Author: khayes

How to Celebrate 50 Years of Earth Day at Home

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 A very special holiday is coming up VERY soon and we’re so excited to spend it with our #OceanOlympians. Not only will it be Earth Day, but it will be its 50th anniversary… meaning we have to go big or go home. 

Earth Day History

As we prepare to mark 50 years of Earth Day in 2020, let’s take a look at what it is and its history.

Earth Day is observed around the world on April 22. The first Earth Day was celebrated April 22, 1970, and is considered the “birth of the modern environmental movement.”

Before 1970, the health of the environment was not a typical concern, despite several different industries pumping chemicals and smoke into the air. 

After the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, Calif., Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. senator for Wisconsin, organized a nationwide demonstration against the pollution and the deterioration of the environment with the help of Denis Hayes, an environmental advocate who coordinated the protest. 

The protest took place on April 22, 1970. Approximately twenty million Americans joined the demonstration in support of a healthier and more sustainable treatment of the environment. This approach placed pressure on politicians to act on environmental legislation, which resulted in Earth Day, a national commemoration for this demonstration.

Earth Day Plans

Given the fact we’re currently in the middle of a pandemic, Earth Day activities have been modified. Here are ways to show your love for the Earth:

Indulge in nature webinar series/podcasts/videos

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension is offering an “Earth Day at Home” webinar series. The webinars will air Mondays from April 20 (TODAY) to June 29, and focus on steps to protect the environment, including how to make homes sustainable, environmentally friendly lawn care, and composting to reduce plastic waste.

Wildlands Conservancy has produced a series of wildlife-focused educational pieces on red-tailed hawks, wood turtles and other animals. They also offer a bingo game that grows nature awareness.

In addition to those fun activities, South Jersey Watersavers is holding a virtual rain garden workshop at 6 p.m. on Wednesday for you to learn more about rain gardens and how you can build one at home.

Make Art

Get creative and make some fun Earth inspired art. One of our personal favorites is creating your own Earth. This activity has different variations, the most popular is using shaving cream and food coloring. 

For this project, you will need:

  1. Shaving cream
  2. Paper plates
  3. Green and blue liquid gel food coloring
  4. Baking sheet
  5. Craft sticks
  6. Paper Towels 

How to make your very own Earth:

  1. Fill up two cereal sized bowls with shaving cream. Lightly mix blue food coloring in one and green in the other.
  2. Mix together the colored shaving cream. 
  3. Press a paper plate into the shaving cream and make sure the front is completely coated.
  4. Use a craft stick to scrape off the shaving cream and wipe off the excess shaving cream with a paper towel.
  5. Let dry and display!

Photo: The Simple Parent Blog

For more ideas on how to spend the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, visit this page.

 

Written by Kailyn Hayes, Edited by Sofia Avila

Fast Fashion’s Contribution to Ocean Pollution

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Written by: Kailyn

Edited by: Victoria

Rows of jackets at Zara’s headquarters in Arteixo, Spain, October 2018. Business Insider/Mary Hanbury

What is fast fashion?

Fast fashion is when clothing designs are moved quickly from the catwalk to stores in order to meet new trends, according to Investopedia. It allows the everyday consumer to purchase trendy clothing at an affordable price.

Major clothing brands are trying to keep up with the high demand for clothes, so they are constantly producing pieces that are oftentimes made with cheap material, hence why fast fashion is sometimes called disposable fashion.

While there are a few benefits to fast fashion, the negative aspects stand out more such as pollution, poor workmanship, and poor working conditions in developing countries. Today we’ll think about ocean pollution.

How does it impact our ocean?

Microfibers are commonly found in fast fashion. These are tiny bits of plastic less than five millimeters in length and as we’ve discussed on this blog, plastic + the ocean = big trouble. These plastics are found in fabrics such as polyester and acrylic. The fashion industry contributes about 20 percent of wastewater and 10 percent of carbon emissions globally, according to the UN.

A 2017 report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimated that 35% of all microplastics in the ocean came from synthetic textiles like polyester. So many items are made from polyester which is shaping up to be a significant problem. The fashion industry is also the second-largest consumer of water worldwide, according to the UN Economic Commission for Europe.

“Well, it can be quite surprising to know that a majority of the clothes that we wear and that we buy are made out of plastic,” said researcher Imogen Napper at the University of Plymouth to CTV News.

Vancouver-based marine conservation organization Ocean Wise released a report in October 2019 that estimated U.S. and Canadian households released more than 870 tons of plastic microfibers into the ocean annually from laundry alone. Let that sink in.  870 tons is equivalent to the weight of ten blue whales.

A blue rectangular piece of microplastic is visible on a researcher’s finger on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 in Tacoma, Wash. New research suggests North Americans eat, drink and inhale tens of thousands of tiny plastic particles every year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Ted S. Warren

Research has found that microfibers have been adding to overall microplastics pollution and accumulating in the food chain.

“With the microplastics, with the smaller pieces, we know from laboratory studies that there’s the potential for those small pieces to cause harm,” said marine biologist Richard Thompson.

The same concerns are echoed in Ocean Wise’s report, which highlights that microplastics and microfibers are mistaken for food by marine life and can work their way up the food chain. This means that we could potentially be consuming plastic as well which can cause health issues for us.

Take Notes: Seattle collection made entirely from ocean waste

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(Photo credit: Five12 Apparel)

Written by Kailyn and Edited by Emily

Five12 Apparel is a sustainable activewear line created with 100 percent recycled, post-consumable materials. The brand just announced their first campaign. They are hoping to raise $10K by April 2 to fund their new “OC (Ocean Cleanup) Collection,” made entirely from discarded ghost fishing nets and recovered ocean plastics. 

The brand specializes in indoor and outdoor performance apparel and a variety of accessories. They aim to center their collections around the environment, stating: 

“Holding our company to the highest standards of sustainability, we reduce, reuse, and recycle. As of today, we use recycled coffee grounds, plastic water bottles and used windshields. We will continue to develop new products from post consumer recycled components translating into performance apparel, bags, and accessories.”

Ghost fishing nets & Coffee Grounds

The company selected ghost fishing nets because they “are one of the greatest killers of marine life and biggest threats to our oceans.”

Five12’s Huntington Hoodies and Santa Cruz 7/8 Crops are made from ghost fishing nets that are destroying our oceans.  These products are great examples of taking lemons and making lemonade. Five12 selected ghost fishing nets because they “are one of the greatest killers of marine life and biggest threats to our oceans.” The team gathers, cleans, melts, and develops these nets into the recycled yarn used in their woven garments.

(Photo credit: Five12 Apparel)

During ghost fishing, nets get lost in the water, injuring and killing sea life and contaminating the ocean for decades. A recent study estimated there are over 85,000 lobster and crab ghost traps in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. 

The company also utilizes coffee grounds to make clothing. ‘Why coffee grounds?’ you might ask. Between odor control, UV protection, and moisture management, coffee grounds provide technical qualities needed to create comfortable activewear that makes an effective outdoor experience.

Think of that cold brew you had this morning, or the long lines of people at Starbucks… Several cups of coffee are consumed every single day around the world. The post consumable coffee grounds are gathered from local shops where the oils are extracted to make a dry powder. The powder is then turned into pellets which are melted to make fiber.

Recycled Windshields & More

Replacing your windshield? No problem. Five12 implements these windshields and recycles them to make backpacks. The PVB plastic waste film is separated from the glass and cleaned. These chips are then melted to create pellets, which are then melted and prepared to make water-resistant fabrics.

They’re so passionate about the efforts made to protect our oceans and marine life that they plan to donate 10% of all Huntington Hoodie profits to The Ocean Cleanup.

(Photo credit: Five12 Apparel)

It’s worth mentioning that this is not the only company tossing their hat in the race to save the ocean. Last week, we talked about Adidas’ new shoe design, but it is apparent that more brands are growing an interest in operating sustainably. Additionally, Nike and Patagonia work to incorporate recycled materials into their products.

Why is this important?

As they constantly challenge themselves to find new ways to create outerwear that saves our environment, we should challenge ourselves to help save the ocean. Head over to our Twitter page to see what this week’s challenge is!

Is there more than one form of ocean pollution? Yes.

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Written by Kailyn Hayes, Edited by Skylar Griffin

Every single day, more and more waste is polluting our oceans. How can we stop this from happening if we don’t know the forms of pollution that take place? Even though we discussed the connection between life above and below the ocean surface, there is still more to know about the vast subject of ocean conservation. By learning about the types of ocean pollution, you are taking the necessary steps to help preserve over two-thirds of the planet.

One of the largest sources of marine pollution is called ‘nonpoint source pollution.’ Nonpoint source pollution occurs as an effect of runoff and includes sources, like vehicles, farms and septic tanks. Some forms of pollution that negatively impact the health of our oceans can come from a single source, such as oil spills, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). Nonetheless, after being contaminated by the pollution sources below, our ecosystems need a while to recover.

Types of Ocean Pollution

Oil – When you first hear about oil as an ocean pollutant, your mind more than likely conjures up images of a disastrous oil spill. However, oil from vehicles can also damage the ocean. The oil from vehicles on the road runoff and trickle into the ocean, according to National Geographic. Occasionally, boats will spill oil directly into the water. Regardless, oil seepage is harmful to marine life and it is our responsibility to reduce it.

Agricultural Runoff – Pesticides and nitrogen fertilizers that are used on land by farmers are carried into streams and rivers before eventually entering the ocean typically after heavy rain. NOAA states that 80% of marine pollution starts on land. For example, EPA Effects reported that runoff from the Mississippi  River Basin is the cause of the “Dead Zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, which lacks a sufficient amount of marine life.

Industrial Waste – While rarely discussed, industrial waste is a huge issue when it comes to ocean dumping. Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t until the mid-1970s, that dumping industrial waste into oceans was illegal. Almost all large companies deal with toxic waste. This waste infects the water and sea life, including the ones we eat. Imagine getting mercury poisoning from eating sushi. Despite this being a rare occurrence, unless you’re obsessed and eat sushi every single day, the number of toxins entering the raw fish can have adverse effects on you as well.

Carbon Dioxide – Fossil fuel burning leads to the production of carbon dioxide, and the concentration of this gas speeds up our oceans becoming more acidic. This process changes the pH of ocean water and creates a devastating effect on shellfish and other marine life.

Plastic – One of the most common forms of ocean pollution is plastic. Whether it’s a plastic bag, a pack of straws or six-pack rings, plastic debris negatively affects our ocean. This trash can entangle and suffocate our oceanic friends. By reducing your use of plastic, you are helping the environment.

Now that you know the various forms of ocean pollution, you can go forward combating this issue. Go forward and spread more awareness about these different types of ocean pollution. In fact, as an Ocean Olympian, you can even challenge your friends to be mindful of their daily habits that affect our oceans.

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