I should really stop watching some programs. This week, along with an interesting Frontline on Bad Voodoos War about a platoon in Iraq, I tivoed Nightline since it's on past my bedtime. I was interested in the segment about the nonchurch for nonbelivers. But got sucked into to Under the Sea. It was about all the garbage in the sea, specifically the Pacific Ocean. And well if you have seen Finding Nemo, which I have about 100 times this month thanks to Peanut Butter, you know all drains lead to the sea. I couldn't believe the crap they were pulling out, a basketball, suitcases, tons of toothbrushes, and umbrella handles, all from the middle of the ocean. There is a portion of the Pacific Ocean that has basically been labeled a garbage dump due to the currents. It has become "plastic soup" from all the plastic bags and such breaking down. In some places the plastic outnumbered the plankton. There are beaches that instead of sand are becoming plastic pebble beaches it was crazy when they showed a hand full of plastic beads from off the beach. My real fright is it entering the food system, which I'm sure has already happened. Will crabs start having a plastic shell, jellyfish becoming floating plastic bags.? This is what happened with PCBs they entered the food chain at the lowest level and when it gets to us the food has high concentrations of the nastiness. A real interesting book is Our Stolen Future. I do not eat the same after reading that book. It gives some reasoning on why out fertility rates are dropping. So after seeing Nightline, I am going to think more about what I am buying, is it throw away, or is it going to last. I looked around my living room at all the plastic toys strewn about and I just felt awful. Is plastic the true evil? How do we live without it? Since we can't how do we contain the waste, or recycle it better? Any thoughts on anything?
6 comments:
I didn't get to catch that - but I did watch Bad VooDoo.
I do have a lot of things that are throw-away. Do you remember just a few years ago that was the rage - throw-away dishes from Ziploc, etc. I could never throw them away - now I have tons.
I find stories like this very disturbing. They always make me worry about all of the fish and what is going to happen in the future. I think it is a shame that the planet has already come to this.
This is the next business opportunity area --- recycling. Those that start to explore this now could take advantage of the growing niche and public awareness that we have to do something. We recently announced we wanted to start working on this as a community issue and it has tremendous interest. You could start a group in BD -- it would make a difference in getting others to have more awareness of how all of us can play a role to prevent the mess from getting worse and actually turn it around.
The North Pacific Gyre...it's what that swirling mass of plastic is called. It's weird, I'd never heard of it until a week ago, and now I've heard about it in like 5 different places!
We have plastic & paper recycle bins at my house that I try to use as often as possible. It just makes me feel like I am making a difference in our world everytime I throw something in them. We also try to conserve energy, water and I never buy anything that I don't Love as far as clothing or home furnishings. I learned this motto from a friend. IF you see something and like it don't but it because eventually it will end up in a landfill. But if you see something and you LOVe it buy it because you will get good use out of it.
Wow, interesting post...makes me think (and feel guilty) about what plastic i have in MY home.
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