Every day, we are faced with a growing plastic pollution crisis that is affecting our oceans and the marine life that inhabit them. However, there are people who are taking action to help solve this problem. Meet Afroz Shah, a lawyer and environmental activist from Mumbai, India, who has been tirelessly working to clean up the plastic waste that has been polluting the beaches and ocean near his home.

Shah started his mission to clean up the beach in 2015, and since then, he has inspired thousands of people to join him in his efforts. According to National Geographic, Shah and his volunteers have removed over 20 million pounds of trash from the beach, making it once again a safe haven for marine life.

Shah’s story is not just inspiring, but it shows that one person can make a significant difference in the fight against plastic pollution. His efforts have not gone unnoticed, and he has been recognized with numerous awards, including the United Nations’ Champions of the Earth Award in 2016.

Shah’s story is just one example of how individuals can make a difference in protecting the environment. While it may seem like a daunting task to tackle the plastic pollution crisis, the reality is that every small action counts. By reducing our plastic consumption, properly disposing of plastic waste, and supporting initiatives like Shah’s, we can all make a difference.

As Shah said in an interview with National Geographic, “The ocean doesn’t belong to us, we belong to the ocean.” Let’s all take action to protect our oceans and the creatures that call them home.

Source: National Geographic, “This Lawyer is Saving Mumbai’s Beaches – And the Ocean – from Plastic”, accessed on February 16, 2023, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/06/lawyer-afroz-shah-saving-mumbai-beaches-ocean-plastic/.

It’s easy to absolve ourselves of responsibility as individuals for the world wide problem of
plastic waste. But let me ask you this, what do you use every day that has plastic in it? A lot
more than you would think at first. The average person produces half a pound of plastic waste
every single day. Our current rate of plastic waste ending up in the ocean is at 8 million tons
annually and is predicted to increase to 29 million tons by 2040. We would be more than tripling
our plastic waste in the ocean in less than 30 years! With current practices, the weight of plastic
in the ocean will be more than the weight of fish by 2050. Environmental Scientist Rolf Halden,
has spent his career researching this issue. He stated he believes we are doomed with
unchanged behavior. So, what will we do to change our fate?

https://www.climateaction.org/news/amount-of-plastics-in-oceans-has-significantly-increased-since-1990s

written by Savannah Johnson

This is why our mission is so important to us!

We all know ocean plastic is horrible, but let’s dive a little deeper. “Natural” degradation of plastic is a long process and it’s causing a catastrophic impact. The 8 million tons of plastic that’s dumped every year isn’t going to magically go away. Some plastics can take 1,200 years to completely break down, but organic life doesn’t have that kind of time. Even during that cycle, the plastic breaks down into microplastics that do just as much damage; but the microplastic is where that damage bridges over from the ocean pollution to our plants livestock, and even our bodies. In 2018 the US alone produced 35 million tons of plastic and only 8.7% was recycled. That’s only 3 million tons, what happened to the other 32 million tons of plastic? Some in landfills of course, but a significant amount of that ended up in our waters. Not just the ocean but the water we drink as well. Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health (carleton.edu) Degradation Rates of Plastics in the Environment | ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering

-Savannah Johnson

We believe the ocean deserves our respect and attention

I think we need ocean janitors

Chad Anderson