Another reason to bring your own bag to grocery store:

…estimates show that in the next 20 years there could be a pound of plastic for every two pounds of fish in the sea...

From Ocean Conservancy

Last week, I spoke to a packed room at the U.S. State Department’s “Our Ocean” conference. This landmark event, hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry, brought together international government leaders, expert scientists, and global activists like Leonardo DiCaprio to discuss the future of our ocean.

My message was simple: The avalanche of plastic reaching our ocean is as destructive as it is unnecessary. It can be stopped.

Plastics can kill animals like sea turtles, seals, and whales [not to mention, thousands of sea birds]. Once in the ocean, much of the plastic breaks into bite sized pieces animals are eating those pieces, along with the toxic pollutants that plastic adsorbs.

If we do not respond, estimates show that in the next 20 years there could be a pound of plastic for every two pounds of fish in the sea.

In rapidly growing countries, plastic consumption is outpacing waste management. Travel to places like the Philippines, and you’ll see houses built up right to the water’s edge. With no alternative in place, inevitably waste ends up in rivers and streams, and water becomes invisible below a sea of trash.

I believe we have a solution to stop the avalanche but not without your help, and we have to act fast.

We must stop trash at its source — before it enters the ocean. To do that, we need to work with companies and governments in industrializing countries to build critical waste management systems. If we do, we can keep trash out of the ocean and provide billions of people the sanitation they deserve.

At Ocean Conservancy, we are launching a major campaign to work with the most innovative international companies and make this happen.