More on the oceanic garbage dump

The "texas sized garbage patch" in our oceans, that haunting image of a waterlogged landfill, is all over the news these days. And its only growing, in direct proportion to our appetite for plastics.

Last week, a new report from Greenpeace, and yesterday an excellent news clip on on KTVU San Francisco, on the increasing strain plastic waste places on our oceans.

The quantity of garbage out there is truly astounding. And though it may well be "out of sight, out of mind" for us landlubbers, it is definitely not out of our lives.....

Petroleum plastics are built to last, forEVER. And as plastics continue spilling from our hands into the ocean, the sea life casualties continue piling up. Plastic packaging is designed to attract us with its shiny, alluring colors. This deadly appeal extends to sea life as well as our pocketbooks - millions of birds, fish, and marine mammals die every year, mistaking bright, colorful plastic bits for food.

As J. Nichols, senior scientist at The Ocean Conservancy and Ocean Revolutionary extraordinaire notes, "We live and die by the ocean. If the oceans in trouble, WE are in trouble."

Perhaps with our recent shift in political momentum, we might finally hope for a bit of leadership. Hold our breath and wait we must NOT do however, we'll need all the grassroots, business, and innovative local leadership we can get to tackle this one.

In the meantime, its up to each and every one of us to keep kickin' plASStic.