses of plastic.  Ten years ago, before spandex became popular in men's clothing (underwear especially), 80% of all clothing contained spandex.  

According to Bioplastics News (bioplasticsnews.com), over 1 million plastic bottles are purchased every minute; 60 million plastic bottles per hour.

Plastics are everywhere, and the disposal of plastics is a problem that will only grow astronomically over the next several decades.  According to most estimates, only 10% of plastics produced are recycled.  If 10% of all plastic bottles are recycled, then 900,000 plastic bottles end up in the environment every single minute.

According to biologicaldiversity.org, "Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year, which require 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture. It only takes about 14 plastic bags for the equivalent of the gas required to drive one mile. The average American family takes home almost 1,500 plastic shopping bags a year."

So what to do?Be aware: learn what your local recycling rules are and recycle everything they will accept. 
Be aware: take your plastic shopping bags back to the store.
Be aware: the clothes you wear, as well as the plastic bottles and bags, contain plastics.
According to the April 15, 2019 issue of "National Geographic":
"Scientists have warned we are creating a “plastic planet”. Some 420 million tons of plastics were produced in 2015, up from just over two million tons in 1950. Over this 65-year period roughly six billion tons ended up either in landfill or in the natural environment, a 2017 study estimated. Plastic waste that starts out as bottles, packaging, and so on degrades over time to microplastic particles or much smaller nanoparticles. One study estimated there are 15 to 51 trillion microplastics particles floating on the surface of the oceans. A trillion is one thousand billion. A trillion seconds is nearly 32,000 years."

All of us need to recycle or reuse as much as possible!

It All Starts With You

Five large plastic bags of trash were removed from this whale.  Despite tremendous efforts, the whale could not be saved. 

What you see in the picture should make you sick--that is its intention.  But the solution starts with YOU.

Plastics--an industry too big to fail; an industry that virtually encapsulates everything, computers, TV's, cars, shopping bags, cell phones--everything: And yet, if it isn't curbed we will all die from its effects.  Micro plastics, the detritus of plastic waste, have been found in the atmosphere.  We will be breathing it and dying from it too soon.

I am writing this blog to educate as many people as I can to the evils of pollution and to the fact that our planet has to be saved for our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Our blog content will start with YOU and what you can do in your daily life, at school, at work, at home, to help alleviate this terrible blight on our planet.

You can start by looking around you.  Where is the plastic and how are your dealing with it?

There is an organization called 4Ocean (4ocean.com).  From their website:

"Even though 4ocean has collected millions of pounds of trash from the ocean and built an international infrastructure to fight the ocean plastic crisis, we’re just getting started. The ocean plastic crisis is massive and growing."

We are going to address these issues and discuss solutions in our weekly blog post.  Please share with friends and family.