Oceans of Plastic

Did you know that by the year 2050, the ocean could have more pieces of plastic than fish? Today we studied and observed how plastics, which never break down, can affect oceans and biodiversity. We visited an exhibit at the modern art museum in Belem and saw a whale skeleton constructed entirely of plastics. Belem, which is also known for its famous bakery and pastry the "pastel de Belem" was a great spot to have lunch and snack on pastries before going to clean up plastics on the beach. We picked up hundreds of pieces of plastic and various other trash from all over a local beach and things really hit home when our instructor recognized a plastic toy from the 70s. Some of the ways we discussed making a concerted effort to minimize this issue are reusing more items, consuming less plastic, and taking small steps such as eliminating our usage of plastic straws and silverware.