By Schyler Brown, Conservation Specialist
June 5th is World Environment Day, and for every minute in the day, a garbage truck’s worth of plastic will make its way to the ocean, harming countless wildlife. Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastics to a quantity that is harmful to living organisms. Larger plastics can be mistaken by animals as food, or can strangle animals and cause death. If these plastics persist long enough, they will break down into smaller plastics called microplastics. Microplastics are found everywhere, including the bloodstream of humans and animals. This is a major problem for all organisms, as microplastics are endocrine disruptors. This means they can interrupt hormonal cycles that otherwise maintain our weight, mental health, and sexual functioning. Furthermore, microplastics that sit in the guts of organisms can prevent them from digesting anything else they eat, causing them to starve.
Here’s how you can take a stand against plastic products:
- First and foremost, reach out to your government representatives and demand a change in the types of products we allow our stores to sell.
- Reduce the amount of “stuff” you buy. So much of plastic pollution is driven by consumerism, as much of what we buy is not only excess, but is wrapped in plastic or is plastic itself. Always ask yourself, “do I really need/want this?”
- Finally, find alternatives to the plastic products you buy. For example, instead of buying the peanut butter in the plastic tub, buy the peanut butter in the glass jar. Instead of buying produce packaged in plastic, buy fresh produce and take the extra five minutes to wash and chop it yourself.
We can all do a little bit extra to prevent further polluting our planet. This World Environment Day. join millions of people around the world to #BeatPlasticPollution.
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