Through all 292 posts from Mom Goes Green my most popular post (by far!) discussed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch… the sickening, swirling area of approximately seven million tons of plastic debris and waste floating in the Pacific Ocean that is roughly twice the size of Texas (and some say, twice the size of the entire U.S.). Some even believe it is worse than we originally expected.
It troubles me to no end. Recently Charles Moore, the unfortunate “founder” of this garbage patch, was a guest on David Letterman. While this isn’t the most scientific forum I can think of, if it gets the message out to millions of viewers, well, that works for me! Take a look at the interview, including Part II.
He also shares some of his heartbreaking discoveries in this presentation… how can we turn a blind eye to this undeniable destruction?
So what do we do about all of this? We need, I repeat, NEED to decrease our dependence on plastics. While we can’t un-do the damage that has been done, we can help slow the ongoing contribution of this disgusting, harmful garbage that is polluting our oceans, waterways, wildlife, fish and, ultimately… US!
Recently our family also visited a beach on Lake Erie. While the kids were playing on the beach and I looked for sea glass (okay… in this case, LAKE glass) I was also heartbroken to find more plastics than anything else washed ashore. Sadly, what I encountered was bottles, bottle caps, lighters, pens, tampon applicators, plastic bags, combs, brushes, and plastic toys… this isn’t a narrative on Cleveland, this is an example of human neglect for our planet… everyday, everywhere.
Please, think about what you are buying. Think about where it goes when it is discarded. Think about the irreversible damage that is created. We can do better… a lot better.