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<\/p>\nCalling all STEMologists! We have a big problem and we’re going to need some very smart people to fix it. That problem is plastic in the ocean.<\/p>\n
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On land, plastic can be very useful; in fact, it\u2019s in almost everything we use! The trouble starts when we aren\u2019t careful about what we buy or how we dispose of things when we\u2019re done with them. If we don\u2019t reuse or recycle our plastic properly and it ends up in a landfill or is tossed out as litter, it can easily be blown into a river or stream. From there, it will eventually end up in an ocean where it becomes a big problem!<\/p>\n
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Apart from animals getting tangled in larger pieces of plastic, sea creatures can also mistake it for food. When eaten, plastic takes away space in an animal\u2019s belly that would have been filled with food. This means they can\u2019t get the nutrients they need to survive. The problem doesn\u2019t end there. If a small fish eats some plastic and then is eaten by a larger fish and so on, the entire food chain is contaminated. So if we eat fish, we could be eating plastic too!<\/p>\n
STEMologists all over the world are working hard to rid our oceans of plastics. Check out these examples:<\/p>\n
The Ocean Cleanup<\/a> is engineering a floating cleanup system that will be moved by the ocean’s currents and will remove plastic from the surface of the water. When the system launches, it’s predicted that it will be able to clean up half the Great Garbage Patch <\/a>in the Pacific Ocean in 5 years.<\/p>\n One of the ways to do this is to make sure plastic doesn\u2019t become litter. IBM and Plastic Bank<\/a> are encouraging people in the poorest areas to collect plastic waste in exchange for digital tokens using a special technology called blockchain. Blockwhat? Don\u2019t worry; we\u2019ll break it down for you.<\/p>\n Blockchain is sort of like an online set of records that\u2019s used to keep track of things like activities, trades, and purchases. Since these records are shared between a whole bunch of different groups, no one can mess around with the information without everyone else knowing. This means blockchain is always safe and reliable, and that\u2019s the reason it\u2019s being used in more and more things, including video games. Think about the video games you\u2019re playing and how many gold coins you earned during your last quest. Imagine if you could turn that gold into something in the real world? That\u2019s blockchain!<\/p>\n Blockchain allows Plastic Bank to keep track of the amount of plastic waste a person trades in and how many digital tokens they should receive in return. These digital tokens can then be traded for food, water, or phone credits \u2013 all through their cell phone. Not only is this helping to stop ocean plastic, it\u2019s also reducing poverty at the same time.<\/p>\n Lots of stuff \u2013 remember, you are a STEMologist, after all! Here are some places to start:<\/p>\n – Think before you buy<\/b> – Look for things that aren\u2019t made of plastic and try to get stuff with less plastic packaging.![\"Ocean-cleanup-boat-credit-the-ocean-cleanup\"](\"https:\/\/www.earthrangers.com\/EN\/CA\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ocean-cleanup-boat-credit-the-ocean-cleanup.jpg\")
Stopping plastic from getting into the ocean in the first place<\/b><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nWhat can you do to help?<\/b><\/h2>\n
\n– Promise to recycle and never litter<\/b> \u2013 practicing the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) is always a good idea.
\n– Host a community cleanup<\/b> – get together with your friends and family to help clean up a nearby park or clean a local beach. Check out the Shoreline Saver Mission<\/a> to help you get started.
\n– Say NO to single-use plastics<\/b> \u2013 these are plastics that are designed to be used once before being thrown away, like cups, cutlery, water bottles, straws or bags. Cut them out of your life with the More Plastics, More Problems Mission<\/a>!<\/p>\n
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