Killing Them Softly: Planet Earth’s Silent Plastic Pollution Crisis

By T6W Staff

You’re never reminded of how so very busy and important your schedule is than when in line at the grocery store. It’s only exacerbated when the person in front of you whips out three or four reusable grocery bags. Great, a crusader. Your eyes roll, your finger starts to tap, and your internal body temperature rises. Is saving one-thousandth of an ounce of plastic really worth wasting your precious few minutes? What are they so worked up about, anyway?

It’s the environment, stupid. The Sixth Wall is proud to present an infographic (courtesy of oneworldoneocean) that shows how incredibly damaging and foreboding our plastic crisis is to the world’s oceans. They are literally dying – rapidly and violently – because six packs are easier to carry and the green bin is five feet further than the black one.

KoldCast’s new series, Mission Aquarius, brings to light the war being waged against the plastic pollution crisis on the front lines. The soldiers are scientists, and the battlefield is the ocean floor. On July 16, 2012, One World One Ocean joined a team of aquanauts led by Dr. Sylvia Earle for a six-day expedition to the Aquarius Reef base located in the heart of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Click to Watch Sylvia Earle’s “Why We Need the Ocean” Broadcast from Aquarius!

Since 1993, America’s “Inner Space Station,” Aquarius has helped us understand the disappearance of coral reefs, train NASA astronauts for space, and research sea sponges, the source of cancer drugs. It is one of the planet’s most important brain trusts, and its budget has been cut. Join us on what could be the final mission to Aquarius.

Watch additional episodes of Mission Aquarius

One World One Ocean: Plastics Breakdown (Click to Enlarge)