Don't Trash Our Planet - Say No To Plastics

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Textured Cutout Plastic Bag

Don't trash our planet - say no to plastics

Girl Scout Gold Award Project by Ava

Girl Scout Gold Award

During the last two years of Girl Scouts which is the Senior and Ambassador levels The Girl Scout can chose to complete a gold award This a project that consists of many parts but the main goal is to spread awareness to an issue in order to create change This award is the highest award a Girl Scout can achieve and can take up to a couple years for one to achieve

Meet the girl behind the project

Hi I m Ava I am an Ambassador in Girl Scouts I am very passionate about the ocean and its marine life However it is being polluted by plastic Which is why my project is centered around teaching people the impact plastic has on the ocean And how they can do their part by cutting back on single use plastics

Minimalist Dopamine Brights Plastic Free

HOw Do single use plastics affect the oceans

Each year 8 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean This is caused by overflows in landfills and people littering The plastic trash gets pushed into rivers by the wind These rivers runoff to the ocean this is also referred to as an estuary This plastic is harming the marine life such as the coral reefs The plastic is making them sick and ultimately wiping out the majority of our reefs The coral reefs are a very important part of our ecosystem They absorb about 75 of the world s carbon dioxide Other marine life that are affected by plastic include sharks whales sea turtles and even the fish we eat These animals can mistake the plastic as food or get entangled in it which can cause them to die Over 88 of the ocean s marine life has been affected by plastic pollution

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Plastic is being pushed into the middle of the Pacific ocean by currents which forms plastic islands This is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch These islands are 2x the size of Texas They are harming the majority of the marine life and coral within the ocean Each year these islands are getting bigger and bigger Currently there are 5 patches around the world The biggest one is located between Hawaii and California

Great Pacific Garbage Patch CleanUp

Many scientists and conservationists are cleaning the garbage patches little by little A company called The Ocean Cleanup created a system which consists of a boat and a U shaped barrier The barrier guides the plastic into a retention zone and then is taken to a landfiill for the plastic to be dealt with It is predicted by 2040 almost 90 of the plastic will be removed

Can t Plastics Break Down

Plastics can only breakdown to a certain extent They break down into microplastics which are tiny pieces of plastics These plastics are only a few millimeters long and can t break down any further They harm the environment and people by releasing chemicals like BPA Many people and marine life ingest microplastics everyday There are many mircoplastics in everyday products such as teabags seafood gum paint beer rice etc It takes years for plastic to breakdown to microplastics Here are a few examples of how long it takes common plastics to breakdown plastic bottle 500 years plastic bag 400 years toothbrush 500 years drinking straw 200 years Plastic will outlive us and our children

How to do your part

You can swap some things you use in your everyday life for an eco friendly alternative For example instead of using plastic items you can switch to something reusable This could be using reusable water bottles instead of a plastic one When shopping use a fabric cotton bag instead of a plastic one Buy more bulk food instead of fewer packaged products Shop second hand Say no to plastic cutlery and styrofoam inteasd bring your own reusable ones Support small businesses Use bar soap and shampoo instead of plastic packaged soaps Recycle reuse and repurpose your plastic bottles and containers Chew less gum it contains plastic

More Ways to reduce Your Plastic waste

Ditch the cling wrap alumminum foil instead use beeswax wrap Stop using teabags instead use loose leaf tea Don t use glitter Avoid buying products with mircobeads Don t eat out as much Switch to more sustainable menstrual products Use natural sponges Switch to more sustainable laundry products Use a bamboo toothbrush Switch to using reusable cotton pads balls Use cotton q tips refrain from using the plastic applicator ones Switch to using zero waster deodorant sticks

Some of my Favorite eco friendly swaps

Some of my Favorite eco friendly swaps

You can find many of these eco friendly swaps in groccery stores Target Walmart Amazon and at local shops There are also many websites that specifically sell eco friendly swaps Many of these swaps will last you a lot longer than there plastic alternatives So start making the change and switch to using more eco friendly household items Here are some links to websites that sell these swaps https earthhero com https zerowastestore com https lochtree com collections all products https www amazon com sustainable products s k sustainable products http lifewithoutplastic com

Some ways to help the cause

You can donate to different organizations who s mission is to help the ocean stay clean below are links to organizations https act oceana org page 24570 donate 1 ea tracking id MR SEM GG Brand18 gclid Cj0KCQjwxMmhBhDJARIsANFGOSv4jpXeHrxdQybnTNqDv7ATxJpyvfq1 0jimtY 7sHAv lGl4sZo AaAu LEALw wcB gclsrc aw ds https www surfrider org form donate

More ways to help the Cause

You can also take action in other ways by signing petitions and volunteering to clean the beaches ocean below are some different organizations https oceanconservancy org action center animals https www kpbcares org upcoming events https oceanconservancy org trash free seas international coastal cleanup map location id 63170 You can start clubs or groups in your community that focus on keeping the area you live in clean

Citations

How does plastic get into the ocean IFAW n d Retrieved April 9 2023 from https www ifaw org journal plastic pollution ocean ms UONDC230037102 gclid CjwKCAiA2rOeBhAsEiwA2Pl7Q80ihiFNRQryTvwcuh0K5mY5ntoBGTSJT7jzptVUoG0mKFPu0STixhoCsLgQAvD BwE The Great Pacific Garbage Patch The Ocean Cleanup The Ocean Cleanup 2022 September 6 Retrieved April 9 2023 from https theoceancleanup com great pacific garbage patch Plastics facts Ocean Conservancy n d Retrieved April 9 2023 from https oceanconservancy org trash free seas take deep dive defining plastics US Department of Commerce N O and A A 2016 April 13 What are microplastics NOAA s National Ocean Service Retrieved April 9 2023 from https oceanservice noaa gov facts microplastics html text Most 20plastics 20in 20the 20ocean through 20waterways 20into 20the 20ocean ea turtle eating plastic bag 2021 April 17 Globetrender https globetrender com wp content uploads 2020 04 AdobeStock 240810340 scaled jpeg Maldives underwater exploration mission photos 2022 August 30 CNN Travel https www cnn com travel gallery underwater maldives nekton photos index html Microplastics in the human body What we know and don t know 2022 April 11 NBC News https media cldnry s nbcnews com image upload t fit 1240w f auto q auto best rockcms 2022 04 220407 microplastics stock ac 756p 83361f jpg The great barrier reef is under threat from ocean acidification 2016 January 3 Climate Home News https cdn climatechangenews com files 2016 03 great barrier reef jpg Shutterstock n d Majority of Southeast Sulaiwesi coral reefs damaged thejakartapost Retrieved from https www thejakartapost com news 2020 06 15 studentstrangled to death by 7 meter long pythonin southeast sulawesi html Snowden S n d 300 Mile Swim Through The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Will Collect Data On Plastic Pollution Forbes Retrieved from https www forbes com sites scottsnowden 2019 05 30 300 mile swim through the great pacific garbage patch will collect data on plastic pollution sh 48479223489f Khanna M n d Half Of World s Coral Reefs Have Been Destroyed By Climate Change Since 1950s Technology Retrieved from https www indiatimes com technology science and future coral reef cover destroyed climate change 549834 html Goeden G n d Coral Stars for Reef Rehabilitation Fizzy Transition Retrieved from https fizzytransition com blog coral stars for reef rehabilitation