Background:
For our final project for Save the Bay, we have committed to deliver a communications campaign that is focused on microplastics and their environmental and legislative impact. To make our campaign more effective, we propose that we concentrate on the impact of three specific types of microplastics; (beads, fragments, and fibers that are less than 5 millimeters long). In order to increase the relevance of our message we will highlight the direct impact microplastics have on the waterways of Rhode Island and Narragansett Bay. To inform our campaign, we propose that we conduct expert interviews with individuals who have been directly involved in studying and addressing the impact of microplastics on our oceans. To do this, we will seek to engage those involved with the Rozalia Project and the team at the University of Exeter, UK that is working most closely with them. As we seek to learn more about the legislative landscape, we propose that we will conduct in-depth research related to the two bills that are currently being considered by Rhode Island legislature: one on bag bans and the other on plastics. In addition to local legislative activity, we will seek to learn more about other state and federal efforts in this area. We propose that as part of this campaign, we deliver the following communications assets for use by Save the Bay:
Hi! we are Collin and Tory and we are marine biology students from Roger Williams University! In an effort to help increase awareness, we have written a blog and made a podcast about microplastics in collaboration with Save the Bay. (links) Microplastic is a word that is becoming more and more common in today’s lexicon but, what does it mean? According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) microplastics are “small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long which can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life.” Microplastics can come from various sources. Some of which may surprise you since they are in items that we use every single day. According to Ceri Lewis, Marine Biology Lecturer and Scientist at the University of Exeter, UK, the five most common sources of microplastics are plastic coffee cups, single-use water bottles, straws, plastic cutlery, and grocery bags. You are probably saying to yourself “But these things are all bigger than five millimeters, how do they get so small?” When these items enter the ocean, the mechanical action of wind and waves combined with photo-oxidation from the sun cause the plastics to degrade into smaller and smaller pieces. And, they are pervasive! The University of Exeter research team has found that there are now 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the world’s oceans, with an estimated 10% of the plastics we produce ending up there. According to the study, individual pieces of plastic will outnumber fish in the world’s oceans by 2050 if something doesn’t change. Microplastics have been found in places as far away as the polar ice caps, on the coastlines of every continent, and in the very deepest areas of the ocean. There are two particular characteristics of plastics that cause microplastics to travel these great distances. First, they are long-lived, so it can take hundreds or even thousands of years for them to degrade fully. And, second many plastics float which allows for ocean currents to carry them very long distances. So why does it matter? Because microplastics are so small more animals can consume them. And, the smaller the animal that consumes them, the greater impact they can have on the entire food web since the plastics make their way up to larger and larger animals as they are consumed. Zooplankton, worms, shellfish, fish and even seabirds are all consumers of microplastics that can be mistaken them for viable food. And, once the microplastics are consumed, they can stay in an organism for a very long time…even an entire lifetime. Aside from the obvious risk of death to these organisms, several other risks can be caused as they travel through the food chain. These include feeding limitations, loss of energy and inhibited growth, the introduction of toxins and disease and the risk that these microplastics can make their way into human food. While efforts such as volunteer cleanups or collection have been made to reduce the impact, many agree that this is not enough to solve the problem. Organizations such as Clean Water Action and Save the Bay have been working with other non-profit and government agencies to increase awareness and focus on plastic source reduction strategies. To help with this goal here in Rhode Island there have been increasing efforts to address the microplastics problem in Narragansett Bay. In July of 2017, the Clean Water Action Group in partnership with Save the Bay completed a “trash trawl” in search of microplastics. The teams were focused on how many microplastics were in the Bay and where they were most prevalent. Unfortunately, the impact of microplastics pollution is not widely known. For many people, if they can’t see it happening or they don’t see the impact themselves they don’t care about it. We must care. We must change our habits. And, we must do something about it. So, how can you help? The answer is easier than you might expect! For starters, you can recycle and reuse any of the plastic products that are in your home. You can also ensure that trash is disposed of properly to reduce the risk of it making its way into the ocean. You can choose products that do not include microbeads. And, you can help increase awareness of the problem by talking about it with your friends and family or participating in local beach clean-up efforts. You can get started today! The next time you go to the grocery store to buy bottled water, think about what might happen to that bottle and consider a reusable bottle instead. And, when you go don’t forget to bring your reusable grocery bags! Together we can clean up our oceans and improve the health of our environment.
TORY: Thanks for taking some time to tune in. We are here today to talk to you about microplastics. COLLIN: You aren’t necessarily used to hearing us so let’s take a minute to introduce ourselves. I’m Collin and this is Tory. We are both marine biology students at Roger Williams University right on Mount Hope Bay here in Bristol, Rhode Island. TORY: And, we are both passionate about the ocean! Collin has also had extensive volunteer and intern experience at the New England Aquarium in both Visitor Education and Aquarist roles. And, we both have experience working at the wet lab facility here on campus. COLLIN: We recently were given the opportunity to partner with Save the Bay to take over their social media channel to help educate you about microplastics. As part of this project, we have been very fortunate to come into contact with some very knowledgeable people in this field. And, we are pleased to say that they have agreed to be part of our podcast today. TORY: Yes, Collin, I agree we are lucky to have met them. They have been very important in helping us to understand the problem of microplastics and have given us valuable information from many resources. I’m glad that they were generous enough to come onto our podcast today to help us communicate the importance of this issue. COLLIN: In a lot of our research we have come across doom and gloom stories of pollution and its effects. While it is important to take this issue seriously, we are really going to try to steer away from all of that negativity and focus on what can be done to make a difference. TORY: You can help to solve the problem of microplastics! And, we hope that by the end of this podcast you can go away with some simple actions you can take that will make a real difference. COLLIN: Tory, maybe we should start with what microplastics are. Quite simply microplastics are larger pieces of plastic that have, over time, been broken down by sea and wind into very small pieces (usually of 5 mm or less.) They can be very harmful to our ocean and its inhabitants. TORY: That’s really interesting, Collin, but where do they come from? COLLIN: The answer may surprise you! They come from many of the things we use everyday…our clothes produce microfibers, plastic bags and straws break down into microplastics, and even some of the cosmetics people use include microbeads that are also culprits. TORY: You’re right, Collin, according to one of our panel experts, Dr. Ceri Lewis, Senior Lecturer and Scientist, University of Exeter, UK the five most common sources of microplastics are plastic coffee cups, single-use water bottles, straws, plastic cutlery, and grocery bags. COLLIN: You may be thinking, but these things are all bigger than five millimeters, how do they get so small? You see when these items enter the ocean, the mechanical action of wind and waves combined with the sun’s rays cause the plastics to degrade into smaller and smaller pieces. TORY: Collin, did you know that there are more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic in our world’s? And according to some of the research individual pieces of plastic will outnumber fish in the ocean by within the next thirty years if something doesn’t change. COLLIN: You’re right, Tory, microplastics are pervasive and they can travel very long distances. Did you know that they have been found in places as far away as the polar ice caps, on the coastlines of every continent, and in the very deepest areas of the ocean? TORY: Hey Collin, let’s ask one of our panel experts, Ms. Rachael Miller from the Rozalia Project what she thinks about that! Feature1-2 minute soundbyte Ms. Rachael Miller, Rozalia Project COLLIN: So now that we better understand what microplastics are, let’s dig deeper into the harm that they can do. And, more importantly, what effects microplastics can have on marine ecology. TORY: Before we did this project, I never knew that microplastics could travel so far. We’ve learned that it is because plastics are so long-lived and buoyant that this can happen. Did you know that it can take hundreds or even thousands of years for plastics to degrade fully? COLLIN: Ceri Lewis told us that the smaller the animal that consumes microplastics, the greater impact they can have on the entire food web since the plastics make their way up to larger and larger animals as they are consumed. TORY: Yes, she said that research has shown that zooplankton, worms, shellfish, fish and even seabirds are all consumers of microplastics that can be mistaken them for viable food. And all of these organisms are at risk of death, feeding limitations, loss of energy and inhibited growth, the introduction of toxins and disease. And these microplastics can even make their way into human food! Feature 2 minute soundbyte from Ceri Lewis, Senior Lecturer and Scientist, University of Exeter COLLIN: Wow! It’s shocking how far microplastics can travel and how far-reaching the impact really is. What about here in Rhode Island? Is there any research that shows it is a problem here too? TORY: Yes, Collin! A group of researchers from several New England Based schools including Boston University, Roger Williams University, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and Southern Connecticut State University, are using the only hard coral found in coastal New England, northern star coral, to determine the extent and impact of microplastics in an urban marine environment. Early results have shown hundreds of microplastic particles including microbeads from toothpaste and facial scrubs. According the lead researcher, Rotjan, “People are shedding microplastics constantly and we are trying to better understand whether there is a greater prevalence of microfibers in urban areas and determine the impact of sewage treatment on coral’s microplastic ingestion.” COLLIN: I guess I’m not surprised, Tory. The more you stop to think about it, the more you realize that he is right. Microplastics are everywhere! And the research is consistent, the majority of plastic that goes into the ocean comes from items we only use one time! Many of these items enter rivers and streams and wash up on shorelines and beaches. As they break down into smaller pieces they act as chemical “sponges” by absorbing and concentrating pollutants in the water. Then as animals eat them, these concentrated pollutants are absorbed into fatty tissue and enter the food chain. I was glad to learn about the number of efforts underway to make local change. Here in Rhode Island, Clean Water Action is actively working to reduce plastic at its source through a combination of outreach, education, and public policy. TORY: We also learned that along with nonprofit and government partners, Clean Water is in the process of developing a comprehensive, innovative waste and litter ordinance for the City of Providence and is also developing a resident-sourced community greening plan for the neighborhood around the city’s high school in Central Falls. COLLIN: I recently had the chance to interview, Mark Jarbeau, the Baymaster of Narragansett Bay and he told me about some of the local work he and his team at Save the Bay are doing to determine how many microplastics are in the Bay and where they show up most. He said that last summer they spent an entire week in July out on Narragansett Bay trawling for trash to find out just how prevalent microplastic pollution is in our own state. During their expedition they took samples from different corners of the bay to identify the type and quantity of plastic pollution and marine debris in our coastal waters. Here he is to tell us a little more about it: Feature 2 minute soundbyte Mr. Jarbeau, Baymaster re: Save the Bay Trawling Project) TORY: For many people, if they can't see it happening or they don't see the impact themselves they don't care about it. I think it’s really important for us to help people to know that if we change our habits, we can make a difference. COLLIN: It is true, Tory. We must do something about it and it is easier to help than people might expect. Let’s start by sharing some of the ideas we’ve come up with like…the next time you go to the grocery store to buy bottled water, think about what might happen to that bottle and consider using a reusable bottle instead. And, remember to use your reusable grocery bags! TORY: When choosing cleansing products, choose products that do not include microbeads. And, when doing the laundry, consider using a filter that catches the microfibers. COLLIN: And remember, you can recycle and reuse any of the plastic products that are in your home. You can also ensure that trash is disposed of properly to reduce the risk of it making its way into the ocean. TORY: Finally, you can help us spread the word about the problem by talking about it with your friends and family or participating in local beach clean-up efforts. Together we can clean up our oceans and improve the health of our environment! COLLIN: Thanks for tuning in! We hope you’ve found this information useful.
· Will your straw outlive you? Used for just 20 minutes, once discarded a straw can last in the environment for hundreds of years. Find out why that matters (link to BLOG) A University of Exeter research team recently found that there are now 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the world’s oceans and they estimate that individual pieces of plastic will outnumber fish in the world’s oceans by 2050 if something doesn’t change. (link to PODCAST) A typical polyethylene bottle takes ~450 years to degrade others can take over 1,000 years. Learn more about how you can find easy ways to reduce your plastic footprint on our ocean (link to BLOG). · According to the Environmental Protection Agency, plastic food packaging makes up about 30% of solid waste per year and complete degradation takes hundreds of years. Approximately 10% of all plastic litter will make its way to our marine environment through shipping, fishing, tourism, rivers, sewage, spillages, dumping, tsunamis. Learn more about what you can do to help (link to BLOG) · How much do you contribute to microplastics? Learn more about how you can find easy ways to reduce your plastic footprint on our ocean (link to BLOG). According to the Center for Marine Conservation plastic bags are one of the most common items of debris found in coastal cleanups. On average we only recycle one plastic bag in every 200 we use. Find out what to do about where your plastic goes (link to PODCAST) Used for just 20 minutes, once discarded a straw can last in the environment for hundreds of years. Take the straw free challenge today and learn more about how to live with less plastic (link to BLOG)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHi! I am Collin Barker and I am a Marine Biology Major at Roger Williams University, an avid reader and fish keeper. To learn more about me check out my About page. Archives
May 2018
Categories |