Marine debris article, very interesting

[Samala]

The topic of marine debris - trash in the ocean - is something I follow pretty regularly in the journals and also in more open access literature.

I found an article I thought some people might really find interesting. It was written for Orion magazine originally, which is a foundation that focuses on environmental education, action, and such. They can lean a bit left on some topics, but the magazine is full of really excellent writing. This one does not seem political or offensive to me - if you're offended, I'm sorry to have linked you to it.

Polymers are Forever (http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/270), details plastic in our oceans in a way that I wish I could have done for a recent RK article. Thought many of you would find it an interesting review of what an impact plastic trash can have. If you dont recycle now, it might make you think twice before tossing another empty water bottle.

What I thought was most eye opening was the use of plastics as exfoliants in beauty products. Rather shocking, it makes me wonder how widespread this use is in the industry.

>Sarah

[marfuerte]

Thanks Sarah--well written, powerful. I'm sending it around to my friends and family.

[billsreef]

Good article. I know over the years I've seen a significant rise of the amount of plastic garbage washing up on the shoreline. Now I'll have to grab some sand samples and look for smaller bits of plastic.

[Samala]

by billsreef
I know over the years I've seen a significant rise of the amount of plastic garbage washing up on the shoreline.

So far this year I have collected over twenty-eight pounds of manmade trash that has washed ashore on either a 2.2 mile stretch of Atlantic beach, or a 300 ft stretch of red mangrove forest in the lagoon. That's a LOT of trash, especially when you consider that very very few of the individual peices weigh more than an ounce. Plus, I only cleanup once a week.

I suppose that's why I liked this peice. It reflects some of the observations I've had over just the last two years, and it also had a rather shocking view on all the trash that I didnt even think to look for - the stuff small enough to be sand.

>Sarah

[antonsemrad]

Bump (http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/petitions.nsf/viewe1.0/610304AA3889A15F85256DF6004E6F59)

[jsrtist]

Thanks so much for sharing that article. It is especially disturbing, and like you said very surprising about the use of polymers in beauty supplies. I never would have imagined.

I did a search on the Pacific gyre/dump and found some more interesting articles, including one by Charles Moore, as mentioned in the article.

I have always recycled but will be more observant of what I toss out in the trash, too.

[loosecannon]

I hope they don`t trun in to jon revers!