Garbage In, Garbage Out
The Conservation Magazine article from 2010 by Susan Casey entitled Garbage In, Garbage Out is easily one of the most distressing ecology essays I've read on the impact of plastics on Earth. This read is not for the faint of heart, but I would argue, is imperative for any modern consumer to read and have an awareness of. As a civilization of rampant, thoughtless consumers, we allow the continuation of contamination of plastics to enter into the biology of all living things through our mindless purchasing and disposal practices.
According to this story, 40percent of the ocean's surfaces are now covered in waste. There are gyres in each of the oceans which are huge, swirling plastic waste pools where plastic outnumbers plankton at an alarming rate.
"...the North Pacific gyre is only one of five such high-pressure zones in the oceans. There are similar areas in the South Pacific, the North and South Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean. Each of these gyres has its own version of the garbage patch as plastic gathers in the currents. Together, these areas cover 40 percent of the sea. “That corresponds to a quarter of the earth’s surface,” Moore says. “So 25 percent of our planet is a toilet that never flushes.”
The notion that plastic makes life easier and better is one we urgently need to reconsider. Plastic, like many other modern conveniences, may make things simpler in the short term, but the long term consequences are far too dire to any longer believe that it is only a good thing in our lives.
Life beyond plastics will require a large scale change in how we purchase and consume everything-- from our food, pharmaceuticals, toys, household items, electronics (such as the laptop I'm typing this on) to medical equipment, including the production and disposal waste from it all.
We rationalize the plastics in our lives in a myriad of ways, recycling being the greatest pacifier of guilt for the thoughtful, yet only 3-5 percent of recyclables are ever actually recycled. A massive reduction in the production of plastic, and re-use of that which is already generated is a first step in the right direction. Educating everyone you know and love is an important second. There are no easy solutions, but awareness trumps ignorance on every front. Our time of being blissfully unaware needs to be over for the sake of our children's children and for all living things on our planet.
What we can do...from Green Sangha... How to reduce plastics in your life
and another great resource... my plastic free life
Jill MacCormack
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