Plastic Oceans | Facts | Waste | Plastic Oceans The proliferation of plastic products in the last 70 years or so has been extraordinary; quite simply we cannot now live without them. This epidemic of plastic has resulted in an increased introduction from around 50 million tonnes in 1950 to 245 million tonnes in 2008 (Plastics Europe). Plastic is cheap and incredibly versatile with properties that make it ideal for many applications. However, these qualities have also resulted in it becoming an environmental issue. According to water filtration company Brita, Americans throw away 35 billion plastic water bottles every year.Packaging is the largest end use market segment accounting for just over 40|% of total plastic usage (Plastics Europe)Annually approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide.
untitled ERIC Identifier: ED321502 Publication Date: 1990-00-00 Author: Goodship, Joan M. Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Handicapped and Gifted Children Reston VA. Life Skills Mastery for Students with Special Needs. Life skills are essential to job functioning, and they must be included in instruction for students with special needs. Life skills include a wide range of knowledge and skill interactions believed to be essential for adult independent living (Brolin, 1989). Many students with disabilities will marry and raise families. Count money and make correct change. Manage a savings and checking account. Maintain a personal budget and keep records. Demonstrate personal finance decision-making skills. Make responsible expenditures. Calculate and pay taxes. Use credit responsibly. Pay bills. Deal with renting or leasing. Perform or arrange for home maintenance. Perform housekeeping tasks. Plan and prepare meals. Fill out warranty cards for new appliances and mail them. Exhibit proper grooming and hygiene.
Plastic Pollution in Oceans Environmental Issues > Oceans Main Page > All Oceans Documents The Basics We're treating the oceans like a trash bin: around 80 percent of marine litter originates on land, and most of that is plastic. Read more » What it Means to You Plastic pollution affects every waterway, sea and ocean in the world. Solutions The most effective way to stop plastic pollution in our oceans is to make sure it never reaches the water in the first place. NRDC is working on three key strategies to curb plastic water pollution in the U.S. and beyond: 1. NRDC is building a growing coalition of waste management, community, environmental, and business groups support measures that would stop plastic pollution at its source by creating incentives for industry to use less packaging for their products, make them recyclable, and ensure that recycling actually happens. 2. 3. What You Can Do Marine plastic pollution shows us that we cannot really throw anything "away." 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. last revised 3/8/2014
The Response » THE CLEAN OCEANS PROJECT Our Organization The Clean Oceans Project (TCOP) is a 501c3 non-profit created to develop efficient and effective methods of eliminating plastic from the ocean. Our Plan TCOP’s multi-phase approach involves research, education and direct action integrated into a cohesive long-term plan. Training shoreline surveyors creates local awareness and promotes ocean stewardship. To measure progress we monitor plastic debris deposition rates at isolated shore stations which is far more accurate than oceanic sampling. Disposal TCOP will utilize plastic-to-fuel conversion systems on board collection vessels to transform plastic into diesel fuel eliminating the need to dispose of the waste in a landfill and providing fuel for collection operations. Long Term Commitments TCOP is committed to a comprehensive global approach to plastic pollution. We are committed to research and technical innovation to facilitate an accurate awareness of plastics pollution. Support and Funding Our Message
Home India just banned all forms of disposable plastic in its capital | The Independent India’s capital city Delhi has introduced a ban on disposable plastic. Cutlery, bags, cups and other forms of single-use plastic were prohibited by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). There is particular concern in the country about the amount of plastic waste it produces. According to the Times of India, it is responsible for an astonishing 60 per cent of the plastic that is dumped in the world’s oceans every year. The ban affects the whole National Capital Territory (NCT) area of Delhi. It was introduced after complaints about the illegal mass burning of plastic and other waste at three local rubbish dumps, which has been blamed for causing air pollution. The Tribunal said in a statement: “Each of these sites is a depiction of the mess that can be created for environment and health of people of Delhi. “We direct that use of disposable plastic is prohibited in entire NCT of Delhi. “The Delhi government shall take steps for storage and use of plastic materials.” Reuse content
Threats to Ecosystems Anything that attempts to alter the balance of the ecosystem potentially threatens the health and existence of that ecosystem. Some of these threats are not overly worrying as they may be naturally resolved provided the natural conditions are restored. Other factors can destroy ecosystems and render all or some of its life forms extinct. Here are a few: Habitat Destruction Economic activities such as logging, mining, farming and construction often involve clearing out places with natural vegetative cover. Pollution Water, land and air pollution all together play a crucial role in the health of ecosystems. Eutrophication This is the enrichment of water bodies with plant biomass as a result of continuous inflow of nutrients particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. Invasive species Any foreign specie (biological) that finds its way into an ecosystem, either by natural or human introduction can have an effect on the ecosystem. Overharvesting UV Radiation
What is an ecosystem? What is an Ecosystem? An ecosystem includes all of the living things (plants, animals and organisms) in a given area, interacting with each other, and also with their non-living environments (weather, earth, sun, soil, climate, atmosphere). Ecosystems are the foundations of the Biosphere and they determine the health of the entire earth system. In an ecosystem, each organism has its own niche or role to play. Consider a small puddle at the back of your home. In it, you may find all sorts of living things, from microorganisms to insects and plants. This very complex, wonderful interaction of living things and their environment, has been the foundations of energy flow and recycle of carbon and nitrogen. Anytime a ‘stranger’ (living thing(s) or external factor such as rise in temperature) is introduced to an ecosystem, it can be disastrous to that ecosystem. Usually, biotic members of an ecosystem, together with their abiotic factors depend on each other.
Learning can be fun, free and fast with eschooltoday The Tree of Hope - A compilation of messages World Environment Day, 5 June 2011 Celebrating the International Year of Forests 2011 The Tree of Hope A compilation of messages The ‘Tree of Hope’ was one of the popular attractions of the ICIMOD Open House Day 2011, held on 12 March. What were the messages? Messages of all kinds adorned the tree; some reflected on the values of forests, their spiritual significance, their role in sustaining all kinds of biodiversity, and their tangible and intangible services to people. The message from the youngest one read, “People cut trees and I don’t like it”. Here we make an effort to compile the essence of all the messages as take-home statements that may inspire us to be responsible on our part.
Earth Hour UK What is Earth Hour? Earth Hour is an annual global campaign that encourages people and businesses around the world to switch off electricity at the same time for one hour. Earth Hour started in Australia in 2007 when 2.2 million people in the city of Sydney turned off all non-essential lights for an hour. Since then it has grown to a massive global event. Who organises Earth Hour? Earth Hour is organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Why March? The end of March is around the time of the spring and autumn equinoxes in the northern and southern hemispheres respectively, so sunset times in both hemispheres are at similar times. UK events In 2013 in the UK, the pop group McFly gave a live acoustic performance (using no electricity!) As well as famous London landmarks such as Big Ben, the London Eye and Buckingham Palace switching off their lights, there are many other events around Britain. #passthepanda The WWF’s famous panda logo recently helped to promote Earth Hour.
Less Plastic. In your Life. On the Planet. - Less Plastic The Ocean Cleanup Technology | The Ocean Cleanup The system at sea Handling Vessel Traffic No heavily-trafficked shipping routes traverse the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, so the chances of a vessel coming across an ocean cleanup system are minimal. On average only 5 vessels can be found in an area twice the size of Texas. But, in the event that a vessel does pass through the patch, we have implemented extensive measures to ensure the safety of both vessels and our cleanup systems. The AIS will continuously broadcast the location of the systems to passing vessels and the GPS will track the location of our systems, should they veer out of the patch. Safeguarding Sealife Protecting the natural environment is at the heart of what we do. We designed the systems to be inherently safe for marine life in four ways. We have also conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) through an independent agency, CSA Ocean Sciences, which did not identify any major risks of our method to the environment. Surviving Storms