• Home
  • Books
    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
    • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
    • Neema’s Reason To Smile
    • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
    • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
    • Surviving Animal Attacks
    • Elite Operations series
    • Energy Lab series
    • QuickReads Fluency Library
    • Books for English language-learners
    • Writers write all kinds of things
  • Author Visit Programs
    • FAQs
    • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Educator Resources
    • STEM + Literacy Activities
    • Teacher Guides
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    • LitLinks
    • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
  • Writer Resources
    • Writing Classes
    • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
    • How I got my start
  • Who is Patricia Newman?
  • Contact
    • Stay In Touch
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
Patricia NewmanPatricia Newman
Sibert Honor Children's Book Author & Environmentalist
  • Home
  • Books
    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
    • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
    • Neema’s Reason To Smile
    • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
    • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
    • Surviving Animal Attacks
    • Elite Operations series
    • Energy Lab series
    • QuickReads Fluency Library
    • Books for English language-learners
    • Writers write all kinds of things
  • Author Visit Programs
    • FAQs
    • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Educator Resources
    • STEM + Literacy Activities
    • Teacher Guides
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    • LitLinks
    • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
  • Writer Resources
    • Writing Classes
    • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
    • How I got my start
  • Who is Patricia Newman?
  • Contact
    • Stay In Touch
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive

Rethinking our relationship with plastic

NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center/AP
NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center/AP

Rethinking our relationship with plastic

June 17, 2015 Ocean Plastic No Comments
BY MOLLY VINCENT, GUEST STUDENT BLOGGER  
Molly Vincent

Molly Vincent

Ever since the 2009 Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastics Expedition (SEAPLEX) featured in Plastic, Ahoy: Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, more scientists have followed the SEAPLEX lead.

A 2010 study found that 275 million metric tons of trash was dumped in the patch from 192 coastal countries all over the world. From South Africa to the San Francisco Bay area, 15% to 40% of waste ends up in the ocean. China alone dumped almost five billion pounds of plastic in 2010.

Karen Lavender Law, a research professor of oceanography at Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, opened up in an interview on Public Radio International’s Science Friday about plastic waste in the oceans. Due to the alarming amount of plastic floating in the world’s oceans, she raises an important question: Will we soon be swimming in a sea of plastic?

The biggest contributors to the plastic waste crisis are developing countries with growing populations, such as China and Indonesia. The second biggest contributors are high-income countries (such as the U.S.) with large coastal populations that contaminate surrounding waterways. In addition to common plastic waste (such as water bottles and food containers), plastic garbage from natural disasters, such as hurricanes and tsunamis, contribute to the excess litter. Micro beads found in toothpastes and face washes are too small to be trapped by waste-water treatment facilities and also find their way to our waterways.

 

The big problem is that plastic does not fully degrade. Instead, it turns into smaller and smaller bits, but the pieces don’t fully break down and disappear. Marine animals feed on plastic pieces that not only cause internal damage, but contaminate their tissues with harmful toxins found in the plastic. The plastic pieces also act as small sponges and absorb other toxins in the ocean. In addition, the plastic gives the animals the false feeling of being full.

Despite, plastic trash in the ocean, many people are taking the first steps towards a cleaner environment. Currently, sixteen restaurants in San Diego, CA have eliminated plastic in exchange for paper goods.

OPPORTUNITIES TO ACT

  • Instead of drinking water from plastic bottles, try Boxed Water; the BPA-free packaging will most likely decompose faster.
  • In addition readers can challenge manufacturers to produce less plastic and to make their packaging more sustainable by writing letters and signing petitions.
Tags: actionEarth Dayoceanplasticrecycle
No Comments
Share
0

You also might be interested in

Nicola-Davies photo
Nicola-Davies photo

Nicola Davies’ environmental books lay it all on the page

Feb 23, 2016

Nicola Davies enjoys solitude. “Almost all my positive memories are[...]

Abayomi
Darcy Pattison and Kitty Harvill Mims House, 2014

A reading suggestion for Earth-conscious students

Mar 27, 2014

Children’s authors tend to be an Earth-friendly group, and my[...]

Behind-the-scenes in a zoo scientist’s lab

Apr 5, 2018

Behind-the-scenes access is a definite perk to writing environmental nonfiction.[...]

Leave a Reply

Your email is safe with me.
Cancel Reply

Click the logo to have LitLinks delivered to your inbox

LitLinks Logo-2022

Author Visits

https://youtu.be/zj6n-RFOcPA?si=8WCTnyXbTiwYumYo
https://youtu.be/ziN0UrqaDYI

Earth Day Every Day Newsletter Archive

Earth-Day-Every-Day-newsletter-banner

Post Categories:

Blog Archive

Top Posts

LitLinks: How to share our ocean connections with kids and teens

LitLinks: Let’s learn to decode photos in STEM nonfiction

LitLinks: How Elephants Can Make Your Sound Unit ROAR!

LitLinks: Easy ways to build students’ science communication skills

Proof that science connects kids to the larger world

Recent Comments

  • Danna Smith on LitLinks: Did you know goats can teach children about homonyms? I love this series of books!
  • Raven Howell on LitLinks: Did you know goats can teach children about homonyms? Absolutely love this piece you wrote! Thanks for sharing your…
  • Annie Lynn on LitLinks: 3 easy ways to use animals to introduce onomatopoeia Wonderful idea to link sounds and musical instruments to nature…
Empowering young readers to act

Latest Blog Posts

  • LitLinks: How to use picture book biography as a bridge to historical and scientific events
    LitLinks: How to use picture book biography as a bridge to historical and scientific events
  • LitLinks: How to use nonfiction to help students explore cause and effect
    LitLinks: How to use nonfiction to help students explore cause and effect
  • LitLinks: Teaching free verse poetry through and about nature
    LitLinks: Teaching free verse poetry through and about nature

Connect with me on social media

Action Shots

Check out the STEM Tuesday Blog

© 2025 — Patricia Newman

  • Home
  • Books
    • Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger
    • Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
    • Eavesdropping on Elephants
    • Neema’s Reason To Smile
    • Zoo Scientists to the Rescue
    • Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
    • Jingle the Brass
    • Nugget on the Flight Deck
    • Surviving Animal Attacks
    • Elite Operations series
    • Energy Lab series
    • QuickReads Fluency Library
    • Books for English language-learners
    • Writers write all kinds of things
  • Author Visit Programs
    • FAQs
    • Calendar
  • Blog
  • Educator Resources
    • STEM + Literacy Activities
    • Teacher Guides
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
    • LitLinks
    • KidLit creators who make kids want to read
  • Writer Resources
    • Writing Classes
    • Manuscript or Proposal Critiques
    • How I got my start
  • Who is Patricia Newman?
  • Contact
    • Stay In Touch
    • Earth Day Every Day newsletter archive
Prev Next