Did you know that there is a patch of floating trash in a garbage “vortex” in the Pacific ocean that is the size of TEXAS? According to an article by Greenpeace:

“The North Pacific sub-tropical gyre covers a large area of the Pacific in which the water circulates clockwise in a slow spiral. Winds are light. The currents tend to force any floating material into the low energy central area of the gyre. There are few islands on which the floating material can beach. So it stays there in the gyre, in astounding quantities estimated at six kilos of plastic for every kilo of naturally occurring plankton.  The equivalent of an area the size of Texas swirling slowly around like a clock. This gyre has also been dubbed “the Asian Trash Trail” the “Trash Vortex” or the “Eastern Garbage Patch”.”

And sadly, this isn’t just a hyped up thing to get people’s attention. It’s for real. Apparently each year, worldwide, 100 million tons of plastic is produced (!) and about 10 percent (!!!) ends up in the oceans either as a result of shipping issues or from just regular pollution from land. Isn’t that crazy?

And now, they have just announced that this disgusting, man-made phenomenon is not just a Pacific ocean issue, but they have discovered a smaller, but similar, vortex in the Atlantic ocean. Yesterday an AP article was released that stated:

“Researchers are warning of a new blight on the ocean: a swirl of confetti-like plastic debris stretching over thousands of square miles (kilometers) in a remote expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.

The floating garbage — hard to spot from the surface and spun together by a vortex of currents — was documented by two groups of scientists who trawled the sea between scenic Bermuda and Portugal’s mid-Atlantic Azores islands.”

So aside from just being generally disgusting and a display of the impact of the plastic-crazed, consumptive world we live in, what’s the big deal? Well, this stuff is here to stay. Forever. Really. The process for them to break down is slow and destructive. Here’s another quote from the Greenpeace article:

“A single one litre drinks bottle could break down into enough small fragments to put one on every mile of beach in the entire world. These smaller particles are joined by the small pellets of plastic which are the form in which many new plastics are marketed and which can be lost at sea by the drumload or even a whole container load.  These modern day “marine tumbleweeds” have been thrown into sharp focus, not only by the huge quantities removed from beaches by dedicated volunteers, but by the fact that they have been found to accumulate in sea areas where winds and currents are weak.”

Did you catch that? A SINGLE one liter bottle can break down to into enough small fragments to put one on every mile of beach in the ENTIRE world! Really makes you think, doesn’t it? But not only is it just producing more gunk to clog up our oceans and beaches, it’s really hurting our marine life.

If you’d like to see just how awful the effects of this pollution is, check out Greenwala blog’s  The Ocean’s Top 25 Deadliest Pollution Predators. The visuals on the site (including the one I have here with the turtle) are incredible  – and so sad. They say that “Scientists believe that 100 million sea creatures — including a combination of one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles — die annually from this foreign and highly toxic diet.” Sigh. Balloons, batteries, cans, dental floss (who knew?), six pack holders – there all there, plus plenty more.

Here’s hoping that someday we can figure out a way to get this whole mess cleaned up. Otherwise, who knows what the consequences will be.

I read an article today about the fact that Earth Day is becoming a bit of a farce. You know, I have to agree (at least somewhat). While I do think we need Earth Day to remind everyone how important this planet is and that we need stop CONSUMING so much, I also agree that some of the “green” thing has become so trendy that it is meaningless. Like Bamboo clothing – yes Bamboo is easy to replenish and readily available, however in order to turn it into cloth – two highly toxic chemicals are used that can be major ground-water contaminants.

And what’s the deal with ethanol? At first glance it sounds like an answer to the rising gas prices – but instead it is driving up the cost of corn which then impacts feed costs etc. so our food costs are starting to rise. Shouldn’t efforts be made to decrease our consumption and improve the efficiency of our vehicles?

Anyway – that’s my Earth Day rant. I could go on and on with my other examples but I’ll spare you…

So I recommend, choose your “green” products with an eye toward true eco-friendly products. The best thing you can do? Reduce your own consumption – reuse products, only buy things you need, only drive when you have to, don’t buy individually packaged products unless you have to (snack packs etc), and lastly, stop buying cases of bottled water and use HDPE#2 Reusable plastic sports bottles instead. Of course, I have to apply this to my own self as well!! I’m trying but not quite there yet. But we owe it to our children at least to try, don’t we?