The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
should scare the hell out of you.
We don’t even know how big it is
because it keeps growing.
Located somewhere between Hawaii and California
it is one of seven garbage islands
spread across the world’s oceans
funneled and trapped by planetary rotation,
converging ocean currents and wind.
6.8 billion people will inhabit
planet Earth by the year 2012.
As of 2005
33 million live in Tokyo alone.
Beijing has 12 million.
Los Angeles another 12 million.
And 80 percent of our garbage comes from land sources.
Garbage that
impacts our wildlife
that has the potential to hitchhike.
Imagine
barnacles attaching to floating garbage
not normally found in your neck
of the planet
that can infect another
area’s native species.
Ninety percent of these islands contain plastic items
like nylon nets, six pack rings, balloons,
straws and sandwich wrap.
Water bottles, cups, bottle caps, plastic bags
and billions of plastic pellets called nurdles,
a byproduct of other plastics manufacturing.
Plastic that chokes whales, seabirds and other animals.
Brightly colored plastic pellets
that are mistaken
for fish eggs and krill
that is toxic
can magnify over time
across our food chain
and have an effect similar to DDT.
Plastic that does not break down easily in water
that is cooled and coated with algae
shielded from sunlight and
will last well into our future.
Clean-up and removal of these islands is futile.
They are growing faster than we can clean them up.
Our task begins here
Get involved
Clean up local beaches
Suppress further growth
by recycling and reducing the amount
of trash you throw out.
Your future is at hand.
