What's Being Done to Save the Oceans

It doesn’t matter where one lives to know if their actions will have an effect or not; it will. While local grocery stores are becoming more eco-friendly by charging their plastic bags in hopes of reducing the consumption of it, people still have that option of making use of it. Some scientists are trying to develop biodegradable plastic bags that will hopefully do no, or at least less harm to marine life. For example, the article titled, “ Scientists develop biodegradable plastic from cassava starch”, states, “Researchers develop bioplastic using cassava starch and ozone gas… Bioplastics are considered less harmful to the environment because they may be decomposed by the action of living organisms, carbon dioxide (CO2), biomass or water” (Andrade). However, these bags are still capable of entering waters that were not filled with their type of material in the first place. Another method of helping out this environment is by preventing the use of practice straws. Many influencers on social media have brought light to this topic after viewing videos where turtles are having a hard time breathing because a plastic straw is clogged in their nose, which went viral. Now, there are multiple companies and organizations that sell straws that are reusable, such as glass and metal straws. Some beverage spots have even suspended straws in their stores and use eco-friendly alternatives, such as bamboo and paper. But, the methods that people should always resort to is to reduce the use of plastic and to be mindful of what you allow to be released in the ocean.

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Citations

Andrade, Rodrigo de Oliveira. “Scientists Develop Biodegradable Plastic from Cassava Starch.” SciDev.Net, SciDev.Net, 12 Nov. 2019, https://www.scidev.net/global/environment/news/scientists-develop-biodegradable-plastic-from-cassava-starch.html.