gnarlydorkette
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(Mods: Not sure which area this fits in. Lesiure? Our world? You decide.)
When you think about pollution in oceans, most of you probably think about the oil spills.
Well, lemme let you on a secret:
The oil ship spills (petroleum transporation) only accounts for 22% of our POLLUTION in oceans… IMAGINE that. Only 6% are from extraction but the rest which is petroleum consumption is by: Guess who! YOU, ME, THEM, EVERYBODY.
(The largest oil spill was done on purpose off the coast of Kuwait in 1991)
During the past 35 years, the amount of waste each person creates has almost doubled from 2.7 to 4.4 pounds per day. The most effective way to stop this trend is by preventing waste in the first place.
WHAT ARE THE DANGERS OF POLLUTION AND HOW IT AFFECT US?
PLASTIC: our #1 enemy next to sewage. We are using plastic for everything—grocery plastic bags, 6-packs plastic rings, etc etc. and we throw it out in the dumpsters only to have it being delievered to landfills which, in time, will be transported to our OCEANS, RIVERS, and BAYS! Why? Because there are companies that are ILLEGALLY dumped the trash in our water sources. EVEN IN UNITED STATES.
When plastic reaches our waters, whether it be plastic bags or drifting fish nets, it poses a threat to the animals that depend on the oceans for food. To a sea turtle, a floating plastic bag looks like a jellyfish. And plastic pellets--the small hard pieces of plastic from which plastic products are made--look like fish eggs to seabirds. Drifting nets entangle birds, fish and mammals, making it difficult, if not impossible to move or eat. As our consumption of plastic mounts, so too does the danger to marine life.
The huge pollution came from sewage which came from US, the people. We dump everything out on a daily basis. For example motor oil is being mishandled and dumped into the streets which lead to our water sources in OCEAN and RIVERS where there will be kids swimming around in toxic waters. Some oil changes companies CHEAT you by not handling the oil properly and still fine you the environmental fee. Some sewage companies have “accidents” and let out untreated sewage (e.coli, salamonella, etc are being released into oceans from our shores!)
Dumping the heavy metals is the number one reason why there are so MANY warnings on a fish when you buy from a grocery store. They are HIGH in mercury which may lead you to a mercury poisoning. One in 12 women has a high intake of mercury… what does that mean? If that woman with high mercury decides to have a child, the child will suffer physical deformation, mental retardation, and many more. (A good example: Minamta disease; google it up). Whose fault is that? The industries dumped heavy metals and sewage in our ocean. Who swam in that? Fish and tons of fish who absorb the metal particles and then when they are caught by us-- we end up eating them. And how we got the mercury? We ABSORB the mercury in our stomach (bioaccumulation). Now there is a warning that fish should be eaten two to three times a week (that is still too much, FYI).
WHY SHOULD WE PREVENT POLLUTION??
--Saves natural resources. Waste is not just created when consumers throw items away. Throughout the life cycle of a product—from extraction of raw materials to transportation to processing and manufacturing facilities to manufacture and use—waste is generated. Reusing items or making them with less material decreases waste dramatically. Ultimately, less materials will need to be recycled or sent to landfills or waste combustion facilities.
--Reduces toxicity of waste. Selecting non-hazardous or less hazardous items is another important component of source reduction. Using less hazardous alternatives for certain items (e.g., cleaning products and pesticides), sharing products that contain hazardous chemicals instead of throwing out leftovers, reading label directions carefully, and using the smallest amount necessary are ways to reduce waste toxicity.
--Reduces costs. The benefits of preventing waste go beyond reducing reliance on other forms of waste disposal. Preventing waste also can mean economic savings for communities, businesses, schools, and individual consumers. [/list]
Reduce the amount and toxicity of trash you discard.
Reuse containers and products; repair what is broken or give it to someone who can repair it.
You can reuse by giving it somebody to repair them, donating them to charity and community groups, or selling them -- also reduces waste. Reusing products, when possible, is even better than recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again.
Recycle as much as possible, which includes buying products with recycled content. Plastic is the biggest enemy of our pollution because it is NOT biodegradable! What does it mean? PLASTIC will be around forever for the future generations to find how much we POLLUTE.
DO CHECK OUT FOR NEARBY RECYCLING CENTERS and SEE THE LIST OF WHAT YOU CAN RECYCLE! (almost) Everything is RECYCLABLE!
To see how POLLUTED your area is, go to this http://www.scorecard.org/. (It also give you information on pollution with questions being answered e.g. “who are the top polluters”.)
Good place to check out how you can help stop the pollution: http://www.earth911.org/ which allows you to find the nearby recycling centers for ALL types (hazardous wastes, plastic, Tupperware, metals, and MANY MORE)
To learn more about pollution: http://www.pollution.com/
When you think about pollution in oceans, most of you probably think about the oil spills.
Well, lemme let you on a secret:
The oil ship spills (petroleum transporation) only accounts for 22% of our POLLUTION in oceans… IMAGINE that. Only 6% are from extraction but the rest which is petroleum consumption is by: Guess who! YOU, ME, THEM, EVERYBODY.
(The largest oil spill was done on purpose off the coast of Kuwait in 1991)
During the past 35 years, the amount of waste each person creates has almost doubled from 2.7 to 4.4 pounds per day. The most effective way to stop this trend is by preventing waste in the first place.
WHAT ARE THE DANGERS OF POLLUTION AND HOW IT AFFECT US?
PLASTIC: our #1 enemy next to sewage. We are using plastic for everything—grocery plastic bags, 6-packs plastic rings, etc etc. and we throw it out in the dumpsters only to have it being delievered to landfills which, in time, will be transported to our OCEANS, RIVERS, and BAYS! Why? Because there are companies that are ILLEGALLY dumped the trash in our water sources. EVEN IN UNITED STATES.
When plastic reaches our waters, whether it be plastic bags or drifting fish nets, it poses a threat to the animals that depend on the oceans for food. To a sea turtle, a floating plastic bag looks like a jellyfish. And plastic pellets--the small hard pieces of plastic from which plastic products are made--look like fish eggs to seabirds. Drifting nets entangle birds, fish and mammals, making it difficult, if not impossible to move or eat. As our consumption of plastic mounts, so too does the danger to marine life.
The huge pollution came from sewage which came from US, the people. We dump everything out on a daily basis. For example motor oil is being mishandled and dumped into the streets which lead to our water sources in OCEAN and RIVERS where there will be kids swimming around in toxic waters. Some oil changes companies CHEAT you by not handling the oil properly and still fine you the environmental fee. Some sewage companies have “accidents” and let out untreated sewage (e.coli, salamonella, etc are being released into oceans from our shores!)
Dumping the heavy metals is the number one reason why there are so MANY warnings on a fish when you buy from a grocery store. They are HIGH in mercury which may lead you to a mercury poisoning. One in 12 women has a high intake of mercury… what does that mean? If that woman with high mercury decides to have a child, the child will suffer physical deformation, mental retardation, and many more. (A good example: Minamta disease; google it up). Whose fault is that? The industries dumped heavy metals and sewage in our ocean. Who swam in that? Fish and tons of fish who absorb the metal particles and then when they are caught by us-- we end up eating them. And how we got the mercury? We ABSORB the mercury in our stomach (bioaccumulation). Now there is a warning that fish should be eaten two to three times a week (that is still too much, FYI).
WHY SHOULD WE PREVENT POLLUTION??
--Saves natural resources. Waste is not just created when consumers throw items away. Throughout the life cycle of a product—from extraction of raw materials to transportation to processing and manufacturing facilities to manufacture and use—waste is generated. Reusing items or making them with less material decreases waste dramatically. Ultimately, less materials will need to be recycled or sent to landfills or waste combustion facilities.
--Reduces toxicity of waste. Selecting non-hazardous or less hazardous items is another important component of source reduction. Using less hazardous alternatives for certain items (e.g., cleaning products and pesticides), sharing products that contain hazardous chemicals instead of throwing out leftovers, reading label directions carefully, and using the smallest amount necessary are ways to reduce waste toxicity.
--Reduces costs. The benefits of preventing waste go beyond reducing reliance on other forms of waste disposal. Preventing waste also can mean economic savings for communities, businesses, schools, and individual consumers. [/list]
There are ACTIONS you can take… all you gotta to do is: Remember your R’s!
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Reduce the amount and toxicity of trash you discard.
Reuse containers and products; repair what is broken or give it to someone who can repair it.
You can reuse by giving it somebody to repair them, donating them to charity and community groups, or selling them -- also reduces waste. Reusing products, when possible, is even better than recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again.
Recycle as much as possible, which includes buying products with recycled content. Plastic is the biggest enemy of our pollution because it is NOT biodegradable! What does it mean? PLASTIC will be around forever for the future generations to find how much we POLLUTE.
DO CHECK OUT FOR NEARBY RECYCLING CENTERS and SEE THE LIST OF WHAT YOU CAN RECYCLE! (almost) Everything is RECYCLABLE!
- You can snip the six-pack rings. It only take three cuts!
- Don’t release balloons in the air! (when they got popped—they are going to fall… in where?? OCEANS!
- Take your own bags (canvas, or reused paper bags) to grocery shopping or clothes. Trader Joes and Henrys supports the customers who bring their own bags. Try to ask for PAPER bags if you don’t have any…because it is biodegradable (one to two years, it is “bye-bye”). The only reason many prefer plastic: it is CHEAP.
- Ensure no oil is leaking from your car.
- Don’t over-fertizlize your lawn.
- Reduce your consumption! Avoid plastic bags, try to buy paper that is a recycled byproduct, cleaners that are environment-friendly.
To see how POLLUTED your area is, go to this http://www.scorecard.org/. (It also give you information on pollution with questions being answered e.g. “who are the top polluters”.)
Good place to check out how you can help stop the pollution: http://www.earth911.org/ which allows you to find the nearby recycling centers for ALL types (hazardous wastes, plastic, Tupperware, metals, and MANY MORE)
To learn more about pollution: http://www.pollution.com/
