The Plastic Age

On June 8 was "World Oceans Day". This year's theme was "Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planets" pointing out the plastic pollution in our oceans.

This is a topic really close to my heart. I love being at the beach and enjoying the ocean like many other people do. It is a perfect place to connect with nature. I'm sure a lot of people feel like this. Unfortunately, most of us don't connect the moment we buy take-away wrapped in plastic, which we only use for one second and then throw it away, with plastic pollution in our oceans.

Here are 5 facts about plastic pollution in oceans:

Plastic is the most common element found in the oceans. There are "Eight Million Tons of Plastic Dumped in Ocean Every Year".
The average time for a plastic bottle to completely degrade is at least 450 years. Bottles made with Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE) will never biodegrade.
There is something called the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" in the North Pacific Ocean, which is basically composed of several huge plastic islands in the middle of the oceans.
Approximately 100,000 marine creatures a year die from plastic entanglement. Even "700 Marine Species Might Go Extinct Because of Plastic Pollution".
Chemicals in plastics are released into the water as well as the atmosphere. Fish easily become contaminated from the chemicals in the water. This is a direct link of how plastic chemicals enter the food chain. A new study even shows that fish become hooked on eating plastic.

Watch this eye opening short documentary to find out more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt6KlPCX1BU