Of Plastic and Sea Turtles

If you have read my blog for any length of time you may know that I really hate plastic. I've written about it (click here) quite a bit.

The most disturbing aspect of plastic is that it isn't biodegradable, it simply breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces. That may not seem like such a bad thing until you realize that smallness only makes it easier for it to get into the food chain. And plastic having no nutritional value, will and does kill those creatures that ingest it. Think of krill eating plastic, then think of whales or seals or penguins or squid or fish eating krill. That is, if the krill survive eating the plastic. When the krill die off (as I fear they might) so will whales and all the other sea creatures that depend on them for food.

Or think of sea turtles eating plastic.

Stomach contents of a juvenile sea turtle. (Credit and article here.)


The remains of an albatross chick


A mute swan's nest





Most troubling are the garbage patches in the oceans, particularly the one in the Pacific.



Research just a little and you can get really depressed. I don't believe climate change is nearly has terrible as the accumulation of plastic in our environment. The earth has gone through many, many climate changes and has survived. She is quite capable of evolving whole new ecosystems and new species. But the earth has no way to battle against plastic, a man-made substance that will kill us all. Unless, of course, the earth is able to evolve species that can eat and survive on plastic.

And then there are those who think of a way to recycle a plastic bottle that is really en-LIGHT-ning and, for a brief moment, I have hope. But even this does not take care of the problem of plastic.


If you want to help save our planet, save it from plastic. Reduce, reuse and recycle, recycle, recycle. Stop using plastic bags and drinking bottled water and, dare I say it? stop drinking sodas.

In addition I'm calling on all of you to sign a petition to stop the legal harvesting of sea turtles in the British Virgin Islands. It seems pretty ridiculous in this day age to be killing an endangered species. 

Below is the plea and the link to the petition.

"The British Virgin Islands has a Sea Turtle Hunting season December 1st through March 31st.
They are legally allowed to harvest Hawksbill and Green Sea Turtles, both endangered animals.
Hawksbill turtles (must be 15+inches carapace length) and Green turtles (24 +inches carapace length) but these sizes still put them in the late juvenile / sub-adult age and the fact they do not have a size limit is even worse since those are the ones probably nesting here but live elsewhere. 
There is a moratorium on loggerhead turtles, leatherback turtles, & all sea turtle eggs.

So I signed a petition to Ralph T. O'Neal, Premier of the British Virgin Islands, which says:

""Stop the legal harvesting of endangered sea turtles in the British Virgin Islands"" 

Will you sign the petition too? Click here to add your name: 

http://signon.org/sign/end-sea-turtle-hunting?source=s.em.mt&r_by=1520101 "




I hope you'll sign up. What have you done to reduce the use of plastic in your home?