By Richard Melendez, Digital Editor
When you think Greenpeace, you might think of their daring and dangerous confrontations with whaling vessels or possibly one of their (sometimes controversial) efforts to halt other environmentally damaging activities. So it should come as no surprise to learn that Greenpeace is also active in studying the effects of plastics and microplastics on the environment, trying to get the largest producers and consumers of plastics to change their ways, and educating the public about the dangers and remedies.
The Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise recently visited the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and has been making its way around the Pacific to study this phenomenon more and giving people a better understanding of how dire a threat plastics pose to not only our planet, but to our own bodies, as well. The crew has been in Hawai‘i through much of October, including stops in Honolulu and Kaho‘olawe, to further research waterborne plastics, and to share their story with the public. And what a enlightening and disturbing story it is.
Bottom line, Plastics are bad. Microplastics — small, barely visible pieces of plastic — are bad, too, if not worse. Plastics aren’t biodegradable, but they will break down into smaller and smaller microplastics. These microplasticsare found in the ocean, in the sand and soil, and in all levels of our food supply chain, including within our store-bought products — from fresh fish to bottled water to sea salt — and have been found within our bodies and fecal matter. What are the long term effects of these microplastics on our health? We don’t know, yet.
While this may all seem like doom and gloom, there are actions that everyone can take to help alleviate the situation. Especially as a tourist, it’s way too easy to go through a ton of disposable plastics, but it doesn’t take much effort to be a more responsible traveler.
There’s so much more to the story of the Arctic Sunrise and their adventures in the Pacific. There’s even much more to tell and learn about plastics and microplastics in our environment. Hopefully you can visit the Arctic Sunrise while they’re here in Hawai‘i or wherever else in the world you may cross paths.
This Week Hawaii
Islands
All Rights Reserved | This Week Hawaii