In today’s hurried world, it seems like we’re always on our way to somewhere, rushing here and there just trying to make ends meet. And it doesn’t help any when stuff gets in our way.
Well, we invite you to slow down for a moment and consider this little mama Sea Turtle. She’s just trying to locate a litter-free space on this plastic-choked beach where she can deposit her eggs and give her babies the best start she knows how. Even though green sea turtles are considered endangered, under the right conditions her little ones can live for up to 80 years!
Our Blue Planet: Turtles battle with plastic
These turtles on Christmas Island have to battle a wall of debris to reach the ocean.
#OurBluePlanet
Posted by BBC Earth on Thursday, January 11, 2018
According to conserveturtles.org, for their eggs to survive and have a chance of hatching, sea turtles must lay their eggs on sandy beaches. As they are developing, the embryos breathe air through a membrane in the eggs, and so they can’t survive if they are continuously covered with water.
What ways have you discovered to cut back on the amount of plastic you come into contact with? How do you help ensure that plastic never reaches the ocean? Please share your thoughts and ideas below.Resources:
That is heartbreaking.
I live in Florida. We get a lot of “turtle talk” here and I have heard some people comment that “we care more about turtles than…”. It isn’t that they are more important, they are just more visible – at least during certain times of the year. They crawl up on our beaches or they come marching out of the woods and across roads in vast numbers at times. Then, these tiny little ones break out of the sand in hordes and storm back to the ocean. So what’s my point? Mankind or Humankind if you prefer, has interfered. We have indiscriminately developed land clearing out habitat, putting up obstacles (roads, sea walls, etc.) and worst of all our trash as stated in this short article.
NO MATTER WHAT AREA WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, “Where mankind has interfered, mankind has the responsibility to intervene on the behalf of…turtles, whales, the environment in general.” Let’s all start being responsible.
Thanks for your comments, Don. We agree: A little more responsibility taken by everyone seems like the least we can do, whether it’s just picking up after ourselves, or being more careful where and how we build things. Fortunately there are lots of good ideas today for living both simply and well, and steps being taken to create a new normal. Thanks for being a member of Norwex Movement; together, we’ll keep spreading the word!
Yes I have encountered rubbish on our local beaches in Perth Western Australia and I pick it up and carry it back to a bin and place it in there. If everyone walking along the beach had the same attitude instead of thinking that is not my problem, maybe the world would be a cleaner place. As for Christmas Island they should use the people awaiting entry into Australia to clean up the beaches.
I refuse plastic bags at stores; I bring my own. I recently bought some reusable silicone storage bags. And I already have Norwex’s silicone lids for sealing bowls, dishes and for use in baking and re-heating. I do not buy plastic bags or plastic wrap.
Limit the plastic we buy.
Why aren’t the “trashers” being fined? It isn’t difficult to take your garbage with you or better yet, to substitute it with eco-friendly products when possible.
We have highway cleaning crews, why not beach cleaning crews? Just a thought.
The shocking effects of waste are starting to be common knowledge now. Great to hear through the Norwex Movement that change is happening and many people are working to improve this.