Earth Day, 15 shoking facts about plastic

Gaylord Nelson established Earth Day to create a common awareness of the problems of overpopulation, the production of pollution, the conservation of biodiversity and other environmental concerns to protect the Earth. Earth Day is a day to pay homage to our planet and to recognize Earth as our home and our mother. 

The first demonstration took place on April 22, 1970. Two thousand universities, ten thousand schools (primary and secondary) and hundreds of communities participated in this call. In 1972 the demonstration was celebrated for the first time internationally.

15 shocking facts

1. At least 8 million tons of plastic enter the oceans each year. That’s similar to emptying a garbage truck of plastic into an ocean every minute.
2. There is more microplastic in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way.
3. 322 million tons of plastic were produced in 2015
4. Cigarette butts, plastic bags, fishing gear, and food and beverage containers are the most common forms of plastic pollution found in the oceans.
5. Over the last ten years we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century
6. 50 percent of the plastic we use, we use just once and throw away.
7. Enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the earth four times
8. We currently recover only five percent of the plastics we produce.
9. Plastic accounts for around 10 percent of the total waste we generate.
10. Annually approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. More than one million bags are used every minute.
11. It takes 500-1,000 years for plastic to degrade.
12. Billions of pounds of plastic can be found in swirling convergences in the oceans making up about 40 percent of the world's ocean surfaces. 80 percent of pollution enters the ocean from the land.
13. Plastic constitutes approximately 90 percent of all trash floating on the ocean's surface, with 46,000 pieces of plastic per square mile.
14. One million sea birds and 100,000 marine mammals are killed annually from plastic in our oceans. 44 percent of all seabird species, 22 percent of cetaceans, all sea turtle species and a growing list of fish species have been documented with plastic in or around their bodies.
15. Some of these compounds found in plastic have been found to alter hormones or have other potential human health effects.

#Cuidalapachamama

Obviously, we also want to help the world. We want to reduce as much plastic as possible. That is why, for Earth Day, our team went to the Mega, a supermarket in Baños, to give away recyclable bags in exchange for their plastic bags. We really liked seeing how many people wanted to help us and the world, because never forget, a change starts with something small.

Besides standing in front of the Mega, they also allowed us to work with children on the plastics that are contaminating our oceans at the same time giving them some cloth covers to use and recycle. They are the future to fight against pollution and clean our planet.

Thank you very much everyone for participating and listening!