The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
- by: Merlyn Seeley
- recipient: U.S. Congress, EPA & the US President
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnUjTHB1lvM
The largest landfill in the world consists of non-biodegradable plastics floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Between southern California and Hawaii is the North Pacific Gyre, where the water currents create a slow moving vortex. These currents have drawn in vast amount of garbage and mainly plastic in the past 100 years, which has won it the name "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch".
The Eastern Patch alone is over twice the size of Texas and will surely grow if we do not take every effort we can to clean up this mess.
Not only is it a danger to marine life, but to tourists and fishermen. Plastics are not biodegradable, and so they may break down from sunlight over time, but remain plastic and release harmful chemicals. They are often mistaken as food by many marine animals which they may die from, or eventually get into the food chain.
The first step is to simply stop consuming so much plastic we know will stay here for such a long time. Use safer products like glass and do not buy products with extra packaging. Refuse to use plastic bags at the grocery store.
Secondly, we must make all efforts to begin the task of cleaning this ocean spot. Only about 20% of water pollution is cargo from ships. The other 80% comes from land. We must help fix what we caused.
Congress must see the importance of this issue. Please urge them to begin a cleanup phase!
We the undersigned feel it is more than extremely important to bring this issue to light and to the world! It is known about and now the population is learning about it, a massive patch of plastic mostly but garbage as well that is twice the size of Texas and just is allowed to float on the ocean is disgusting and unacceptable. We are urging you to do something about this serious problem immediately, the ocean's residents are being effected by the harmful chemicals that this plastic is releasing into the ocean and we are being harmed by what it releases into the air! Are you going to stand by and instead of getting some nets and cleaning this up going to allow it to grow so that one day our children have to figure out a way to clean it up? We urge you to start cleanup efforts immediately and to take measures to change the amount of plastic that is being wasted in the US now not later. There are alternatives to plastic in most places such as the grocery stores. We will no longer stand by while this massive patch of garbage and plastic in the ocean off OUR coast grows to a size that is untouchable. What must other countries think when they see this on a satellite photo? PLEASE we urge you to take efforts to clean this up immediately for the US now and in the future! And thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
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