Plastic Free Challenge - Day 6
Hard to believe it is already day 6 of the Plastic Free Challenge, today's challenge is to "google the impacts of plastic on our ocean". Every time I do this I find more and more facts and alarming statistics that really reinforce the reasons why we care so much about living a plastic-free life.
Here are a few links that I found on my google search:
1) Why the Ocean? (The statistics in this short video are powerful)
-50 to 70 % of our oxygen comes from the ocean. That’s more than all of the world’s rainforests combined.
-The ocean regulates our climate, absorbs carbon dioxide, holds 97% of Earth’s water, and supports the greatest abundance of life on our planet.
-Discarded plastics have formed a toxic “plastic soup” that is gathering in 5 massive ocean gyres around the world. As the plastic breaks down, it is eaten by sea animals, causing illness and death. It eventually enters our diets, too.
-The ocean is at a tipping point. Oceanographer Sylvia Earle says our actions over the next 10 years will determine the state of the ocean for the next 10,000 years.
2) One World, One Ocean Infographic (hyperlinked for image zoom)
3) Can you make a difference to ocean plastic? (link to full article)
-We use too much plastic, so it is spilling out into nature. And because it lasts for hundreds of years, the problem is compounding daily.
-The equivalent of a truck load of plastic enters the oceans every minute.
-When plastic gets into the sea it causes havoc for marine birds and wildlife; entangling, choking or starving them, as it fills their stomachs leaving no room for real nutrition.
-Whilst the suffering happens at sea, the problem starts on land, with us and our everyday actions. So, the solutions lie with us too and a shift in thinking, leading us to make better everyday choices.
-Single-use plastic is convenient in the short term but it’s not logical to use a material designed to last forever for a product designed to be used once.
-The only way to do this is to tackle it at source. We can turn off the plastic production tap, by reducing demand through learning to live with less plastic.
As an individuals you can reduce your personal plastic usage by:
-Becoming aware of the plastic you use in your daily life (opening your eyes to it).
-Resetting your priorities – valuing your long term health and that of the planet over convenience (by making time to drink-in, make your own lunch, buying your groceries locally, etc.).
-Learning new habits so that using less plastic becomes a mindset (by never leaving the house without your reusable bag, bottle and cup like you wouldn’t leave home without your phone, keys and wallet).
Here are a few links that I found on my google search:
1) Why the Ocean? (The statistics in this short video are powerful)
-50 to 70 % of our oxygen comes from the ocean. That’s more than all of the world’s rainforests combined.
-The ocean regulates our climate, absorbs carbon dioxide, holds 97% of Earth’s water, and supports the greatest abundance of life on our planet.
-Discarded plastics have formed a toxic “plastic soup” that is gathering in 5 massive ocean gyres around the world. As the plastic breaks down, it is eaten by sea animals, causing illness and death. It eventually enters our diets, too.
-The ocean is at a tipping point. Oceanographer Sylvia Earle says our actions over the next 10 years will determine the state of the ocean for the next 10,000 years.
2) One World, One Ocean Infographic (hyperlinked for image zoom)
3) Can you make a difference to ocean plastic? (link to full article)
-We use too much plastic, so it is spilling out into nature. And because it lasts for hundreds of years, the problem is compounding daily.
-The equivalent of a truck load of plastic enters the oceans every minute.
-When plastic gets into the sea it causes havoc for marine birds and wildlife; entangling, choking or starving them, as it fills their stomachs leaving no room for real nutrition.
-Whilst the suffering happens at sea, the problem starts on land, with us and our everyday actions. So, the solutions lie with us too and a shift in thinking, leading us to make better everyday choices.
-Single-use plastic is convenient in the short term but it’s not logical to use a material designed to last forever for a product designed to be used once.
-The only way to do this is to tackle it at source. We can turn off the plastic production tap, by reducing demand through learning to live with less plastic.
As an individuals you can reduce your personal plastic usage by:
-Becoming aware of the plastic you use in your daily life (opening your eyes to it).
-Resetting your priorities – valuing your long term health and that of the planet over convenience (by making time to drink-in, make your own lunch, buying your groceries locally, etc.).
-Learning new habits so that using less plastic becomes a mindset (by never leaving the house without your reusable bag, bottle and cup like you wouldn’t leave home without your phone, keys and wallet).
Please share any other statistics or articles that you found during today's challenge in the comments below, so that others reading this blog may benefit. Thank you.
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