The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Have you ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?  No?  It's in the middle of the ocean, so most of us will never see it, but it's one of the largest man-made environmental disasters in the world.  It is the world's largest landfill and it's getting larger every year!

The ocean is constantly moving.  Ocean currents move the water in different directions depending on wind, temperature and other factors.  The North Pacific Gyre is a  place in the Pacific Ocean between California and Japan where many currents come together to form a giant, clockwise moving area of water.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is located here in the North Pacific Gyre.  It is literally a giant, floating patch of garbage twice the size of Texas and made up of millions of pounds of plastic, chemical sludge and other debris.  Greenpeace has said that 10% of all plastic manufactured each year ends up in the ocean!

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch presents hazards to marine life.  Plastic can end up in the stomachs of marine birds, sea turtles and fish.  These toxic plastic pieces can also be eaten by jellyfish, which are then eaten by larger fish.  When the larger fish are eaten by humans, these toxins can enter our bodies!  All life on Earth is connected.  Our abuse of the environment comes back to us full circle.

Be aware of your waste!  Throw garbage in the trash, not on the ground!  Recycle plastic disposable products when you can or avoid buying them altogether!  The next time you see a piece of garbage about to blow into a sewer, a river or a stream, pick it up and throw it away.  How big will the Garbage Patch get before we start to act?

EARTH DAY - APRIL 22, 2010

The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 and was founded by United States senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin.  This day marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement and helped promote awareness about pollution of all kinds across the country.

2010 marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.  How will you celebrate?  Here are some suggestions for things you can do on Earth Day and every day to show your commitment to a clean environment:

* Wear green!  *  Plant flowers and trees.  *  Organize a neighborhood clean up.  *  Read a "green" book.  *  Teach others what you know.  *  Make nature crafts.  *  Recycle!  *  Ride your bike!

EARTH HOUR - MARCH 27 - 8:30PM

This Saturday March 27th, you can take part in the World Wildlife Fund's "Earth Hour" by switching off the lights in your home for one hour - from 8:30pm until 9:30pm.

"Earth Hour" is a symbolic gesture meant to raise awareness about the effects of global climate change.  This Saturday night, you can join hundreds of millions of people across the globe by turning off electric devices in your house.  And hopefully you'll remember to conserve energy every day by turning off the lights when you leave the room, unplugging electric devices that aren't in use and purchasing energy efficient technology the next time you're in the market for a new appliance.

Here are some other places that will be switching off their lights this weekend:

- The Empire State Building

- Las Vegas Strip

- Broadway Theatre Marquees

- United Nations Headquarters

- Golden Gate Bridge

- Eiffel Tower

- Sydney Opera House

- Seattle's Space Needle

And many more!

Send a clear message to your neighbors that you care about climate change and want to see more investment in clean energy sources for a better tomorrow!  So turn off the TV and computer, light some candles (with your parents' permission of course!) and spend some quality time with your loved ones during Earth Hour this year.

WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?

This is a word I’ve been hearing a lot lately.  But what does it mean?  According to World Commission on Environment and Development, sustainable development is defined as “the ability of humanity to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

What are some things we do today that will negatively affect the kids of tomorrow?  Polluting the air with greenhouse gases, polluting the soil and water with landfill, polluting oceans by dumping garbage, threatening sea life by overfishing, threatening water supplies by spilling harmful chemicals, wasting natural resources, relying on energy sources that damage our environment, and the list goes on.

Ancient tribes of people, like the Native Americans here in this country, lived in a way that was sustainable.  For example, Native American tribes would use every part of an animal after they killed it so that no part was wasted.  These people believed that humans must live together peacefully with nature instead of dominating it—or worse yet, destroying it.

Here are some basic rules for how to live sustainably, provided by environmentalist Paul Hawken:

·      Leave the world better than you found it.

·      Don’t take more than you need.

·      Try not to harm life or the environment, make amends if you do.

Right now, there are many things we are used to doing and buying that are unsustainable.  The older we get, the more we will see sustainable products and sustainable ways of life becoming available.  But how can we make sustainability popular?  Isn’t it easier to keep things the way they are?  Will you be a kid who looks for these new advances?  Are you able to recognize things you do every day that may be unsustainable?

HAIL THE POWER OF MUSHROOMS!

Hey green friends!  I just learned about an amazing new use for fungus!  It turns out that an organic farm in California is growing mushrooms to be used as building and packaging materials.  Cool, huh?

In the picture above you see a cluster of mushrooms.  At the bottom of the cluster is a dark network of fibers called mycelium.  Mycelium is not for eating, but it IS fireproof, nontoxic and resistant to water.  It’s also stronger than concrete!!!

In this next picture, you can see a structure made entirely out of mycelium.  Maybe someday we can use it to make houses and bridges.  (Move aside Smurfs!)

The material is also being used as a green alternative to Styrofoam (a packing material that does not decompose, cannot be recycled and is awful for the environment).  After you receive a package stuffed with mushroom material, you can toss it into your garden as compost!

Hooray for mushrooms!

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BIOFUELS?

A “biofuel” is any fuel created from plant or animal materials.  For example, wood is one of the simplest biofuels.  Modern biofuels include bioethanol, made from sugar or starch crops.  Biodiesel on the other hand is made from vegetable oils or animal fats.

ADVANTAGES

·      Reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

·      More environmentally friendly.

·      Varied source material (can be made from a wide range of materials).

·      Cheaper.

·      May help to tackle poverty (poor countries without oil reserves may have land available for biofuel farming).

·      Biodegradability (spills are easier to clean up and MUCH less hazardous).

DISADVANTAGES

·      Lower Energy Output (great quantities consumed to get the same energy).

·      Adapting more land to produce crops for biofuels means more loss of habitats and decreased biodiversity.

·      Food vs. Fuel Debate (farmers make more money selling crops for fuel, which may cause higher food prices).

·      Not Carbon Neutral (it still takes energy to grow crops and then convert them into fuel).

·      Water Use (massive amounts of water are needed to grow crops and manufacture the fuel).

Here we go again!  Another energy source that has just as many bad sides as good sides.  But there may be hope in the future with 2^nd and 3^rd generation biofuels.  What do you know about these?  How are they different from 1^st generation biofuels?

MY FIRST FEW RESPONSES!

So I wrote my first green blog yesterday and sent e-mails to all my friends about it!  I got a few responses from people who said they already use canvas bags, but told me to keep spreading the word.  I got no responses from people who decided to make a change today (although I'm hoping some did and just didn't say so!)  And I got one response from my friend Trevor who told me that he didn’t understand my point, thinks the whole "going green" movement is lame and doesn’t believe in global warming.

First of all, I told him, global warming has almost nothing to do with plastic bags.  Second of all, why NOT make small, green changes if they are simple ones?  I mean, using canvas bags isn’t even that hard to do when you think about it.  I don't know, it was really upsetting that Trevor argued with me over something I think is so logical.  It also really drives me crazy that some people refuse to go green because they think it's "not cool."  Oh, and somebody kicked over my snowman on purpose today too.  Maybe there’s just too many people in the world who don’t care about the environment for me to actually make a difference.  I don't know...

But here's some good news!  I officially have two fans of my blog!  Welcome Pookala and Ankerman! You two have just put me back into a good, green mood!  More to come friends!