Goal For The Green

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, nearly 71 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, 96.5 percent of which is in the oceans. The safety and health of the oceanic ecosystem is essential to help our planet thrive. Collectively, our current way of life is doing little to help the ocean ecosystem thrive. In fact, we’re actually doing more harm than good.

According to Greenpeace International, just off the coast of California, reaching all the way to Hawaii, is a trash vortex that covers an area the size of the state of Texas. In this floating mass, you can find everything from plastic bags, toothbrushes, garbage wrappers, polystyrene packaging, plastic drums, discarded bottles, disposable lighters and traffic cones. Greenpeace International notes that for every 100 million tons of plastic produced annually, roughly 10 percent of it ends up in the ocean.

This begs the question: why does so much trash end up in the ocean? Are people just too lazy to properly dispose of their trash? Are landfills too full? If so, landfill expansion from an environmental remediation company could help. Just last year, a Delaware landfill expansion was completed after 20 years that “extended the life of the landfill by about 20 years,” according to Sevenson Environmental CEO, Michael Elia, who oversaw the project.

There’s plenty you can do every day to help protect our planet’s oceans:

Use Less Energy

One the of ocean’s most serious problems is acidification. As the ocean grows more acidic, it becomes uninhabitable for coral, fish and other types of marine life. According to a recent article on the Daily Green, this is happening as a result of an excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is a byproduct from burning fossil fuels. You can curb your energy usage by:

• Using energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs
• Taking public transportation or carpooling to work
• Upgrading to high-efficiency appliances

Use Fertilizer Sparingly

If you live near the ocean or in a coastal community, be careful to use fertilizer sparingly. The Daily Green notes that excess fertilizer eventually finds its way into the ocean, where it then depletes marine oxygen levels. Low oxygen levels create dead zones, destroying marine life in close proximity. Instead of using harsh fertilizer, consider making your own compost to fertilize your garden.

Upgrade to Reusable Bags

Plastic bags are harmful to birds and marine animals. As a main component of the trash vortex, plastic bags are often mistakenly ingested by sea turtles, ocean mammals and sea birds, which can cause deadly digestive blockages, according to the Daily Green. Instead of using plastic bags, bring your own reusable tote bags to the grocery store or shopping center. Keep a small bag in your purse or in the glove compartment of your car so that you always have a reusable tote on hand.

Buy Sustainably Caught Seafood

Industrial farm fishing practices are wreaking havoc on marine habitats around the world. According to a recent article on Huffington Post, about 50 percent of all fish caught by industrial fishermen end up being wasted, dead and discarded in the sea. Exercise your purchasing power by avoiding farmed fish. Instead, choose fish that’s advertised as being diver-caught, wild or line-caught.