What Would YOU Do with a Garbage Patch Twice the Size of Texas?

By Guest Blogger Sydney Magee

Here at Body Enlightenment we get to meet a lot of you great folks as you visit our community through programs or over on our Facebook page. It’s hearing what matters to you that informs our decisions about new programs and events. We want to know what you’re passionate about, what compels you to take action in your own community!

Today we share the thoughts of Sydney Magee, one of our students registered for the upcoming Healthy Homesteader course. During our Back to the Wild Summit we’ve been talking about getting back to basics and exploring ways to use the power of nature to improve our health; but in order to take advantage of nature’s power, we must protect the resources that nature provides for us. Sydney shares the message that we all have the choice to live responsibly and make environmentally-friendly choices, even when the problem seems too “far away.” Come along and join the conversation!

A Not-So-Tropical Island of Trash

Chances are you’ve heard talk of the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” So many stories are circulating about this giant “island” of trash “twice the size of Texas” floating around in the Pacific that they are almost impossible to avoid. However, it is actually a common misconception that this plastic junk has neatly accumulated in one place. In fact, spread over thousands of miles, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a multitude of small groups of steadily deteriorating plastic refuse…

… and it’s not alone.

Though spoken of as a singular event, the GPGP actually has 4 little siblings spread across the globe.

So, why is this such a big deal? Doesn’t the ocean take care of itself? Well, in its own way, yes it does. The thing is – most things our oceans would need to “take care of” are made of organic matter that, once broken down into smaller particles, are easily recycled back into the environment. Plastic is not so kind.

Plastic in Our Oceans Means Plastic in Our Bodies

Broken down plastic remains just that – plastic. These tiny plastic particles are mistaken for plankton or fish eggs by wildlife and are ingested just the same by fish, birds, and, eventually, us.

Considering the magnitude of this problem, without even taking into account everything else we are doing to pollute our oceans, is there anything we can do to even touch this environmental catastrophe?

The answer is a resounding “YES!”

First step: Educating. Many people believe that these issues are someone else’s problem because they aren’t “directly” affected by it, so it gets ignored or left to higher powers to fix. Whatever affects the oceans affects everything else, so this affects even me right in the middle of Oklahoma and means I am also responsible.
Step two: Equipping. It is well known that buying a glass water bottle to keep and refill is better than buying “disposable” plastic bottles, but many see this as an enormous inconvenience – not to mention many also do not trust the quality of local tap water. Therefore – even if we understand and appreciate the value of sustainable buying, we know that it is not a healthy option for everyone. This means we must stress recycling. We must keep non-biodegradable substances out of landfills and oceans for our own health and the health of the world.
Step Three: Regulating We must engage the higher municipal powers. As long as there are no regulations, businesses will continue to produce massive amounts of plastics that will inevitably end up in our oceans and landfills.

So What Can Be Done?

Here’s a young man that has inspired me! I invite you to watch this TEDx talk presented by Boyan Slat, as he talks about how we have now entered the “Plastic Age,” and some progressive ideas about how to reverse this trend.

We must remember that pollution has to be cut off at the source. All the cleaning in the world won’t amount to anything if we just continue to replace what is removed.

But we can do it! This is our mess, and it is in our power to clean it up instead of handing it off to our children. Hop onto the conversation in the comments below or find your own inspiration while you listen to the second half of our Back to the Wild Summit!