To whom it may concern,
“When talking about environmental issues in general, a common response is ‘well that's a long way off, that's for our children to worry about.’ Hello here I am” -Boyan Slat. Since the 1960’s when plastic first started to become popular the problem of pollution is only getting worse with millions of tons of plastic being wasted each year. Over 300 million tons of plastic is created each year globally, and only about 10% is recycled. Plastic Pollution is a problem that will continue to only get worse unless we start to come up with solutions and change the products we use. Some stores like Costco and Whole Foods have already banned the use of disposable plastic bags, offering reusable bags for a low price or using paper bags and boxes. We need to bring attention to plastic pollution because it is harmful to the oceans and the climate. Plastic is not biodegradable meaning it can not break down into the earth as a non harmful substance. Plastic takes 450-1000 years to breakdown, meaning that most of the plastic that has ever been produced is still on earth (LeBlanc)
So why do we use so much plastic? Plastic does not react chemically with most substances meaning you can store almost anything in a plastic container. Plastic can also be molded into any shape and made to be any size, and on top of this versatility, its cheap. Plastic is used in almost everything and anything you touch on a daily basis, and therefore it is very difficult to find a perfect solution to the problem. There are however, many viable solutions like bioplastic, which is plastic made from biodegradable products like fat, oil, and most commonly corn starch. Another solution is to use post consumer recycled plastics, these are plastics and products made from items that have lived out their purpose. Brands like REI are already using recycled plastic in some of their products.
How does plastic compare to other garbage and waste? Plastic has the slowest decomposition rate out of any other trash or waste humans make. For example the cardboard box that you just threw out will take around two months to decompose, where as the plastic water bottle that you just threw out will take around 450 years to decompose.
How does plastic actually impact the environment? Plastic waste seeps into our oceans and gets broken down down in to tiny almost microscopic pieces, making it easy for fish and other aquatic animals to eat all of the plastic and chemicals that go with it; these animals are not made to break down plastic. The plastic can get stuck in their digestive tract and make them unable to eat, making them starve to death. A lesser known fish, the lantern fish, plays a big role in reducing carbon emissions. By going up to the surface of the ocean to eat carbon rich plankton and then swimming back down to deposit this carbon these tiny fish are reducing carbon by 20-30% (Mosko) When these fish eat plastic, because they are so small, they start to float, meaning that these fish who live at the bottom of the ocean and deposit mass levels of carbon, can not swim down far enough to live or deposit the emissions at the correct levels.
What can we actually do to help? It is difficult to wake up one day and suddenly ban your use of all plastics, especially in a world that is so heavily dependant on this product, but there are things you can do to take steps in that direction. Start by not asking for a straw at restaurants, by using reusable bags, like reusable plastic, paper bags, canvas/fabric bags, or even by using cardboard boxes. Try buying a metal water bottle or even a reusable plastic one. If you can not live without plastic ziplock bags, then try washing and reusing them. These may not seem like big steps, but any step towards change is a big one.
Our earth can not survive if we keep living this way, it was not designed to be trashed and polluted with plastics and the harsh chemicals from them. Plastic has become a heavily integrated part of our lives and something that would be difficult to get rid of completely but we need to take the steps to try. So ask yourself, do you care enough to care, or do you care enough to change the world?
“When talking about environmental issues in general, a common response is ‘well that's a long way off, that's for our children to worry about.’ Hello here I am” -Boyan Slat. Since the 1960’s when plastic first started to become popular the problem of pollution is only getting worse with millions of tons of plastic being wasted each year. Over 300 million tons of plastic is created each year globally, and only about 10% is recycled. Plastic Pollution is a problem that will continue to only get worse unless we start to come up with solutions and change the products we use. Some stores like Costco and Whole Foods have already banned the use of disposable plastic bags, offering reusable bags for a low price or using paper bags and boxes. We need to bring attention to plastic pollution because it is harmful to the oceans and the climate. Plastic is not biodegradable meaning it can not break down into the earth as a non harmful substance. Plastic takes 450-1000 years to breakdown, meaning that most of the plastic that has ever been produced is still on earth (LeBlanc)
So why do we use so much plastic? Plastic does not react chemically with most substances meaning you can store almost anything in a plastic container. Plastic can also be molded into any shape and made to be any size, and on top of this versatility, its cheap. Plastic is used in almost everything and anything you touch on a daily basis, and therefore it is very difficult to find a perfect solution to the problem. There are however, many viable solutions like bioplastic, which is plastic made from biodegradable products like fat, oil, and most commonly corn starch. Another solution is to use post consumer recycled plastics, these are plastics and products made from items that have lived out their purpose. Brands like REI are already using recycled plastic in some of their products.
How does plastic compare to other garbage and waste? Plastic has the slowest decomposition rate out of any other trash or waste humans make. For example the cardboard box that you just threw out will take around two months to decompose, where as the plastic water bottle that you just threw out will take around 450 years to decompose.
How does plastic actually impact the environment? Plastic waste seeps into our oceans and gets broken down down in to tiny almost microscopic pieces, making it easy for fish and other aquatic animals to eat all of the plastic and chemicals that go with it; these animals are not made to break down plastic. The plastic can get stuck in their digestive tract and make them unable to eat, making them starve to death. A lesser known fish, the lantern fish, plays a big role in reducing carbon emissions. By going up to the surface of the ocean to eat carbon rich plankton and then swimming back down to deposit this carbon these tiny fish are reducing carbon by 20-30% (Mosko) When these fish eat plastic, because they are so small, they start to float, meaning that these fish who live at the bottom of the ocean and deposit mass levels of carbon, can not swim down far enough to live or deposit the emissions at the correct levels.
What can we actually do to help? It is difficult to wake up one day and suddenly ban your use of all plastics, especially in a world that is so heavily dependant on this product, but there are things you can do to take steps in that direction. Start by not asking for a straw at restaurants, by using reusable bags, like reusable plastic, paper bags, canvas/fabric bags, or even by using cardboard boxes. Try buying a metal water bottle or even a reusable plastic one. If you can not live without plastic ziplock bags, then try washing and reusing them. These may not seem like big steps, but any step towards change is a big one.
Our earth can not survive if we keep living this way, it was not designed to be trashed and polluted with plastics and the harsh chemicals from them. Plastic has become a heavily integrated part of our lives and something that would be difficult to get rid of completely but we need to take the steps to try. So ask yourself, do you care enough to care, or do you care enough to change the world?
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