The New Year signifies another glorious revolution around the sun! And to ensure that sun shines upon a healthy planet, we hope that you will join us in making resolutions for 2019 and beyond that have greater impact beyond our individual selves alone.
Thankfully, more and more people understand just how much plastic threatens our oceans and are demanding information on how to combat the negative effects of this material. In fact, Danny McGee has created a short film about the movement that is helping to reverse the negative impact humans have had on this planet. Share and pass along this positive message!
Individuals can make a difference! Here are a few simple things we can all do:
- Reduce Your Use of Single-Use Plastics. Single-use plastics include plastic bags, water bottles, straws, cups, utensils, dry cleaning bags, take-out containers, and any other plastic items that are used once and then discarded.
- Recycle Properly. At present, just 9% of plastic is recycled worldwide. Recycling helps keep plastics out of the ocean and reduces the amount of “new” plastic in circulation.
- Participate In (or Organize) a Beach or River Cleanup. This is one of the most direct and rewarding ways to fight ocean plastic pollution.
- Spread the Word. Stay informed and lead by example on issues related to plastic pollution and help make others aware of the problem.
- Support businesses that are environmentally conscious. Vote with your wallet. Support business that think like you! And let other businesses know they can do more. With enough pressure, businesses will embrace innovation and redesign to address this problem.
Remember we are making a difference! From grassroots organizations to multinationals, people are developing and implementing, innovative, scalable, and replicable solutions to address ocean pollution. From Face the Current’s April 2018 edition cover story interview featuring Boyan Slat’s Ocean Cleanup, to New York Times’ Bestselling Author, Sarah Wilson with her plea to take this year’s resolutions beyond individualism to be waste-free for the planet and her new book “Simplicious Flow” that offers 348 sustainable recipes and tips on how to live waste-free, these actions are inspiring to others and absolutely imperative.
Plastic pollution continues its march to become the greatest threat to ocean health worldwide. High-levels of plastic production continues unabated while recycling remains inconsistent. Combine this with poor waste management and between 4 and 12 million metric tons of plastic enters our ocean’s annually. That amount is mind-boggling, and we don’t have to leave it to innovators like Boyan Slat to solve our issue; we can make a difference together.
Remember to ask yourself, “What am I doing to contribute to this problem, how can I stop that and become part of the solution?” Remember we are all consumers, and we can be conscious ones. Our decisions in the market place send very real messages to retailers and producers. When we make a conscious decision to buy or not buy a product due to an environmental reason, we send a clear economic signal.
For 2019 and beyond, let’s continue to send the inspiring messages to spread the word about improving ocean health but let’s also send a very real economic message through our decisions in the market place.
Please enjoy and have a happy and prosperous New Year!
