Oceans
1) What are your primary concerns about the oceans?
2) What, if anything, do you plan to do about it?
As mentioned in a previous blog, my primary concern is the amount of plastic and non-biodegradable garbage that is being thrown into the oceans and killing wildlife (both land and marine). This unbalances ecosystems and drives animals away from their habitats; as well as kills them when they consume the waste. The waste does not just stay within the ocean coasts and near land, but travels via ocean currents to the ocean the water masses, thousands of miles away from land where it came from.
I do not have the funding to completely make a difference to all garbage being thrown into our waters. But I can start small and reduce the number of non-biodegradable items that are thrown away. This mostly includes plastic materials (plastic bottles), but also considers man-made items such as Styrofoam and rubber materials. By reducing my usage of these items, I will indirectly contribute to the volume entering the oceans. I also plan to spend time along river banks and ocean beaches cleaning up small areas piece by piece and disposing of all garbage appropriately and sustainably. The garbage I clean up may not be much but will always help no matter what. Finally, I can educate friends and family on the plastics in the ocean killing wildlife by using the power of social media. Making social media posts will spread awareness and hopefully raise concerns about the oceans to more people. This reminds of a new ‘challenge’ that has been occurring worldwide. The challenge asks people to clean up garbage in any area they come across, so the waste does not end up somewhere worse. I have seen stunning results that warm my heart, where beaches were completely covered and then through a combined effort, were cleaned to their original state.











