The Plastic Ocean Part II

A while back, I posted about how there is a huge amount of plastic out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It turns out, a few people decided to go out with the man who has made this tragedy public, to film the grossness that's out there. From reading the articles, it seems like you would get to the gyre and there would basically be a floating plastic dump. It turns out, the gyre is full of broken down bits of plastic, so at first look, it doesn't look that bad. It's when you trawl with a small mesh net that you see the real problem. Check out this video of their trip (Warning: bad language on the video). Each segment is between 4-5 minutes long, but if you just want to see the problem, segments 9-12 are the ones to watch. As a scientist, I am always skeptical of things people seem to be blowing out of proportion. It's especially hard for me with the video because there are no times or dates on the actual tape. However, due to the passion and expressions on these people's faces (who are clearly NOT actors) makes me believe what they are seeing is real.

The Plastic Ocean

Today I read this article about plastic. It is a bit long, but worth the read if you care about your health and the environment. I consider myself among those who are concerned about the planet. Plastic is a material that has many benefits and many harms. The invention of useful plastics has lead to the invention of life-saving medical devices, bulletproof vests, and silly putty. However, it seems that the harms are far outweighing the benefits: we breath toxic gases released by melting plastics during the recycling process, we breathe dust particles containing small bits of plastic, and huge volumes of plastic are polluting the oceans (one area in the Pacific contains a gyre full of debris the size of Texas.) Some food that we ingest (even if it is wild, organic - whatever that means) probably contains some sort of plastic, whether it be the sushi you had at lunch or the shrimp cocktail you had as an appetizer.

This information is disheartening on many levels. Plastic seems to be great since it can be recycled, however, the recycling efficiency levels are still so low, it hardly seems worth it; and the recycling process releases toxic fumes into the atmosphere. Alternatives to plastic are starting to get mass-produced, but some of those materials are made from corn, a crop when grown for food isn't so bad, but if we start to grow it for products other than food, land will become less available, the cost to process it will go up, more soil for other crops will be destroyed, and prices of most products will continue to increase.

I am having my own personal dilemma today. I received an email from the Body Shop informing me of a huge sale they are having. Many shower gels and body lotions are 75% off. This is a great deal. I love the body shop and everything it stands for. My issue is that most of their body gels are only 8 oz. They are on sale for $3 which, considering they are usually $12 is a great deal. Herein lies my problem. I know I can get 24 oz. of St. Ives body wash for $3 at Target. So here we go - one plastic bottle at 24 oz vs. 3 plastic bottles at 8 oz. each. The product inside is fairly similar: natural ingredients, never tested on animals. The one bottle is less plastic that the three bottles and is cheaper. Which of my morals do I go with? Less plastic? Community trade? I would just give up and go back to plain old soap, but every soap box is coated in some sort of waxy coating which probably has some sort of plastic base also. Maybe I should learn to make soap, with all my free time (yeah right).

Finally, I thought it was weird that this article was in the Men's Lifestyle section of MSN. I found it from the msn.com cover page. Shouldn't it be in the overall health section?

An Inconvenient Truth

GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

If you care about yourself, the future, your children, your friends, your friend children, you will see this movie.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT! Most of you know that I am an environemtal nut. I am very proud of my sister who bought a hybrid car last year. My next car will be a hybrid. I buy energy saving appliances and lightbulbs. I would ride my bike to work if it didn't cripple me from pain. We keep the temperature in our apt. very cold in the winter (fortunately, this allows us to save money too!)

This movie (and the book that Gore wrote) is about the "Climate crisis" as he puts it (aka Global Warming). It is about how if Antarctica and Greenland keep melting MILLIONS of people will be underwater. Then, we will experience an ice age, and MILLIONS of people will be under frozen water.

Seeing this movie is important, but taking action is even more important. Here are a few SIMPLE ways you can reduce your energy bill and reduce the amount of energy you use and therefore decrease the amount of fossil fuels you use:

- buy flourescent lightbulbs (they are a bit more than regular light bulbs, but they last at least twice as long and dramatically decrease your energy usage)

- if you need a new appliance, look for one that has an EnergyStar label on it

- make sure your hot water heater has a blanket to retain all that heat is producing (readily available at Home Depot)

- if you are not watching the TV - turn it off!

- if you live close enough, walk or bike to work/school (if it won't cripple you)

- if you live near people you work/school with, carpool (saves money and gas!)

- write to your representatives/senators/governors and tell them to sign the Kyoto Protocol and support other greenhouse gas reduction measures.

Ok, I think that is enough preaching for one post. Thanks for your patience.


Have a safe and fun trip Ry!