Fake Plastic Fish's 2009 Plastic Resolution

Here's my inspiration in action! Beth Terry shows the real ways we can all make a difference in our home environment. I've implemented some changes this year: all tips from Beth that have reduced my garbage load. Here are just a few:

1.I make my own soy milk now thus taking about 52 cartons out of the land fill each year.
2.Got a composter. Finally...
3.Make an effort to purchase bulk foods like cereal and rice.
4.On top of bringing my own bags for shopping I also have some great re-usable produce bags. Stop using plastic bags entirely.
5.Select products not packaged in plastic if there is a choice. I want to support manufacturers who think about their carbon footprint.
6. Oh, and I started this blog to help spread the word.


Thank you Beth for helping us all to become more plastic aware!

Mermaid's Tears

Who could ever have imagined when these little plastic pellets called "mermaid's tears" were invented about 100 years ago that they would now out number plankton in the oceans 46 to 1. Did you know that there are some 50,000 pieces of plastic floating in every square mile of the ocean?
Yes, these stats are enough to boggle the mind. But what can we do about it and why does it matter? Well, I've been compelled to dive in and find out. In doing so I thought I'd share my explorations in this blog. If I didn't know about this colossal environmental problem until recently then I'm sure many well intentioned folks haven't gotten the memo either.

Trash on beaches is obvious to everyone. But I wonder how we can just accept this as the price of modern civilization? Is this the legacy we want to leave our children; beaches covered in waste? I wonder if there are any pristine beaches left anywhere in the world now? I shudder to think that there aren't. It's a tragedy, not only for the loss of beauty which is of priceless value, but also the loss of animal habitat (extinction) and the poisons from plastic waste that is infecting many layers of the food chain. Researchers are only now starting to investigate the effects on fish and birds from ingesting DDT and PCB saturated plastic debris that act like sponges in the ocean. I fear the resulting data will not be encouraging but it may bring more needed attention and research money to this crisis.

The point is that if more people know about what's floating in our oceans and what it's doing to our ecosystem including ourselves then they will be willing to adopt a few simple changes in lifestyle that can make a huge difference. Firstly, plastic bottles are obvious offenders. They leach chemicals like phthalates and Bisphenol A into our bodies that have been linked to cancer and hormome disruption and the billions we use are filling the oceans. Secondly, single use plastic bags have to be one of the worst convenience concepts we ever had! You can find many reusable bags now that are super functional and stylish too! Just check out the wonderful video in the next post about plastic bags and I needn't say more.
So there's 2 things everyone can do... and it's EASY! So please join me in creating some awareness about this tremendously important issue. Nothing else matters too much if our planet becomes too polluted to live on. And the crazy thing is that WE created this mess. Now, WE have to fix it. It is our fundamental responsibility to respect and take care of our planet, our home, for future generations and the many species we share it with don't you think?

Sinking Sundarbans

Midway. Message from the Gyre | Photography by Chris Jordan

**VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED: THIS VIDEO MAY CHANGE YOUR CONSUMPTION HABITS**

This is it people... Think about what you're using, buying and throwing away. Plastic is forever and it's not all going to the landfill. It's out there floating in the ocean, millions of tons of it. It's not food. But birds and fish don't know any better. It's killing and poisoning. An innocuous cap to a milk jug, an every day lighter, a toothbrush. We've got to find a better way to live, not at the expense of so many other creatures. They have rights too... their future depends on us. Just say no to disposable plastic.
"Am I part of the cure or am I part of the disease" Coldplay

The Midway Journey

A team of artists are currently documenting and filming the environmental catastrophe of Midway Atoll. I've covered this issue here on my blog so you can scroll down for pictures and information. I so look forward to seeing the film and any other media that comes out of this project. With the brilliant artist Chris Jordan behind the camera no doubt it will be incredible.

The following is a quote from their blog which is updated daily. The Midway Journey

"Midway Atoll, one of the remotest islands on earth, is a kaleidoscope of geography, culture, human history, and natural wonder. It also serves as a lens into one of the most profound and symbolic environmental tragedies of our time: the deaths by starvation of thousands of albatrosses who mistake floating plastic trash for food.

Five media artists, led by photographer Chris Jordan, are traveling to Midway to witness the catastrophic effect of our disposable culture on some of the world’s most beautiful and symbolic creatures. But even more, they are embarking on an introspective journey to confront a vitally relevant question: In this time of unprecedented global crisis, how can we move through grief, denial, despair and immobility into new territories of acceptance, possibility, and wise action?"

The Bay vs. The Bag

This video by Save the Bay is fantastic! Please enjoy it's potent message...


"Plastic bags pollute our waters, smother wetlands and entangle and kill animals. In fact, approximately one million plastic bags pollute San Francisco Bay each year. Trash Bay flows into the ocean to join the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is a floating island of trash estimated at twice the size of Texas where plastic particles are more abundant than plankton."

Did you know?

* Up to 90% of floating debris is plastic, which never biodegrades.
* Plastic trash has entangled, suffocated, or poisoned at least 267 known animal species worldwide.
* A study found an average of three pieces of trash along every foot of streams leading to San Francisco Bay – half of which is plastic.
* 1.37 million plastic bags were removed from coastal areas worldwide on just one day.

SavetheBay.org

In the News~ Australian town Bans Plastic Water Bottles

Check out this article in the Yahoo news today!! (in my opinion: if we can't ban bottled water then I would go as far to suggest an "environmental destruction tax" on them. Or something like carbon offset credits for their use)

AFP/File – An Australian town is set to ban bottled water over concerns about its environmental impact, in what …

SYDNEY (AFP) – An Australian town is set to ban bottled water over concerns about its environmental impact, in what is believed to be a world first.Bundanoon, a picturesque rural town with a population of just 2,000, was expected to vote heavily in favour of the move with a show of hands at a public meeting later."At the moment we've got a lot of community support behind it. We're confident the town is going to back it," said activist John Dee.

"We believe Bundanoon is the world's first town that has got its retailers to ban bottled water. We haven't found it anywhere else."

Local opinion was incensed when beverage company Norlex Holdings announced plans to tap an underground reservoir in the town, truck the water up to Sydney and then send it back in bottled form."The company has been looking to extract water locally, bottle it in Sydney and bring it back here to sell it again," said Dee."It made people look at the environmental impact of bottled water and the community has been quite vocal about it."

Dee, whose Do Something group was instrumental in a plastic bags ban in Coles Bay, Tasmania, said he hoped the ban would make people think twice about buying bottled water.

"It's possible it will extend to other places. The main idea is to get people thinking about their usage of bottled water -- we're spending about half a billion dollars on it here in Australia," he said.Retailers in the New South Wales town, south of Sydney, have already agreed to stop stocking bottled water.

Activists say bottling water causes unnecessary use of plastics and fuel for transport. A New South Wales study found that in 2006, the industry was responsible for releasing 60,000 tonnes of gases blamed for global warming.

*Please enjoy the related post by Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish about bottled water.

Let's Trash Plastic Bags!

Plastic bags have invaded our planet like a plague. Each year the world uses somewhere near to 500 billion plastic bags out of which the US uses an estimated 100 billion- equivalent to 12 million barrels of oil.

Only about 2% of these bags are recycled.

Most are used just to bring an item home from the store and then thrown away into a landfill to last for another 1000 years! They are everywhere in the environment; fluttering like flags of surrender from trees and city structures and filling the oceans killing sea life in untold numbers. These innocent looking convenience items are killers because they break down into tiny, toxic particles that have become a ubiquitous part of our environment. They just shouldn't be an option anymore. (period)

Probably the worst design idea ever, no?

I recently attended a film festival in Monterey organized by Sea Studios Foundation. The theme? Plastic and the ocean. All the films were powerful and enlightening. I met many people passionately involved in the fight to reduce our plastic waste. There will be more to share about what I learned in other posts. I've included a clip here from their award winning series Strange Days on Planet Earth. Below is a quote from their blog.

"Do you know where our plastic goes?
Did you know that our oceans are filling up with plastic pollution?
Plastic fragments contaminate even the most remote locations on earth, and harmful chemicals leached by plastics are present in the bloodstream and tissues of almost every one of us.
Plastic pollution harms people, animals, and the environment. Plastic is not biodegradable. In the marine environment, plastic breaks down into smaller and smaller particles that absorb toxic chemicals, are ingested by wildlife, and enter the food chain that we depend on.
Consumption of throwaway plastics, such as bottles, containers, bags, and packaging, has spiraled out of control.
Recycling is not a sustainable solution. The reality is that most of our plastic waste is landfilled, downcycled or exported to other countries. And tragically, millions of tons of plastic are poisoning our oceans.
Businesses and governments need to take responsibility for new ways to design, recover and dispose of plastics.
Plastic pollution is the visible symbol of our global crisis of over-consumption. Let's pledge to shift our societies away from the disposable habits that poison our oceans and land, eliminate our consumption of throwaway plastics, and begin embracing a culture of sustainability.
Our health, our children, and the survival of future generations depend on us."

www.SeaStudios.com
www.droptheplasticbag.org

Plastic Plague ~ Strange Day's on Planet Earth

The carcass of an albatross belly full of plastic, a good portion of which are plastic bottle caps.
(Aveda has a program now that recycles bottle caps since regular recycling programs don't. Please drop them off at your local Aveda retailer.)

Please watch this informative and critical video narrated by Edward Norton that highlights the plight of this beautiful bird.

TOXIC - GARBAGE ISLAND | Great Pacific Garbage Vortex

This is the first video I saw about the Pacific Garbage Patch. It absolutely horrified me. My eyes were opened and I knew I had to make some changes in my own life. It's unimaginable.... Our oceans are a plastic soup... And WE have carelessly created this environmental disaster with our throw away lifestyle of non-biodegradeable garbage. Thank you to this small film crew who documented their journey. The entire film is a must watch. You can find all 12 parts here: http://www.babelgum.com/130302/toxic-garbage-island-part-9-12.html