Plastic waste in the ocean

One of the most insidious forms of pollution in our oceans is plastic.

When plastic bags and bottle are not properly recycled or disposed of, many of them end up in the oceans. And we mean a lot -- 10 MILLION TONS of it in the Pacific Ocean alone.

Ocean currents deposit huge amounts of this pollution into huge floating masses of decomposing plastic particles. One of them is known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" - 3 million tons of plastic in a patch the size of Texas. Check out this article: http://www.cdnn.info/news/article/a071104.html

A United Nations Environment Program report also estimates that 46,000 pieces of plastic debris floats at or near the surface of each square mile of the ocean. Filter feeders like whales, shellfish and jellyfish ingest this stuff. Larger pieces choke other marine life.

But it also breaks down, leaching potentially toxic chemicals into the ocean. Here's an article in National Geographic. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/08/090820-plastic-decomposes-oceans-seas.html

There is no technology solution to this problem. The solution is to stop using technology -- end our dependence on plastics, be sure to recycle what we do use. Retailers add three cents to the price of products for every plastic bag they hand out. Reusable cloth shopping bags pay for themselves very quickly.

In San Francisco, grocery stores are now banned from using plastic bags. If you use a cloth bag, the stores give you a five-cent credit for every paper bag you would have otherwise used.

The Clean Water Action group is encouraging eliminating the use of plastic bags by retailers. The group is organizing a campaign to send letters to you legislators. You can do it from here: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2155/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3881&tag=email

THAT's a good cause.

How to deal with oil spills

It still amazes me that BP, and presumably other oil-drilling companies, had no idea how to stop a deep-water oil well leak. I mean, they had absolutely no disaster plan in place. This is like having no emergency care available when people are hit by a car.

Here's what to do to prevent such problems in the future:

Require all oil companies to develop and test programs to deal with any potential disaster they may cause. Make them demonstrate how well the plan will work before any new well is tapped.

When there is a spill, invoke heavy fines every day until leakage is stopped and the mess is cleaned up. We require expensive fail-safe systems for nuclear power, why not oil, which has a far worse record of environmental disasters than nuclear?

Invoke these laws and see how quickly oil companies clean up their acts.

Of course, that means higher prices at the pump. So be it. We need to make clean energy alternatives more competitive.

Speaking of that, an organization called Plug In America is using the spill as a pitch to raise money for its cause, supporting the switch to electric vehicles. The organization says that in America, cars use 40% of the oil we use. Can plug-in cars help cut that figure? I don't know.

But here's the fundraising letter I got. Decide for yourself.

***

Dear Fellow Clean Car Supporter,

I think I speak for all of us when I say that I am outraged at the environmental catastrophe that is occurring right now in the Gulf of Mexico. It is a horrible feeling to watch helplessly as tens of thousands of barrels of oil spew into the ocean each day, threatening species loss, habitat destruction, and economic ruin on an unimaginable scale.

There is likely little to come out of this debacle that's positive, but a silver lining might be that Americans will finally wake up to the folly of continuing our unabated dependence on oil. As you may know, over 40% of oil that Americans use is consumed by cars, trucks and SUVs. If every American car were plug-in electric and charged at night, the Department of Energy reports America would not have to build a single new power plant to fuel them. There would be no need to drill for new oil. Our future fuel is already available.

Plug In America has long promoted the benefits of plug-in electric vehicles for good of the environment, economy, and national security. With the ongoing crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, we see the opportunity to turn the tide of public opinion away from cars powered by dirty oil to those that use cleaner and more efficient electricity. We also see a chance to ensure that the debate over the climate bill in Washington results in provisions that foster the proliferation of plug-ins.

But to continue this vital work we need your help. Strike a blow against big oil by supporting Plug In America's campaign to accelerate America's adoption of plug-in electric vehicles.

Donate today at www.pluginamerica.org/donate

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Dan Davids
President, Plug In America

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For all you green tech entrepreneurs trying to get funding:

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