Thank you, Michelle, for hosting this meme for us. Think Green Thursday has become one of my favorites.
I am returning once again to the Monterey Bay Aquarium blog, Sea Notes for information for my post. I really think it should be titled: Plastics Are Forever.In the middle of the Pacific Ocean is an area twice the size of Texas, commonly known now as "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch". It's correct name is the North Pacific Gyre. This huge area of the Pacific is where the motion of the water manages to collect all of the trash we discard on the beaches and from boats into the water. This continues to move the trash, especially plastics, around and around, endlessly.
Our sea birds and animals often eat this trash, either accidentally or mistaking it for an edible morsel. Sadly, more and more are being discovered after they die, with stomachs full of such trash.
There is now a project called Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastics Expedition (SEAPLEX), attempting to address this problem. But wouldn't it be a great idea for anyone living on or near any of our shorelines to volunteer to pick up trash on our beaches? If there is no organized group to do this in your area - how about just walking a beach every so often with a trash bag. Or maybe we could talk to someone in our local government, or with some service group, and suggest an organized effort.
Logo and photo courtest of MBA Sea Notes
