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pacific garbage patch

11/30/2018

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The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful with easy to obtain materials.
 
There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout. 
 
A 5-Star Customer Review of Chemistry on a Budget at amazon.com states:

“[S]traight forward, to the point, using household chemicals… this is the lab book for you. 
I teach high school chemistry and this is exactly what I was looking for. Labs included simple household chemicals that could be easily found. Nice format, easy to follow along procedures, and touches on every topic of our chemistry curriculum.”
 
You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. It will take 1-2 weeks to get to you -- Order Now.  It’s a great resource!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html
 
*Some of you have already purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
There have been several posts about Garbage in the Ocean, but they have been separate over the years.  I would like to consolidate this issue as well as provide a list of past blog posts.
 
“The name ‘Pacific Garbage Patch’ has led many to believe that this area is a large and continuous patch of easily visible marine debris items such as bottles and other litter—akin to a literal island of trash that should be visible with satellite or aerial photographs. This is not the case. While higher concentrations of litter items can be found in this area, much of the debris is actually small pieces of floating plastic that are not immediately evident to the naked eye.

Ocean debris is continuously mixed by wind and wave action and widely dispersed both over huge surface areas and throughout the top portion of the water column. It is possible to sail through ‘garbage patch’ areas in the Pacific and see very little or no debris on the water's surface. It is also difficult to estimate the size of these ‘patches,’ because the borders and content constantly change with ocean currents and winds. Regardless of the exact size, mass, and location of the ‘garbage patch,’ manmade debris does not belong in our oceans and waterways and must be addressed.”
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/garbagepatch.html
 
“The name ‘Pacific Garbage Patch’ has led many to believe that this area is a large and continuous patch of easily visible marine debris items such as bottles and other litter —akin to a literal island of trash that should be visible with satellite or aerial photographs. While higher concentrations of litter items can be found in this area, along with other debris such as derelict fishing nets, much of the debris is actually small pieces of floating plastic that are not immediately evident to the naked eye.

The debris is continuously mixed by wind and wave action and widely dispersed both over huge surface areas and throughout the top portion of the water column. It is possible to sail through the ‘garbage patch’ area and see very little or no debris on the water’s surface. It is also difficult to estimate the size of these “patches,” because the borders and content constantly change with ocean currents and winds. Regardless of the exact size, mass, and location of the ‘garbage patch,’ manmade debris does not belong in our oceans and waterways and must be addressed. “
https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html
 
“The world produces enough plastic each year to build 50 Pyramids of Giza. That's over 350 million tons of candy wrappers, PVC pipes, and synthetic t-shirts. While most of it ends up in landfills, 8 million tons wind up in our oceans each year — where most finds its way into massive garbage patches around the world.

And the biggest of them all is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. If you picked up each piece of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch you'd carry away about 1.8 trillion individual pieces. That's ten times more than there are stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. And it would weigh a whopping 80,000 tons. Equivalent to the weight of three Statues of Liberty.

Half of the entire patch is made of plastic fishing nets, lines, and ropes, which come from intense fishing activity near the area. The other half is mostly hard plastics and films, like water bottles and plastic wrap. But don't let the name ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ fool you. It doesn't look like a giant mountain of trash at all. It's actually scattered over a region of ocean that's twice the size of Texas, according to some estimates.

So if you wanted to pick up every piece of plastic, it would take you 121 days at a walking pace of 5 km/hr to cover the entire area. Though in reality, there's no true end since the garbage patch is constantly ebbing and flowing with the ocean currents. But let's pretend you could scoop it all up into one place. There'd be enough plastic to fill 100 Boeing 747 planes!
And the patch is only getting bigger. It's been growing exponentially larger for nearly 70 years. Partly because once the plastic is there it'll stick around for centuries. Those plastic fishing lines, for example, will take 600 years to break down.

And even after they break down, the damage doesn't stop there. Most end up as microplastics that are too small to see with the naked eye. But can make it into the bellies of sea animals and ultimately the humans that eat those animals. Worldwide, researchers have found ingested microplastics in, every species of sea turtle. Nearly 60% of whale species. And almost 60% of seabirds.

Plus, more plastic is pouring into the world's oceans each day. In fact, experts estimate that by the year 2050 the amount of plastic in the oceans will outweigh all the world's fish. “
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-big-is-great-pacific-garbage-patch-2018-10
 
“Plastic has increasingly become a ubiquitous substance in the ocean. Due to its size and color, animals confuse the plastic for food, causing malnutrition; it poses entanglement risks and threatens their overall behavior, health and existence.

Studies have shown that about 700 species have encountered marine debris, and 92% of these interactions are with plastic. 17% of the species affected by plastic are on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species.

Floating at the surface of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is 180x more plastic than marine life. Animals migrating through or inhabiting this area are then likely consuming plastic in the patch. For example, sea turtles by-caught in fisheries operating within and around the patch can have up to 74% (by dry weight) of their diets composed of ocean plastics. Laysan albatross chicks from Kure Atoll and Oahu Island have around 45% of their wet mass composed of plastics from surface waters of the GPGP.

Since 84% of this plastic was found to have at least one Persistent Bio-accumulative Toxic Persistent Bio-accumulative Toxic (PBT) chemical, animals consuming this debris are therefore ingesting the chemicals attached to the plastic.

Fishing nets account for 46% of the mass in the GPGP and they can be dangerous for animals who swim or collide into them and cannot extract themselves from the net. Interaction with these discarded nets, also known as ghost nets, often results in the death of the marine life involved.”
https://www.theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/
 
“First discovered in the early 1990s, the garbage patch's trash comes from countries around the Pacific Rim, including nations in Asia and North and South America, said Laurent Lebreton of the Ocean Cleanup Foundation. 

But specifically, scientists say, the bulk of the garbage patch trash comes from China and other Asian countries. 
This shouldn't be a surprise: Overall, worldwide, most of the plastic trash in the ocean comes from Asia. In fact, the top six countries for ocean garbage are China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Thailand, according to a 2015 study in the journal Science.  

The United States contributes as much as 242 million pounds of plastic trash to the ocean every year, according to that study.

China has begun to take steps to stem the tide of trash floating from its shores. The country recently banned the import of most plastic waste, according to a study published in June in Science Advances. 

China has imported about 45 percent of the world’s plastic waste since 1992 for recycling, the study found. In the U.S. alone, nearly 4,000 shipping containers full of plastic recyclables a day had been shipped to Chinese recycling plants.   “
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/science/2018/09/07/great-pacific-garbage-patch-where-did-all-trash-come/1133838002/
 
“The patch was discovered in 1997 by Charles Moore, a yachtsman who had sailed through a mishmash of floating plastic bottles and other debris on his way home to Los Angeles. It was named by Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a Seattle oceanographer known for his expertise in tracking ocean currents and the movement of cargo lost overboard, including rubber duck bath toys and Nike tennis shoes. The patch is now the target of a $32 million cleanup campaign launched by a Dutch teenager, Boyan Slat, now 23, and head of the Ocean Cleanup, the organization he founded to do the job.”
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/03/great-pacific-garbage-patch-plastics-environment/
 
“While ‘garbage patch’ might make you think of something you pass by on the side of the road, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the North Pacific Ocean is less like a patch and more like a massive swirling vortex more than three times the size of Spain and more than twice the size of Turkey or Texas.
And it's growing and collecting more plastic rapidly, according to a study published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports by researchers associated with the Ocean Cleanup Foundation.

There may be more than 16 times as much plastic in the vortex than previous studies have estimated, according to the researchers behind the study.

An aerial view of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch might at first appear to be open water. But inside there's debris from all over the world — debris that traps or is eaten by marine animals, filling up their bodies to the point of being fatal and tainting our food supply.

More than 320 million metric tons of plastic are produced every year — and a disturbing amount ends up in the ocean, with much of it accumulating in places like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. “
https://www.businessinsider.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch-view-study-plastic-2018-3
 
“On Sept. 8, [2018], an ungainly, 2,000-foot-long contraption will steam under the Golden Gate Bridge in what’s either a brilliant quest or a fool's errand.

Dubbed the Ocean Cleanup Project, this giant sea sieve consists of pipes that float at the surface of the water with netting below, corralling trash in the center of a U-shaped design.

The purpose of this bizarre gizmo is as laudable as it is head-scratching: to collect millions of tons of garbage from what's known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which can harm and even kill whales, dolphins, seals, fish and turtles that consume it or become entangled in it, according to researchers at Britain's University of Plymouth. 

The project is the expensive, untried brainchild of a 23-year-old Dutch college dropout named Boyan Slat, who was so disgusted by the plastic waste he encountered diving off Greece as a teen that he has devoted his life to cleaning up the mess.

 Along with detractors who want to prioritize halting the flow of plastics into the ocean, the Dutch nonprofit gathered support from several foundations and philanthropists, including billionaire Salesforce founder Marc Benioff. In 2017, the Ocean Cleanup Project received $5.9 million in donations and reported reserves from donations in previous years of $17 million. “
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-giant-floating-trash-collector-will-try-to-scoop-up-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch/ar-BBLBjh7?li=BBnb7Kz
 
Check these past blog posts about this Ocean Cleanup issue:
06/25/2015      Ocean Clean-Up
03/19/2016      Microplastic Polluting Our Oceans
02/17/2017      The Ocean Clean-up Project Revisited
​12/08/2017      Video: Oceans -- The Mystery of
                                        the Missing Plastic
10/19/2018     The Ocean Cleanup Launch
11/09/2018     Plastic Pollution Coalition
  
*This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom.  Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
 
Also, Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.
 
Remember, buying a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget can be very useful to your Chemistry classroom with labs and class article ideas.

Have a great weekend!

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Happy Thanksgiving 2018

11/23/2018

0 Comments

 
The book Chemistry on a Budget contains inexpensive chemistry labs that are useful with easy to obtain materials.
 
There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout. 
 
A 5-Star Customer Review of Chemistry on a Budget at amazon.com states:

“[S]traight forward, to the point, using household chemicals… this is the lab book for you. 
I teach high school chemistry and this is exactly what I was looking for. Labs included simple household chemicals that could be easily found. Nice format, easy to follow along procedures, and touches on every topic of our chemistry curriculum.”
 
You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. It will take 1-2 weeks to get to you -- Order Now.  It’s a great resource!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html
 
*Some of you have already purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
Happy Thanksgiving 2018!  This has been a very busy time of year -- congratulate yourself for a job well done!
 
After this break, there are only 4 weeks before end of 2018!  What can your class get done during these next few weeks?
 
Remember, some of your students leave a little early for that end of year vacation, so decide carefully if you want to schedule a test, quiz, or lab in that last week – it could mean extra work to complete all of those makeups!
 
Some blog posts that may be useful include:
11/20/2015            Holiday Class Activities​
01/04/2015            Midterm Examinations
 
Use this long weekend to check out past blog posts from the year.  You might get some class ideas for the last days of 2018.
 
*This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom.  Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
 
Also, Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.
 
Remember, buying a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget can be very useful to your Chemistry classroom with labs and class article ideas.

Have a great weekend!

0 Comments

Dangers of methylene chloride paint stripper

11/16/2018

0 Comments

 
The book Chemistry on a Budget contains chemistry labs that are useful with inexpensive, easy to obtain materials.
 
For the 2018-19 school year, buy a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget.  It’s a great resource for your class!

There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout. 
 
A 5-Star Customer Review of Chemistry on a Budget at amazon.com states:
“[S]traight forward, to the point, using household chemicals…this is the lab book for you. 
I teach high school chemistry and this is exactly what [I] was looking for. Labs included simple household chemicals that could be easily found. Nice format, easy to follow along procedures, and touches on every topic of our chemistry curriculum.”

You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. It will take 1-2 weeks to get to you -- Order Now.  It’s a great resource!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html
 
*Some of you have already purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !
 
“In October 2017, Drew Wynne collapsed inside a walk-in refrigerator at his coffee business in North Charleston, S.C. By the time his business partner found him crumpled on the floor, Wynne was dead. He had suffocated on a chemical called methylene chloride.

The 31-year-old's death is one of dozens blamed on popular paint removers sold under the brand names Goof-Off, Strypeeze, Klean Strip and Jasco among others.

In recent months, some retailers have said they will stop selling products that contain methylene chloride, also known as DCM, and a second chemical, N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone, or NMP. …

The EPA began a risk assessment of methylene chloride in 2014. In January 2017 the agency proposed banning the use of methylene chloride and NMP in paint removers. In the proposed rule, the agency wrote that the chemicals posed "unreasonable risks" to consumers.

Since 1980, more than 50 deaths had been attributed to methylene chloride, according to an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity and Slate.

But the proposed rule has yet to become an actual ban. Methylene chloride manufacturers opposed it, and in public comments in the spring of 2017, the Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance urged the agency to delay it, saying the regulation would have a ‘devastating impact on consumers and small businesses.’ A spokesperson for the industry group, Faye Graul, declined to comment for this story, and the major U.S. manufacturer of methylene chloride, W.M. Barr, did not respond to interview requests.

Today, it's still legal to sell products containing both chemicals. Health and safety experts caution consumers to avoid using them — especially indoors.”

You can listen to this radio report at the top of the page.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/11/12/657856033/retailers-plan-to-clear-deadly-paint-removers-from-shelves-as-epa-delays-ban
 
“Halogenated solvents are solvents which contain a halogen such as chlorine, bromine or iodine.
HSIA focuses on the most popular halogenated solvents, the chlorinated solvents:
  • Dichloromethane, or Methylene Chloride
  • Trichloroethylene
  • Perchloroethylene”
https://hsia.org/
 
“Exposure to methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane, has been associated with a higher risk of cancer and neurological and liver problems in workers, according to a 2014 assessment conducted by EPA. It also found that consumers who use methylene chloride paint strippers face short-term risks of neurological effects.

Environmental and consumer advocacy groups are encouraged by EPA’s decision to finalize the proposed ban on methylene chloride in paint-removing products. ‘It is vitally important that EPA move quickly to implement a ban,’ says Sarah Vogel, vice president for health at the Environmental Defense Fund. EPA should follow procedures to guarantee a permanent ban and ensure that ‘these products are promptly removed from store shelves,’ she adds.”
https://cen.acs.org/policy/chemical-regulation/EPA-ban-methylene-chloride-paint/96/i20
 
“Why ban methylene chloride? Methylene chloride is highly neurotoxic, and acutely lethal. There have been over 50 deaths from acute exposure over the last thirty-five years – though many more likely have gone unreported. Many of these deaths have been associated with the use of methylene chloride-based paint stripping products in confined spaces. Recent CBS news segments have covered the tragic stories of Kevin Hartley and Drew Wynne who both were killed in separate incidents in 2017 while using methylene chloride-based paint strippers.

The EPA fact sheet on the ban cites not only lethal risks from acute exposures to methylene chloride from use in paint and coating removal products, but also a host of other acute and chronic health impacts, like harm to the central nervous system, liver toxicity, and cancer.

Despite the serious risks to human health and the availability of safer alternatives, products containing the chemical remain on shelves across the country.”
https://www.edf.org/health/banning-methylene-chloride-paint-strippers
 
“The Environmental Defense Fund says 50 people have died from exposure to methylene chloride in such products since the 1980s.  The chemical has also been implicated in three deaths, including Drew’s, since the proposed ban.  The Tennessee man who died was reportedly working as a professional, refinishing bathtubs in Nashville.  We reached out to the EPA to find out when the agency will take action, but we did not hear back.

We also reached out the manufacturer of the product Drew had been using at the time of his death.  But after repeated attempts, the company did not respond. Its product does include a clear warning about its potential dangers on the back label.   Its website says it’s the largest manufacturer of solvent, removers, fuels, cleaning and prep products. …

We did talk to a Pennsylvania family who sued the manufacturer of ‘Goof Off’ nearly 20 years ago.   Judy and Wayne Steiner say their son Brian was 30 years-old when he was using a similar product by the same company to refinish a car.  They say he had a heart attack and survived.  But they say he continued to have heart problems until he died from another heart attack five years later.  The Steiners say the company settled the lawsuit  and although it did not admit to any wrong doing, they thought the issue had been resolved.”
http://www.southcarolinapublicradio.org/post/charleston-family-cautiously-optimistic-epa-announces-action-paint-stripper-chemical
 
Another report of a death due to methylene choride is reported below:

“Joshua [Atkins] was a snowboarder, a climber, and most of all, he loved freestyle BMX biking. …
But in February [2018], Joshua Atkins was visiting his mother in South Connellsville, Fayette County, and died suddenly. He had been removing paint from his BMX bike with a chemical paint stripper. Lauren Atkins found him after she came home from working a late shift. …

A toxicology report revealed her only son died from methylene chloride inhalation. The chemical is an ingredient in paint strippers sold at hardware stores, and is also used commercially. According to data compiled by the group Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, methylene chloride has been linked to at least 64 deaths since 1980.

Beth Kemler with Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families says things changed a couple of weeks ago when a delegation of people whose family members had died from methylene chloride inhalation met with EPA administrator Scott Pruitt in Washington.

‘They told Joshua’s story and also the stories of their loved ones who they had lost,’ Kemler says. ‘And just two days later, EPA actually issued a press release saying saying that they were going to move forward on finalizing the proposal.’

But Kemler and others aren’t waiting for the EPA. They’re pushing for retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s to stop carrying products that contain methylene chloride now. In an emailed statement, Lowe’s says the chemical ‘has historically been the most effective product option for removing paints and varnishes efficiently,’ and that the company does provide several alternatives that don’t contain methylene chloride. Critics of an outright ban say better labeling could help keep people safe.

But Maureen Swanson with the Learning Disabilities Association of America, says beyond these documented fatalities, there are other risks to using products that contain methylene chloride, and another common chemical called NMP.

'Pregnant women exposed to these toxic paint stripping chemicals have babies who are at higher risk for learning and developmental problems including A.D.H.D like behaviors,' she says. 'EPA states that children in the home when methylene chloride is used can suffer permanent learning impairments.’
Swanson says there is no reason for stores to delay removing products that contain these chemicals from their shelves.

In June [2018], Lauren Atkins will travel to the Lowe’s shareholder meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina to share the story of her son’s death, and ask the company’s CEO to ban methylene chloride products.”
http://www.wesa.org/post/pa-mother-works-ban-chemical-killed-her-son#stream/0
 
“Safer Chemicals Healthy Families fights for strong chemical policy, works with retailers to phase out hazardous chemicals and transform the marketplace, and educates the public about ways to protect our families from toxic chemicals.
Our coalition of 450 organizations and businesses is united by our common concern about toxic chemicals in our homes, places of work, and products we use every day.”
https://saferchemicals.org/
 
For the 2018/2019 school year, buy a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget – it is a great resource!  You can examine the labs and decide what you want to use during the school year.

*This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom.  Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
 
Also, Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.
 
Have a great weekend!

0 Comments

plastic pollution coalition

11/9/2018

0 Comments

 
The book Chemistry on a Budget contains chemistry labs that are useful with inexpensive, easy to obtain materials.
 
For the 2018-19 school year, buy a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget.  It’s a great resource for your class!

There are two versions of each lab, one with a ten-question conclusion and one with directions for a full lab report.  This way the teacher has the option!  Each lab is two pages to allow for one two-sided handout. 
 
A 5-Star Customer Review of Chemistry on a Budget at amazon.com states:

“[S]traight forward, to the point, using household chemicals…this is the lab book for you. 
I teach high school chemistry and this is exactly what [I] was looking for. Labs included simple household chemicals that could be easily found. Nice format, easy to follow along procedures, and touches on every topic of our chemistry curriculum.”

You can buy this lab book for $23 at amazon.com or lulu.com. It will take 1-2 weeks to get to you -- Order Now.  It’s a great resource!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Chemistry-Budget-Marjorie-R-Heesemann/dp/0578129159/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389410170&sr=1-1&keywords=chemistry+on+a+budget

http://www.lulu.com/shop/marjorie-r-heesemann/chemistry-on-a-budget/paperback/product-21217600.html
 
*Some of you have already purchased my lab book – be sure to check out Page 141 !

“Plastic Pollution Coalition is a growing global alliance of individuals, organizations, businesses, and policymakers working toward a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on humans, animals, waterways and oceans, and the environment."
https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/
 
I prefer not to advertise for an organization, but here is another attempt to respond to the issue of in the garbage in the ocean.
 
 “The Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) headquartered in Berkeley, CA is an organization working against the growing plastic pollution that is mostly caused by single-use plastic products and ingredients (plastic bottles, plastic bags, polystyrene, microplastics, microbeads). Founded in 2009, it has over 500 member organizations and businesses plus individuals who work for the common cause. PPC was co-founded by Lisa Kaas Boyle, Manuel Maqueda, Daniella Russo and artist Dianna Cohen who also serves as CEO.

Motto:
Plastic is a substance the earth cannot digest. REFUSE SINGLE-USE PLASTIC

PPC advocates

--the reduction of plastic consumption (plastic-free schools/events/eateries)
--the responsibility of policy and regulation (plastic-free towns, zero waste strategies)
--a change in production (extended producer responsibility, product redesign)
--environmental justice
--global coalition building”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_Pollution_Coalition
 
“The goal of PPC is to reduce global dependence on disposable plastic and to significantly reduce the global plastic footprint, and the coalition works on many levels to achieve these goals. First, it educates about the need to reduce consumption of disposable plastic. PPC pushes producers to take responsibility for the disposal of their products and to voluntarily engage in more sustainable practices. It also supports government regulation limiting use of disposable plastics, which is exactly what you hope will come out of these Environmental Protection Agency hearings.
This hearing is your opportunity to push for the strongest possible regulation in terms of disposable plastic reduction and environmental cleanup. PPC knows that the problems of pollution and marine debris are global in nature, but you would like to see the United States set an example for other countries. This hearing is a huge opportunity for PPC, and you are determined to be heard.”
https://www.sciencehistory.org/representative-of-the-plastics-pollution-coalition
 
“This past December [2015], the 5 Gyres Institute released a landmark paper that contained the first-ever global estimate of how much plastic is floating in the ocean. After six years and 24 expeditions that spanned 50,000 nautical miles, their researchers calculated that there are some 5.25 trillion plastic particles clogging the ocean’s surface layer. This plastic soup weighs a collective 269,000 tons – which is only 0.1 percent of the 288 million tons of plastic produced in 2012. The Institute itself has admitted their estimate is a conservative one and, though 88 percent of the ocean surface contains plastic debris, most of it is still unaccounted for.

One of its most notable destinations is the remote Midway Atoll. Back in November [2015], I [Dianna Cohen] spoke with broadcaster and director Angela Sun, whose documentary, Plastic Paradise, explores Midway and the garbage that’s swamping its beaches. The island chain is located near the Pacific Trash Vortex, a subtropical convergence zone where wind and ocean currents suck in all the debris of the Pacific Ocean.

Birds from Midway eat the brightly-colored bottle caps, toothbrushes, toys and nurdles they find swirling in the gyre. Over time, their bellies distend from the undigestable garbage in their diet and they die, leaving behind piles of bones and debris on the beach. The birds also feed this trash to their chicks. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reported that that of the 200,000 to 500,000 albatross chicks born on the island, those that die have twice as much plastic in their stomachs as those that die from other causes.”
http://www.planetexperts.com/dianna-cohen-ceo-co-founder-plastic-pollution-coalition-dreams-plastic-free-touring/
 
Other blog posts about Ocean Clean-up issues include:
06/25/2015      Ocean Clean-Up
02/28/2016      Video: "Does the Ocean Think?"
03/19/2016      Microplastic Polluting Our Oceans
02/17/2017      The Ocean Clean-up Project Revisited
03/24/2017      Toxic Mercury Levels in Sea Life
12/01/2017      Ocean Wave Power
12/08/2017      Video: Oceans -- The Mystery of the
                                                            Missing Plastic
01/26/2018     Current Event -- Oil Drill Site Explosion
06/01/2018     Film on Ocean Water Interrupts CO2 Absorption
08/10/2018     Oil Spill Sponge
10/19/2018     The Ocean Cleanup Launch 
 
For the 2018/2019 school year, buy a copy of the lab book Chemistry on a Budget – it is a great resource!  You can examine the labs and decide what you want to use during the school year.

*This Blog contains several entries that would be helpful to your chemistry classroom.  Check out the Topic List to help you to find past Blog entries.
 
Also, Write To Me about your successes, challenges, or questions in the Chemistry Classroom.
 
Have a great weekend!




0 Comments

    Author

    Marjorie R. Heesemann is a chemistry teacher with 15 years of experience who is now working to develop resources for the Chemistry classroom.

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