Let's do an exercise. I want you to think of the largest pile of trash you can possibly imagine. Now multiply that by 100. Then go ahead and multiply that by 100, and you might just be starting to scratch the surface of comprehending the size of the world's most massive collection of man-made debris.
Reader, meet The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. At least 100 feet in height, it's a mass of waste that floats within the North Pacific Gyre - the center of a number of currents that create a circular effect, pulling clothing, lighters, plastic bags, toys, toothbrushes, wrappers, bottles, fishnets and other pollutants together. Located between the California Coast and the Hawai'ian islands, this mass is estimated to weigh 3.5 million tons, and is at least the size of Texas (yes, I said at LEAST)... and quite possibly as large as 1.5 times the size of the entire Unites States. (Go ahead and take a moment to digest that before reading on). Of course the size is constantly changing, with pieces breaking off and either dropping to the ocean floor or drifting to one day find itself on a faraway coastline.
Surprisingly, the patch was only discovered a dozen years ago. It's beyond ecologically detrimental - with the plastic to sea life ratio standing at a whopping 6:1. That's probably because the local mammals and birds are ingesting its contents and getting caught in its tangled mass.
It was the discovery of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch that lead me to being together a team of colleagues to clean up Ocean Beach back in October of 2008. Though our efforts were minuscule in the grand picture, it was an amazing and very successful event. I have personally developed a zero tolerance policy for people who are too lazy to wait for a trash can... and become increasingly irritated with each plastic bottle that I see being thrown into the trash as opposed to being properly recycled. Call me the Recycling Nazi. I'm just that much of a stickler.
What I'm hoping that this entry will do is encourage you to make one change in your life - small as it may be - to better the environment. Does your office not have enough recycling receptacles? Call in and request for more. Find yourself collecting too many paper and plastic bags? Bring your own re-usable bags to the grocery store. Don't have any? I'll give you some - I have an abundance! Volunteer at a local tree-planting or beach clean-up. Offer to recycle that Coke can you see somebody chucking into a trash bin. Turn off your lights when you're not around. Un-plug your cell phone charger when you're not using it, because guess what? As long as it's plugged in, it's still pulling power.
There are a million things you can do! The opportunities are endless. Make these small changes habits - because these are the types of habits that very soon become a lifestyle.
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