This Friday is World Oceans Day! Designated in 2008 by the United Nations as a day to celebrate, protect, and honor the great big blue ocean we all love (and need to sustain life on earth). We can all get involved — very easily — because this year's theme is plastic pollution. Right now you can do the following:
Ditch the Straw
Every day, over 500 million plastic straws are tossed out in the U.S. They blow in the wind, eventually to the ocean, where fish, seabirds, turtles mistake them for food. They do not biodegrade or dissolve in the ocean but break down into smaller and smaller microplastics that remain for hundreds of years. When you order a drink, remember to say "No straws please!" (You have to ask while you're ordering, once it's brought to you, it's too late.) Some restaurants are placing placards on tables telling customers they have to ask for a straw if they want one).