Do you see the difference?
As another Earth Day passes this year, plastic pollution remains a global problem that only seems to be increasing while the synergy of the ocean is decreasing. Synergy is defined by Covey as "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts," meaning when things work together successfully, they are able to achieve something more than they would on their own, (Covey, p.134). This happens in nature naturally with living things working together in their environments, making them more successful but we are interfering by using the ocean as a dumping ground.
Environments like coral reefs are home to many marine animals and they used to thrive, synergy was everywhere keeping the balance and beauty of these colorful barriers; however, plastics have caused a lot of harm, entangling the reef in debris and exhausting itself trying to repair the damages. With the scary realization that "every minute, two garbage trucks of plastic are dumped into our oceans," it is more evident than ever that we must come together to fight plastic pollution to save our ocean environments and marine life, (EarthDay.org, 2022). One of the biggest plastic pollutants is plastic bags, they do not biodegrade causing suffocation and death to marine animals; for instance, turtles may mistake the bags floating along with the current as whimsically swimming jellyfish- a sea turtle's favorite snack- eliminating the use could save lives of turtles and many others.
Environments like coral reefs are home to many marine animals and they used to thrive, synergy was everywhere keeping the balance and beauty of these colorful barriers; however, plastics have caused a lot of harm, entangling the reef in debris and exhausting itself trying to repair the damages. With the scary realization that "every minute, two garbage trucks of plastic are dumped into our oceans," it is more evident than ever that we must come together to fight plastic pollution to save our ocean environments and marine life, (EarthDay.org, 2022). One of the biggest plastic pollutants is plastic bags, they do not biodegrade causing suffocation and death to marine animals; for instance, turtles may mistake the bags floating along with the current as whimsically swimming jellyfish- a sea turtle's favorite snack- eliminating the use could save lives of turtles and many others.
Plastic pollution effects on the ocean are detrimental and in order to fix this, removing single-use plastics from our everyday life is necessary and will not only benefit the environment but also our own health. This is not a national issue, it is an international issue that we all need to address. Working with each other, taking the time to truly understand the Earth and what we are quickly destroying, and then taking the right steps to clean, preserve, and find sustainable sources will be the only way we can put an end to plastic pollution crisis.
Synergy is found a lot of the time in nature, for example, "if you plant two plants close together, their roots commingle and improve the quality of the soil so that both plants will grow better than if they were separated," (Covey, p. 134). The ocean environment relies on many different species of fish, mammals, plants, and birds to remain balanced, yet, adding plastic to the mix does not benefit and can cause serious harm to the synergy and ocean health. I challenge you to ditch the produce bags and shop reusable! Share your favorite bags and reusable products in the comment section below, or also feel free to share your ideas anonymously through the linked Google Doc- The Bag Challenge.
Resources
Covey, S. R. (2020). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Retrieved from:
EarthDay.org. (2022). Fact Sheet: Plastics in the Ocean. Retrieved from:
Image Source
Sethi, S. (N.D). Save Turtles. Retrieved from:
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