OUR ENVIRONMENT

News you can use for the everyday environmentalist

AUGUST 2010
EVERYTHING ROLLS DOWNHILL
There's a popular saying that a certain waste product "rolls downhill." True enough. But the reality is that all waste products, including pollution and toxics, roll downhill. Ultimately they end up in the ocean. This includes things like the heavy-duty cleaners we use to wash our cars; the fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides we use in our gardens; the heavy metals and petroleum products from industry; and the everyday household products from shower cleaners to silver polish. According to figures from the National Research Council the total marine pollution in 2002 was 706 million gallons. The largest single category - "Drains and Runoff" -- accounted for 363 million gallons, more than half the total.
This is a horrendous amount of you-know-what rolling downhill into the world's oceans. And this is just one years' total. Each year that total grows. 2010 will undoubtedly rank among the highest, just the BP spill in the Gulf assures that.
The result is oceanic pollution that is worldwide and spreading fast. In nearshore environments runoff from terrestrial sources poisons corals and affects the fish and other organisms that depend on healthy reefs. All over the world coral reefs are stressed are dying, and not only from pollution. As the CO2 load in our atmosphere increases, so does the amount of CO2 dissolved in our oceans. The result is that in addition to warming the ocean the additional CO2 is contributes to an increase in the acidity of the water. Just like their terrestrial cousins, the animals and plants that live in the ocean suffer when there is an overabundance of acids in the environment.
The Pacific Gyre is a graphic example of how land-generated materials contribute to oceanic pollution. This huge area, twice the size of Texas is the site of an oceanic phenomenon. Here wind, tides and currents conspire to create a vortex, a system of rotating ocean currents, that trap everything from Styrofoam cups to plastic plates,plastic cutlery, bags, fishing gear, plastic bags and food wrapping, cigarette butts and more. These materials constantly wash into the ocean. They litter the surface of the water, hang suspended in the water column and flow with the tides and currents. Over time they will erode, or sink or disappear into the stomach of a bird or fish. They and may appear to disappear. But they never go away. This toxic deluge of land generated debris and garbage represent significant threats to marine mammals, fish and birds. Over time we have also come to understand that the changes in ocean chemistry could have profound effects.
When it comes to doling out the responsibility it's easy to blame the big industrial polluters like BP. They certainly deserve to be singled out and taken to task for their corporate sins. It's also easy to jump on the nearly invisible government regulators. Their lack of oversight and cozy relationships with the oil industry is an illustration of the true costs of "self-regulation."
WHAT WE CAN DO
The Obama administration recently announced it has completed its ocean stewardship plan. The product of a years' work by diverse task force, the initiative is sure to generate debate. One major roadblock will likely be a new round of the political posturing that characterizes the quality of policy debates in Washington. The Plan includes some new concepts, including a type of oceanic "zoning" that will dramatically impact government regulation of offshore drilling, fishing and other marine activities. If implemented the "National Stewardship Policy" will strengthen conservation programs and managing ecosystem wide threats. It is likely many national and regional environmental groups will endorse this initiative and work for its success. We can help by staying involved. To get started here is a link to a Google search of "obama ocean plan" on July 30, 2010. Follow this link to many of the campaigners on this issue.
In the meantime there are many ways we can act as individuals to reduce the garbage we "dispose" of in our oceans.
Home toxics - in cleaners of all kinds, contribute a variety of chemicals to the pollution mix. Even though individual amounts may seem tiny the collective contribution is staggering. It has been reported that in the US people shampoo their hair 4.59 times a day. All of the shampoo goes down the drain.
On the web a company called 7th Generation has been making environmentally friendly household products for more than 2 decades -- long before these products hit mainstream supermarket shelves. Their website is informative and easy to use. Their online newsletter is a good read and informative.
For the mobile-minded, in particular the iphone community, there are a growing number of apps available that can guide you down your green path. For a list of the top ten iphone apps - ranging from calculating your carbon footprint to locating nearby recycling facilities - click here.

EDITOR'S NOTE: OUR ENVIRONMENT ONLINE was originally published in 1995. In that publication we reprinted a piece entitled "DEBUNKING RUSH LIMBAUGH ON THE ENVIRONMENT." It was originally published by the Environmental Defense Fund in New York. Over the years it has consistently been the most viewed page on this website.