HOW TO HELP
Marine debris and plastic pollution are human caused problems, but the good news is that means that as humans, we have the power to solve these issues!
Here are some suggestions for how to help:
*Participate in a beach clean up
San Francisco has many miles of coastline and there are several organizations committed to planning organized events that allow community members to help pick trash up off of our beaches. Check out Surfrider SF's frequent cleanups along Ocean Beach, the Aquarium of the Bay's quarterly cleanups, or Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup Day each September.
*Plan a cleanup at your school
Cleanups at your school can help to enhance your science curriculum, allowing students to connect with their local environment, think critically about the conservation issues that we face as a community, and practice the scientific skills of data collection and analysis. In addition, they help to remove trash from our cities that might otherwise end up in the Bay and the Ocean.
*Reduce your personal consumption of single use plastics
We can all easily do our part to avoid littering directly. But, even when we are responsible with our trash, sometimes things happen - animals knock over our bins, it blows off of trucks or out of landfills. The only guaranteed way to make sure less trash ends up in the ocean is to make less trash by using less stuff. Since plastics last for hundreds or thousands of years in the ocean, it is especially important to reduce the amount of plastics we use in our lives. Consider cutting out single use plastics such as ziploc bags, plastic straws and plastic water bottles. What other plastic items can you think of that you can cut out of your life?
*Support companies that use less packaging
Some companies make a real effort to use less plastic when they are packaging their goods. Show your support for these environmentally friendly efforts by choosing products with less plastic packaging whenever possible!
*Support California's plastic bag ban
In June of 2016, California will vote on a statewide measure to ban plastic grocery bags. Fewer plastic bags being sold will definitely mean fewer plastic bags in the ocean. These items are especially problematic because when floating in the water, they can look like tasty treats (like jellyfish!) to some animals like California Sea Lions. Eating plastic is not good for animals and can cause them to become sick. Voting 'yes' for the plastic bag ban will help to prevent this problem and protects animals like our Sea Lions!
*Contact your local representative to encourage them to make decisions to protect the Bay
Write a letter, send an email, or give a call to your local lawmaker to let them know how important it is to take steps to prevent marine debris and plastic pollution. Encourage them to support measures like the plastics bag ban and microbead ban that will help to protect our bay and the animals that live in and around it (including us!).
*Tell your friends
Share what you learned with people you know! Help others learn about how important it is to reduce marine debris and plastic pollution and discuss ways to help such as participating in cleanups and reducing the amount of plastics in our lives both as individuals and as a community!
*Your idea here!
There are so many solutions to this problem and humans are an innovative species - I bet you can come up with a few more ideas for how to reduce the problem of marine debris and plastic pollution! You rock!
