Positive Change for Marine Life’s “Marine Debris Challenge” is a response. It is a response to the scourge of plastic pollution that is permeating the entire ocean ecosystem on an unimaginable scale. Many people are well aware of the threats posed to the marine environment by over-fishing, climate change’s evil twin ocean acidification, and industrial pollution. However, fewer people know about the tremendous amount of plastic trash entering the oceans every single day. One recent report makes the shocking suggestion that, if this problem goes unabated, there may be more plastic by weight in the ocean than fish, within just three or four decades!
Marine Debris adversely affects everything - from the pleasure we gain taking in the aesthetic beauty of pristine beaches, to the myriad of bird, fish and marine mammal species killed and poisoned through plastic ingestion and entanglement. And as if this wasn’t enough, emerging recently is evidence of the disturbing effect that plastic is having on the seafood that we eat - as plastic molecules make their way into the food chain, ultimately ending up in our bodies.
The Marine Debris Challenge sets about confronting this problem at ground-level. By inspiring everyday people in everyday communities into action through cleaning their local beaches and becoming informed on the issues. Positive Change for Marine Life aims both to remove plastic from the environment, whilst opening people’s eyes to a simple fact: this problem starts with each and every one of us, as it’s we who pay the manufacturers to produce this substance. All of us can change this situation - it starts with how we consume and what we say 'yes' and 'no' to at the supermarket.
In its inaugural year, the Challenge has four teams running beach cleans, education and awareness-raising activities as well as film screenings of the critically acclaimed 'Bag It Film'. These teams include: Team Gorden’s Bay in Sydney, Team Tasman Peninsula in Tasmania, Team Coffs Harbour on the NSW North Coast, and Team Seychelles in East Africa. To date the teams have collected huge amounts of trash from the beaches and educated hundreds of people on the impact that plastic and other solid waste is having on the marine environment and on their own health. "Is your life too plastic?" - why not get involved in the Marine Debris Challenge that has now been extended to the end of May in most of these communities, get in touch with us to take part in next years Marine Debris Challenge or why not help us continue our vital work by donating here - together we can tackle marine debris and create a healthier ocean.