Our oceans, ourselves. This statement is not an exaggeration. Statistics vary, but scientists agree that from 50-70% of the oxygen in each breath comes from plants and algae in the ocean. Yet, our plastic waste has created a gigantic plastic soup in the Pacific the size of Russia.Plankton are one of the most important organisms on our planet, however, marine samples in the North Pacific show that plastic outweighs plankton 6 to 1. This soup is growing as we speak at the rate of 8 football fields every second, and is made of mainly of plastic bottles, caps and above all PLASTIC BAGS. Each individual must think about how our continued reliance on plastic in all areas of our lives is impacting our oceans, and our future.
Sylvia Earle , has been at the frontier of deep ocean exploration for 4 decades. In her Ted Talk, she shares astonishing images of the ocean--and it's shocking stats about it's rapid decline, and her wish that we join her in protecting the vital blue heart of the planet.
Be daring and speak up about the things you love that need protecting; share what you learn with anyone who will listen. Write letters to your legislators. Many conservation organizations have email lists to subscribe to that allow you to sign petitions. Talk to a school class, pass on information and inspiration on social media. Trust that YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
4. Reduce your carbon footprint:
Carbonfund,org, information to help reduce what you can, offset what you can't
5. Support conservation organizations:
Carl Safina, author, conservationist and founding president of the Safina Center. "Watching the places I loved disapear turned me into a conservationist. What drives my work is a devotion to conservation, and what drives that devotion is a deep love and wonder for the living world".
6. Volunteer to organizations that work for clean oceans. streams, lakes and rivers:
Mission Blue, Sylvia Earle's initiative to ignite public support for the protection of Hope Spots--special places that are vital to the health of the ocean
Sanctuary Forest, a land trust in Northern California who conserves the Mattole River watershed, an important flowage to the ocean that runs thru old growth Redwood forests, protecting and restoring important salmon habitat.
Ocean Conservancy organizes actions to clean up the oceans, with the goal of "Trash Free Seas"