How Much Plastic is in the Ocean?

What can you do to make the oceans plastic-free?
(HINT: Hitting the subscribe button uses zero plastic)
↓↓↓Check the resources below ↓↓↓

Ocean plastic pollution is a massive environmental problem. Millions of tons of plastic waste enter the ocean every year, even plastic that goes in the trash can often ends up in the sea! This week we learn about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and look at the dangers ocean plastic poses to ocean animals. Plus, a few tips for you to reduce your own plastic use!

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REFERENCES:

Cózar, Andrés, et al. "Plastic debris in the open ocean." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111.28 (2014): 10239-10244.

Jamieson, Alan J., et al. "Bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants in the deepest ocean fauna." Nature Ecology & Evolution 1 (2017): 0051.

Jambeck, Jenna R., et al. "Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean." Science 347.6223 (2015): 768-771.

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It’s Okay To Be Smart is hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
Director: Joe Nicolosi
Writer: Joe Hanson
Producer/editor/animator: Andrew Matthews
Producer: Stephanie Noone and Amanda Fox

Produced by PBS Digital Studios
Music via APM

[besmart]

Can you commit to one plastic-free change in your life? Share it below!

As for me, I'm saying "no thanks" to plastic straws whenever I can.

[OttosAudio]

_"Did you know that you can drink with your mouth, and not use a straw? It doesn't suck."_
Pun intended?

[rickseiden]

Drinking without a straw, "doesn't suck." I see what you did there.

[Davanthall]

"Reuse. Think reusable. I mean, it certainly works for Hollywood."

OOOOHHHH SHOTS FIRED XD lmao.

[besmart]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Stanley Spadowski yet. You have no idea how proud I am to have used UHF in this video

[tanmaysahoo]

Plastic is so 1970s
Now everyone knows Vibranium is the coolest

[dorian]

Recycling is a great idea, but we all need to be better informed on what and how to recycle. I used to work for a large aerospace company. It used to break my heart to find a container in a copy room filled halfway with clean white paper, which is worth big bucks, contaminated with two or three discarded lunches. When recycling companies buy paper, they give it a grade. If food and trash is mixed, the value depreciates. We should also lobby our government representatives to give the consumer more options, like glass instead of plastic. Thanks for posting this!

[jlocalmotion]

Wow I'm impressed. From a fellow islander(pacific islands) I appreciate the spread of knowledge about plastic. I hope people get the message. Thnx

[rosemarynarolski]

"You get to drink from... the FIRE HOSE!" UHF, a seriously underappreciated movie.

Another great video. I refuse to take home any extra plastic bags, even if I forget to take my reusable ones to the store.

[Friedolin-qzid]

2 weeks ago I had to write an essay about this exact theme, in English (I'm from Germany). I had to decide between plastic pollution or loss of species. I watched your video about loss of species but wrote about plastic pollution anyway because I studied more for it. :D I like your videos. Keep up the good work!

[cyclenut]

I live near Chattanooga and the sides of roads are littered with plastic trash. With heavy rains they are washed away (unseen to most) and the roads look clean again.
Something tells me there is much more plastic in the oceans than most can understand.

[miyo]

One day, Kim Kardashian swam in the sea. The amount of plastic in the oceans doubled.

[MARKOUTTV]

I want to watch this video, but it would make me smart and i dont know if that's okay

[Strangetime]

the issue is most of us use plastic bags for throwing out our organic waste, it keeps our waste confined to some level, but there are still leaks.
I was put on a pilot to test a new product, Bagez a garbage bag holder. it allows me to secure any size garbage bag in my garbage bins. garbage bags are a better thicker plastic, and if used according to what your local waste facility can sort and separate, it will help in recapture of material to wards new products rather than end up in landfills. with Bagez i have been able to use just 1 bag to hold our family waste, and add more if needed. i buy my own bags and even use it when i'm outdoors. great product, helps reduce plastics are ending up in the dump, and i don't have to worry about dirty bins.

[TBrown]

Some experts also think that the plastic microbeads in face-washes contribute greatly to this pollution since it goes straight into the water system. So also consider switching to a more "natural" facewash that doesn't use these plastics.

[SoFlyIndustry]

I'm living in the UK, and we're pretty bad for plastic, even though we recycle and re-use a lot. I went to Bangkok 3 months ago and was amazed by the amount of plastic they use for everything! If you get a soda in the street, they pour it in a starbucks like plastic cut, with a plastic straw AND in addition to that put the whole thing in a tiny plastic bag with a handle to carry it around. like waaaay to much.

[earumamaadu]

Tax the plastic and make it expensive. They no one would buy that.

[michaelgeiss]

A 7th "R" can also be "Repurpose", finding other uses for plastics that would otherwise have been thrown away.

[mymodernrenaissance]

I think I died laughing when you talked about drinking without straws saying "it doesn't suck"

In all seriousness, though, this is important information to have and I hope people who see this will try to reduce how much plastic they have, use, recycle, and toss.

[cellope]

The topic is so serious and the situation so dire but you make it sound unalarming. Saying "no" to a straw whenever you can is not enough! We all can and must do more.
You share good ideas at the end. I hope you take your own advice seriously too. Thank you for speaking on the subject. I suggest you make a follow-up, however.