Category: Media

Environmental Protection Agency

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Marine Debris in the North Pacific

Marine debris degrades ocean habitats, endangers marine and coastal wildlife, causes navigation hazards, results in economic losses to industry and governments, and threatens human health and safety.  EPA Pacific Southwest (Region 9) is tapping existing programs and resources to advance the prevention, reduction and clean-up of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean.  EPA Pacific Southwest activities build upon specific recommendations of the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee by targeting threats and sources of debris and responding to debris impacts.  EPA is initiating a three-pronged effort to reduce sources of marine debris, prevent trash from entering the oceans, and assess the human and ecosystem impacts and potential for cleanup.

Plastic Paradise

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EVERY single piece of plastic that has ever been created since the 19th century is still SOMEWHERE on our planet. So if it never goes away, where does it go?

Plastic Paradise

The invention of synthetic plastic created an era of disposable products. Watertight and endlessly malleable, plastic is the perfect invention yet, its miraculous durability is also its curse because it never goes away. In the early 21st Century, rumors about an island of garbage somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, started to rise. TV host and filmmaker Angela Sun, decided to investigate. Her journey takes her thousands of miles from human civilization. There, in what should be a remote tropical paradise, she discovers an ecosystem inundated by plastic waste. Exposed to seawater and sunlight, tons of discarded plastics are breaking down into smaller fragments resembling food to fish and birds. The images Angela uncovers, combined with the latest evidence from researchers, shows that the truth behind the myth is much worse than imagined. A growing toxic confetti is transforming the oceans and is also working its way up the food chain that humans depend on. Angela returns from Midway with even more questions. She seeks out scientists and health experts who reveal that chemicals in many of the plastic products we take for granted are harmful. She encounters environmental activists trying to raise awareness and legislators struggling to address the problem. She uncovers the hidden truth about recycling and attempts to contact the leaders of an all-powerful petrochemical industry in control of our limitless production and consumption of plastic. Angela’s journey is one that everyone living in a disposable society needs to see.

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Story of Stuff – Micro Bead Ban

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Plastic Microbeads:  Ban The Bead!

Microplastics may be small, but they’re causing big problems for our environment and our health. These tiny pieces of plastic used in personal care products are designed to go down the drain and into our lakes, rivers, and oceans — by the billions every day. They absorb toxins in the water, are eaten by marine life, and can make their way up the food chain all the way to our dinner plates.

We knew it wasn’t enough to simply avoid certain products – we didn’t want them to be sold at all. That’s why the Story of Stuff Project waged a major campaign to ban microbeads in California and then the whole United States in 2015 – and won! Thanks to our Community members flexing their citizen muscles, by 2017 it will be illegal to sell a personal care product containing plastic microbeads – a huge victory for our waterways and public health. This policy provides a precedent setting model for the rest of the world to replicate and is an important stepping stone to tackling plastic pollution in our oceans. Learn about banning the bead here!

Plastic Pollution Coalition – Go Plastic Free

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Plastic Pollution Coalition is a global alliance of individuals, organizations, businesses and policymakers working toward a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impact on humans, animals, the ocean and the environment. The Plastic Pollution Coalition mission is to stop plastic pollution and its toxic impact on humans, animals, the ocean and the environment. PPC was founded in 2009 as a platform to amplify a common message through strategic planning and communication. Our more than 400 member organizations and a growing coalition of individuals seek to increase awareness and understanding of the plastic pollution problem, and to find sustainable solutions. We aim to empower more people and more organizations to take action to stop plastic pollution and to live plastic-free.

Take The Pledge – Go PLASTIC FREE – There are many ways you can help stop plastic pollution. www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org