Have you heard of the North Pacific Gyre? Do you know that it could well be the planet's largest garbage dump? Right now millions of tons of debris, garbage, plastic and other refuse is swirling in the Pacific Gyre.
If you haven't heard of this problem - it's no surprise, it's the planet's dirty little secret and one that threatens every type of sea life and truly threatens us - the humans that put this garbage in the ocean. With all the focus on global warming - an important cause - however, one that we at Planet Protect find even more important is pollution.
The toxic elements we continue to pour into our air, water and soil, the debris threatens our food supply, our animals and eventually the very biology that ties us all together.
The North Pacific Gyre is a natural low pressure zone that extends from Hawaii toward Alaska and the currents slowly churn this massive area (about the size of Texas) and just about anything that floats into the Gyre stays there - for decades.
Remember when Nike lost about 80,000 shoes in the Pacific some years back - most are still in the Gyre. Taco Bell lost about 50,000 plastic bags off a ship and - most are still in the Gyre. And, most disturbing yet, millions of tons of plastic that float off our beaches around the Pacific (including from Mexico, Central America and the Asian countries) eventually end up in the Gyre.
On the east coast of our country, millions of pounds of plastic in up in our oceans from plastic manufacturing.
It's distressing to read that a majority of sea birds, seals, dolphins, whales and turtles have some amount of plastic in their stomachs. It's alarming to read that the breakdown of these plastics is affecting the food chain, and plastic absorbs toxins which are making their way into our food. All told, the overall effect of this pollution will be harming us for centuries. The only way to start is one small step - and here is ours.
Planet Protect Sportswear Co. is dedicated to lobbying efforts, working with local beach communities for storm drain screens, to enact garbage collection systems along public beach parks and to work legislatively to punish those who carelessly dump garbage along our oceans. This will become our primary mission - to protect our oceans and in turn protect ourselves and our future.
We will dedicate our money, our profits toward fighting this growing problem. And in future months, we will post our successes - show you tangible proof that your dedication to our company translates into stopping pollution. Each year we visit Washington D.C. to push our efforts with highly regarded environmental groups. In 2010, we will be presenting tangible solutions to the EPA for recommendations to Congress.
Here's a small step you can take. Did you know that the average family uses 400 plastic bags a year? Every time you shop at the grocery store - a plastic bag is handed to you.
My family has gone plastic bag free - we bought a bunch of those re-useable cloth bags and I have to tell you - I love them, simple to use and easy to handle (the tough part is remembering to bring them along). Our local grocery clerk says only a few families are using them but more and more are. When I forget - which I do - I go paper. I guess we have a long way to go, but its a start. Also, everytime you see a plastic bag, bottle or other litter - take a second to grab it and get it into a garbage can - it all helps!
Be sure to visit our fundraising beneficiary - Algalita Marine Research Foundation - they are the leaders in bringing this problem to the public.
Thank you for being a loyal Planet Protect Sportswear customer, have a great 2010!
Sincerely,
J.M. Beriault
CEO
Planet Protect Sportswear Co.
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