I hope you watch the video and realize, PLASTIC KILLS WILDLIFE. We must make ourselves STOP using straws, plastic cutlery, plastic plates. We simply must go biodegradable. We have to carry straws with us, and if we forget, we cannot use plastic. Have no tolerance at fast food restaurants, restaurants, home…anywhere! BUY BIODEGRADABLE.
Check out this article from The Center for Biological Diversity. Here are the facts:
- Fish in the North Pacific ingest 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic each year, which can cause intestinal injury and death and transfers plastic up the food chain to bigger fish and marine mammals.
- Sea turtles also mistake floating plastic garbage for food. While plastic bags are the most commonly ingested item, loggerhead sea turtles have been found with soft plastic, ropes, Styrofoam, and monofilament lines in their stomachs. Ingestion of plastic can lead to blockage in the gut, ulceration, internal perforation and death; even if their organs remain intact, turtles may suffer from false sensations of satiation and slow or halt reproduction.
- Hundreds of thousands of seabirds ingest plastic every year. Plastic ingestion reduces the storage volume of the stomach, causing birds to consume less food and ultimately starve. Nearly all Laysan albatross chicks — 97.5 percent — have plastic pieces in their stomachs; their parents feed them plastic particles mistaken for food. Based on the amount of plastic found in seabird stomachs, the amount of garbage in our oceans has rapidly increased in the past 40 years.
- Marine mammals ingest and get tangled in plastic. Large amounts of plastic debris have been found in the habitat of endangered Hawaiian monk seals, including in areas that serve as pup nurseries. Entanglement deaths are severely undermining recovery efforts of this seal, which is already on the brink of extinction. Entanglement in plastic debris has also led to injury and mortality in the endangered Steller sea lion, with packing bands the most common entangling material. In 2008 two sperm whales were found stranded along the California coast with large amounts of fishing net scraps, rope and other plastic debris in their stomachs.
Are you tired of hearing that our oceans are in crisis? Too bad, because it is true. Did you know our oceans are 30% more acidic than they were 100 years ago? Did you know that 4 out of the 5 mass extinctions on earth took place when oceans became too acidic? Animals in our oceans are paramount to our ecosystem, our very lives. We have to start caring about other species, or we will destroy ourselves.
Let’s all replace plastic with biodegradables. Please check out this link to Amazon’s biodegradable straws! Remember, we all need to #startwith1thing. What 1 thing will you start with????
Don’t forget to buy products made from Ocean Plastic like Method Home! CLICK HERE TO BUY!
Start with one thing – good advice. I knew that sea creatures could get tangled in those plastic things that hold a 6-pack of Cokes. I never really thought about all the other plastics. Thanks for putting out the call to get rid of the plastic.
I used to cut all the little openings in those plastic holders so an animal couldn’t choke from it. Of course it went into the trash, but perhaps it could still make it to the sea…? Tragic.
Yes, it can still make it to the sea, but thank you for cutting them! I do that, too. They have come up with EDIBLE holders for drinks now!!!
You are welcome! Let’s all go biodegradable!!!
Well. Yet another thing I need to know. It’s time for manufacturers to come up with something other than plastic, that’s what I think.
They have! Edible drink rings! Check it out! http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2016/05/18/edible-six-pack-rings/#.V1s9sigrKUk
In the perfect world everyone would dispose of their trash where it needs to go. I’ve heard of wildlife getting caught in some wild contraptions but straws, go figure. Good information to know.
Straws are very, very dangerous because of their size and shape, but all plastic is bad. I wish I knew how to get rid of it ALL.
Thank you for sending out that informative email. Although I always throw everything away, I think it is a must to stop using plastic when on/by the ocean. It broke my heart to see what had happened to that wonderful sea turtle. Keep sending those emails out !!! thanks Tam for keeping us accountable 🙂
I am leaving for my epic journey to Australia, Bali, and Komodo soon and I am packing biodegradable straws! Don’t forget freshwater animals! Plastic is dangerous for all.
Sad commentary on what our polluted world has come to.
Yes, it is. But there is hope!
Thank you so much for this. I never, EVER considered straws being such a problem. Other things, of course, but not straws. You are making a difference with posts such as this. Kudos to you!
LISA CARPENTER recently posted…Savor local flavor: 8 great eateries on California’s central coast
Thank you, Lisa! We can really make a big difference by carrying biodegradable straws with us and setting the example!
I love the idea of #startwith1thing. What plastic does to these poor animals just makes me want to weep. Going to check out those biodegradable straws right now.
Excellent! I love the candy cane straws…so timeless! I carry them in my purse.
I always think of this when I see balloon releases – so pretty but ultimately so damaging to marine life and the environment – also all those pictures of the enormous amounts of plastics and other waste floating around in the sea – it’s a sad world we’ve created with our wastefulness.
Yes, I agree, but we have the brains to fix it…we just have to care enough and want to!
This is so important. We need to stop our wasteful habits if we want to save this planet!
I agree! #startwith1thing!
I cut the ties on my soda holders too but we do need to start making these changes ASAP. When you are near the ocean it is truly heartbreaking to see the plastic that washes ashore or floats on the water. Bravo for pointing this out!
It is tragic…no other animal trashes our planet like we do.
Agreed!
In fact, stop buying plastic EVERYTHING – it’s crippling our natural world.
Starting with straws is a great step forward, however. 🙂
I travel with a glass straw now – picked it up in Bali – it’s reusable, and using it makes my drinks taste better!
I wish companies wouldn’t package everything in plastic. I use paper straws, and biodegradable paper plates and cutlery. I’m on my way to Bali…I will look for a glass straw!
Plastics has been prohibited in many countries because of their bad effect. Even in many countries where textiles industries are growing rapidly are now trying to be in control using of polythenes by imposing some organic standard like GOTS & OCS. Therefore hoping for the better world.
We need to curtail single use plastics!
Exactly..
Plastic is the biggest threat for marine wildlife. Biodegradable plastic is one of the best options to use. Most countries start using other options instead of plastic that don’t have harmful effects.
We also start using Photodegradable six pack rings, which are not harmful for marine wildlife.
Who uses the six pack rings? I’d love to use them.