My friends,

There is a patch of plastic particles floating in the sea that’s grown to twice the size of Texas! These particles range in size from bags and bottles to the size of plankton! This, is the so called “Pacific Garbage Patch” to read up, please have a look at; (http://www.garbagepatchcleaner.org).

The Atlantic Garbage Patch as well! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100415/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_atlantic_ocean_junk

In reality, this environmental tragedy is more like a deadly "plastic particle soup" ranging in depth from 30 to 300 ft deep! There is also another so called "garbage patch" forming between Hawaii and Japan as well and it is almost as large! The fact is, the entire ocean is impacted. It’s the seas current that actually swirls the debris into a vortex called the ‘gyre” which is why we come to view it as a "patch" (an area of far more dense plastic particles). Its actually the entire sea that is in peril, an this area is an "effect" of that problem caused by making plastic products such as  single use plastic shopping bags and then discarding them! In the United States, its said that we discard up to "90 billion" plastic shopping bags each year! 

What can we do? Well sadly, it is not as easy as just “picking it up” (not that picking up something 300 ft deep and twice the size of Texas would be easy). It’s worked its way into the biology of the sea,  now particles are nearly microscopic mixed in with Plankton!  Imagine what happens to a whale feeding in the area?  Scientists are studying the region now, such as the research team on the “Algalita Marine Research Foundations” 50ft Ocean Research Vessel, “Alguita”. Recent reports from filmmaker Andrew wheeler on the vessel (http://www.trashvoyage.com) are that they are already finding evidence of plastics in the sea in a very alarming rate! Andrew Wheeler was able to dive in and post images on his blog and the plastic density appears to be very, very bad.

Here’s what we “can” do!  Stop using throw away plastics! It’s all about you and me making the change!  Let’s all make a stand! No more disposable plastic shopping bags! (Go Canvas)

Where the work gets done! (Let’s “walk the walk”) Right now a bill created by Massachusetts Senator James Eldridge seeks to ban single use plastic bags from supermarkets and any stores in the state grossing over 500K. This is such an important first step!  Once a state begins to ban plastic bags, all states will certainly follow like domino’s and ban these terrible bags. This is exactly what happened with the Clean Water Act being passed in Massachusetts thanks to Marion Stoddart!  Here’s is his website, please show your support it’s so very important!  http://www.senatoreldridge.com/