Ocean Plastic

Our oceans are more than just large bodies of salt water. They are home to millions

of different animal species and because of plastic, 700 of those species are faced with extinction from pollution, entanglement, and ingestion.

Plastic bags look similar to jelly fish, one of the sources of food. This picture illustrates how easy it is for plastic to end up in the stomach of so many sea creatures.

Studies have revealed marine plastic pollution in 100% of marine turtles, 59% of whales, 36% of Seals and 40% of Seabird species.

Every year more than 8 million tons of plastic are dumped in our oceans, killing more than 100 000 marine creatures.

Of those 236 000 tons are micro-plastics – tiny pieces of broken down plastic smaller than your little fingernail.

Many fish that humans consume, have at one time or another ingested plastic microfibers.

Scientists have documented 700 marine species affected by ocean plastic.

Worldwide 73% of beach litter is plastic, cigarette butts, bottles & caps, food wrappers, grocery bags, polystyrene containers etc...

From the oxygen we breathe to the fish we eat, we are all linked to Earth's oceans. Yet every minute, the equivalent of a truckload of plastic enters these waters. It's time to see and feel the impact on all of the ocean's living creatures.

Plastic Bottles:

In landfills, floating on oceans, or rivers and on sidewalks. It was approximated that 46,000 pieces of plastic trash are floating on the ocean per square mile. This plastic is killing animals, leaking chemicals and disrupting ecosystems.

Moreover, sixty million plastic bottles are disposed off in one day in the Unites States alone, and eighty percent of those bottles end up overflowing landfills. Each bottle can take up to one thousand years to decompose, leaking dangerous and harmful chemicals during the process. Some toxins leaked could cause cancer and reproductive disabilities. http://www.gogreen.org/blog/impacts-of-plastic-water-bottles

If we do not change our ways, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than there will be fish - by weight.

What can we do?

1. Say 'NO' to plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic cutlery, polystyrene.

2. Carry your cloth bag, always! Roll it up and keep one in your hand bag at all time just in case you do decide to shop. Never leave home without one irrespective of where you are going. Always keep a few cloth bags in your car.

3. Recycle, Reuse and Reduce!!!

UNLESS PLASTIC BAN COMES INTO PLACE GLOBALLY, WE AS THE CONSUMERS NEED TO SEND THESE COMPANIES A MESSAGE - WE NEED TO TAKE A GLOBAL STAND.

JUST SAY 'NO' TO PLASTIC BAGS, PLASTIC BOTTLES, PLASTIC CUTLERY, POLYSTYRENE and SINGLE USE PLASTIC!!!

BEACH CLEAN UP - INDIA

It took 96 weeks & thousands of volunteers to clean up Versova Beach in Mumbai, India. The pay off? Hundreds of thousands of sea turtle hatched since then for the first time in decades. Anything can be cleaned!

TOGETHER - WE CAN DO IT!!!