Our catch phrase is on its way.

Dear Fellow Earthlings,

How can we deal with the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch(es)”, also known as the “Pacific Plastic Islands”), collecting (for the present, at least) in two separate patches of the Pacific Ocean? Not only are the patches unsightly, but they also present dangers for marine life.

DDT and PCB already in the oceans attach themselves to tiny pieces of plastic floating in the sea – and are often ingested by wildlife. Furthermore, chemical reactions resulting from the breaking down of plastic molecules release chemicals into seawater -- and marine animals and plants have not had the tens of thousands of years needed to evolve to cope with them.

At present, we do not have the technology to deal with these plastics, so our primary goal should be to prevent them from getting into Earth’s oceans and seas. To attain this goal, we must prevent landfills from “leaking”their plastics into the sea and must insist that ships at sea neither dump nor inadvertently release anything (certainly, no plastics) overboard.

Steve Walker

Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.