According to EcoWatch, Americans use “roughly 500 billion plastic bags and 35 billion plastic water bottles annually. On average, an American discards approximately 185 pounds of plastic every year.”
Much of this plastic waste ends up in our oceans.
Scientists, according to a research study published in 2014, estimate that more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic pollution are floating in our oceans. From water bottles to flip-flops, this plastic waste poses a serious threat to marine animals. These animals often confuse the plastic waste for food and either starve to death or get caught in plastic packaging and suffocate.
If you’re curious about the study entitled, Plastic Pollution in the World’s Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea, visit http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0111913#s3.
Here are 4 simple ways you can help save the ocean:
1. Buy a bracelet.
When you buy one bracelet from 4Ocean, you are funding the collection of one pound of trash from the ocean. The bracelets are made from 100 percent recycled materials. The beads are made from recycled glass and the cord is made from recycled water bottles.
4Ocean facilitates beach and offshore clean ups. To date, they have removed almost 48,000 pounds of waste from the oceans.
To purchase a bracelet, visit https://4ocean.com/. To get your own Beach Clean Up Handbook, visit https://4ocean.com/pages/beach-cleanup-hand-book.
2. Purchase some hand soap.
The cleaning products company, Method, offers 2-in-1 dish and hand soap in an ocean plastic bottle. Method recovers plastic from the ocean and makes soap containers from it. By using ocean plastic, Method is preventing the creation of new plastic for these products. They have also removed over one ton of plastics from beaches.
To find out more about Method’s ocean plastic, visit http://methodhome.com/beyond-the-bottle/ocean-plastic/.
3. Pick up some new sunglasses.
Norton Point is an eyewear brand based on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, M.A. The focus of the company is to “produce sustainable and environmentally conscious products that stand the test of time.” They have pledged to remove a pound of ocean waste for every pair of eyewear purchased. They also reinvest 5 percent of net profits into research, education and development efforts towards stemming the impact of ocean plastic.
To find out more about Norton Point eyewear, visit https://www.nortonpoint.com/.
4. Rock a new graphic tee.
For each purchase made, United By Blue removes a pound of trash from waterways and oceans. To date, they have hosted 177 cleanups in 26 different states which has removed 995,291 pounds of trash from oceans and waterways.
To sign up for a cleanup in your area, visit https://unitedbyblue.com/pages/cleanups.
United By Blue’s started their business with “a handful of organic cotton tees” and have since expanded to include apparel, bags and accessories “for people who care about the outdoors.” United By Blue uses sustainable materials like organic cotton, recycled polyester and bison fiber.
To find out more about United By Blue and their products, visit https://unitedbyblue.com/.
