Save the Oceans
stop trashing our oceans
The Midway Island Albatross
1200 MILES AWAY FROM CIVILIZATION BIRDS DIE FROM EATING MAN-MADE PLASTIC
Midway Island is more than 2,400 miles away from a large land mass (Alaska) and more than 1,000 miles away from a city (Honolulu). It seems that if any place would be safe from the environmental affects of humanity, this would be it!
And yet, due to the plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Midway is mired in plastic trash. The main occupant of Midway Island is the majestic Albatross, a Sea Bird with a wingspan of over 7 feet. The albatross spends most of its time flying over the ocean in search of food. Unfortunately, the birds quite often mistake plastic in the ocean for food. A pair of albatrosses will only lay one egg each year.
Currently over 40% of the babies hatched out on Midway Island are fed enough plastic that they die a very slow and painful death as the plastics poison their system and cause dehydration and starvation. According to wildlife biologist John Klavitter, Albatrosses are feeding their babies more than 5 tons of plastic on Midway Island each year!
If you were to visit Midway Island, you would find hundreds of carcasses that were once beautiful baby albatrosses – now nothing left but feathers, bone and plastic!
stop trashing the oceans
What's Happening?
THIS WEEK OVER 1,923 MARINE MAMMALS AND SEA TURTLES WILL BE KILLED – and over 19,230 Sea Birds will be dead as well!
Did you know that halfway between California and Hawaii is a FLOATING PATCH OF PLASTIC GARBAGE that, by the latest estimates, has grown to 1 1⁄2 times the size of the continental United States? It is estimated to be 90 feet deep.
Unbelievable right? And it is actually one of five giant floating Garbage Patches in the world’s oceans! It turns out that when opposing currents collide, they form swirling vortexes called GYRES, where trash in the ocean is deposited.
So how does the plastic trash enter the ocean? Scientists believe that over 80% of the trash comes from people leaving it on the beach or from trash thrown into storm drains.
Stop trashing our oceans
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
These “Garbage Patches” are affecting all levels of life in the ocean! Plastic, which never breaks down, is consumed by sea creatures and is killing more than 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles and over one million sea birds each year!
Estimates suggest that there are now 6 times more plastic particles than plankton in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Plankton is actually the basic building block of the oceans and where the food chain begins.
56% of the oxygen that we breathe actually comes from Phyto- plankton.
stop trashing our oceans
Facts
- All 5 of the Ocean's Gyres are filling with Plastic Trash- over 80% comes from Land- trash left on the beach or storm drains.
- Over time, plastic breaks into particles that become incorporated into the food chain.
- Plankton is the basic building block of the ocean so now anything that previously ate plankton is now eating plastic!
- There are now 6 times more plastic particles than plankton in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. 56% of the oxygen we breath come from plankton in the ocean!
How planet rehab helps
Planet Rehab has been very vocal about raising awareness to the alarming trash situation in our oceans!
Since 2012, Planet Rehab has broadcast this message through numerous media outlets including Telemundo (Evening News, Accesso Total), Radio Interviews (including two National KIIS FM interviews), and over 10 newspaper and magazine articles.
How planet rehab has helped
Planet Rehab, was one of the first organizations to campaign to ban single use plastic bags in California. In January 2016, the plastic bag ban went into effect!
Planet Rehab was also the first organization in California to join the “Hands Across the Sand” movement – which has now gone global! “Hands Across the Sand” calls attention to pollutants that are threatening the ocean’s health (i.e. oil, plastic, etc.). During the years we participated, we collaborated with a Beach Clean Up, an Environmental Program, concluding each year by joining hands at the water’s edge – knowing that 1000s of people in countries all over the world were doing the same!
Today, Planet Rehab keeps looking for ways to get involved in this matter, and has created reusable bags as well as reusable water canteens.
Please consider joining our team! Together we can make change happen!
How you can help
Spread awareness
Sadly, many people are unaware of the hugely negative impact their single-use plastics have on the environment and their own health. Arm yourself with information and facts regarding plastic use, and spread the word!
Swap out single-use Plastics for good
There are so many products available on the market to reduce your plastic use! With everything from reusable water bottles to biodegradable dog poop bags, you have a big opportunity to reduce your consumption and make a big difference.