The "Rise Above Plastics" campaign urges us to cut down plastic dependence.

Image by Rise Above Plastics campaign

Here's an organization that understands how to get the attention of college students. Rise Above Plastics is a non-profit organization aimed at raising public awareness of the effects that plastics can have on marine environments. They've done this in part by going on a world tour with Jack Johnson and getting him to record a song about their cause. Sounds like a good nonprofit to work for.

They've also got a very dynamic website with great illustrations like the one above to catch the eye. Then there's this advertisement they made, which is very much worth watching.



I spoke briefly about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in my last post on the dangers of disposables. Accidentally discovered by Charles Moore in 1997, the 10 million square mile floating dump is the result of an estimated 3.5 million tons of plastic and other waste pulled by currents from China, the continental United States, and the Hawaiian islands. There's no clear method to effectively clean up the small plastic pieces that are already there and the plastics enter the food chain when they are eaten by small fish and birds that mistake them for food.

In recent years, the density of the trash has risen dramatically — with plastics outnumbering plankton 46:1 in some places. According to Rise Against Plastics, it's estimated that over one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals are killed every year from plastic entanglement or ingestion.

And it doesn't end there. Bisphenol A, a chemical common in plastics, breaks down into the water supply causing defects in wildlife similar to those caused by estrogen. It only takes a small amount to disrupt the endocrine system and cause severe defects to animals. In the video below, they discuss an equally disturbing problem caused by Bisphenol A. Researchers tested a variety of brand new plastic baby bottles by letting water sit in them for a period of time, after which every sample returned the chemical. After washing the bottles, the amounts detected were even higher.



As the video says, plastic producers dispute the claims and point to the FDA's support for backup, but increased awareness has caused the FDA to take a second look at the chemical. In January of this year, the FDA put out a statement saying:

Studies employing standardized toxicity tests have thus far supported the safety of current low levels of human exposure to BPA However, on the basis of results from recent studies using novel approaches to test for subtle effects, both the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health and FDA have some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children.

As a result, they have levied support for "the industry’s actions to stop producing BPA-containing baby bottles and infant feeding cups for the U.S. market" and urged researchers to develop BPA alternatives for infant food cans and other food can linings.

How can you reduce your contribution to plastic waste problems? The Rise Above Plastics offers 20 tips for reducing your plastic intake, including:

1. Stop using plastic water bottles in favor of refillable ones.
2. Bring a reusable bag for grocery shopping.
3. Avoid single serving packaging.
4. Stop using plastic sandwich bags.
5. Bring a to-go mug to coffee shops.
6. Buy music online instead of purchasing CDs with plastic cases.
7. Avoid single serving packaging... again. (What do you expect from a bunch of surf bums?)
8. Use silverware instead of disposable forks.
9. Seek out items that aren't made out of plastic. (Okay, they're getting lazy here.)
10. If you must use plastic, try to use plastic types one (PETE) or two (HDPE) which are the most easily recycled plastics.