Featured Image: Forbes.com
Earlier this week, an ocean clean up group removed 40 tons of plastic after an intense cleanup effort. Ocean Voyages Institute led the cleanup effort, which was conducted in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch between California and Hawaii.
The majority of the 40 tons removed came from fishing nets, plastic furniture, toys, and other trash. It was an amazing effort by this team to remove the trash that is harming our sea life.
However, the 40 tons removed is small in comparison to the entirety of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is currently about twice the size of Texas. The garage patch continues to grow as humans dump their trash into the oceans. Unfortunately, this is not the only area in the world with large concentrations of trash in the water. It is a global problem that needs to be faced as a global community.
As a citizen of this planet, it is important to do your part to reduce plastic waste. Start by removing single-use plastic from your life. Continuously dial back your plastic consumption and ensure that your waste is not ending up in the ocean. If you can, make it a point to clean up your local community. Most of the trash on the ground ends up in waterways that dump into the ocean.