Plastics, they are everywhere –we type on keyboards made from them , we drink and eat out of bottles and plates made from them and we use them for cars and all sorts of things. Gone are the days where people like my grandparents used glass bottles and plates, and where cars were composed mostly of metal.

The use of plastic has increased by twenty times in the last 50 years and is expected to double again in the next 20 years. That is staggering. What saddens me the most is that our oceans, by 2050, will contain more plastic in terms of weight, than fish. Whales, dolphins, seals, and sea-birds end up eating the plastic and then die from intestinal blockages, choking or starvation. I once met a beautiful seal at an animal hospital. Her stomach was so full of plastic things that 22 days went by before all of it was out. Fortunately, she was one of the lucky seals, she was saved before it was too late.

Is there any good news? We can work together to produce less waste and slow climate change. Plus, we can make sure we recycle our plastics. Almost one-third of all plastic never gets collected and ends up in our oceans. We can also change how we manufacture things. Instead of plastic we can use hemp. It can be used to make containers and in car production. As I wrote in an earlier blog, hemp is also biodegradable.

Let’s get together and stop using plastics. Our oceans will thank you and so will the animals in them.