Plastic Pollution Solutions

Plastic is something we are addicted to. It's everywhere. Bags, bottles, cars, shoes, glasses, packaging, electronics, and the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, plastic does not biodegrade. And because of this and a specific system of currents, a massive landfill has been created in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. And what comprises most of said landfill? You guessed it- plastic.

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According to this article, the garbage patch is MASSIVE, and almost impossible to view as a whole. But unlike a landfill, the garbage doesn't stay put, and it isn't being regulated because it's not a real damn landfill! That means it's growing. Every. Single. Day. There are a whole host of problems associated with the patch as well.

Source (to see the full size)

Wildlife consumes the plastic, often leading to death. Plastic and other garbage washes up in massive quantities on landmasses all over the globe (sometimes decades old), and because plastic lasts so long, it just breaks down into smaller pieces literally creating plastic sand which also washes up all over the place (source). So what can we do? We can sit an cry about a problem all the live long day, but what do we do when push comes to pollute?

Source (Pictured: Charles Moore, the man who discovered the Patch)

Humans have the capacity for creation and destruction. We all know this. And some very bright minds are working on many solutions to help ween us all off of plastic. Some ideas are very simple. Don't buy plastic! Especially plastic water bottles. Others are less cold turkey. Bioplastics, a relatively new group of materials are slowly being developed and introduced.

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Sometimes, bioplastics are obtained from algae:

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And sometimes from corn, too:

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These materials are more biodegradable than conventional plastics, and they come from renewable resources. But, with any developing technology, there are pros and cons. But that shouldn't stop us from developing a better bioplastic.

But these solutions are just two to a list that might not even be invented yet. There are amny ways to lessen your impact on the environment, and more often than not, being more conservative and conscientious about the environment can actually save you money!

Don't get discouraged, though. The world is riddled with problems like this, but the world is filled with twice as many people looking to solve these problems. So with that said...

Why not be one of them?

Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking)

Know what fracking is? Here's a definition:  

"Hydraulic fracturing is the propagation of fractures in a rock layer by a pressurized fluid. Some hydraulic fractures form naturally—certain veins or dikes are examples—and can create conduits along which gas and petroleum from source rocks may migrate to reservoir rocks. Induced hydraulic fracturing or hydrofracturing, commonly known as fracing, fraccing, or fracking, is a technique used to release petroleum, natural gas (including shale gas, tight gas, and coal seam gas), or other substances for extraction. This type of fracturing creates fractures from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations." ^(source)

^{Fracking Well (Source)}

^{A dry explanation if I've ever heard one, but informative. Basically, this is the act of forcing water into rock layers underground to force natural gas (among other things) out, so we can use it. There are many schools of thought on this position, but it all gets narrowed down to two sides: For Fracking, and Against Fracking. And as I've been following this issue, these two black and white stances on the issue leave a LOT of grey not covered.}

No trunk? (Source)

^{In case you haven't noticed, the U.S.A. is a little addicted to fossil fuels. Hell, most of the planet is. So until the push for green energy becomes absolute, we have to rely on dirty fuel. The products obtained from fracking can be utilized in a number of ways, and one way in particular that might be of specific interest to people everywhere are vehicles fueled by natural gas. Of course, this same gas that can be obtained via fracking. And like everything, there are pros and cons to using such vehicles.} 

Fuelin' Up (Source)

 
If you look at the article in the last sentence, there are good, solid benefits to nat. gas vehicles. Safer than liquid fuels (in the event of an accident), cleaner than gasoline, cheaper than gasoline. But. There are solid cons as well. The technology needed to build nat. gas vehicles is still new...ish meaning that it costs more to purchase a car outfitted to use nat. gas. Also, one cannot go as far on one tank as compared to gasoline. So at best, this is a band-aid, which leads us right back to fracking.

Is fracking safe?

Shades of grey once again. A month or two back, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper actually drank a little bit of the fluid used in fracking, along with a few other lawmakers. He didn't drop dead thankfully, so it seems like the fluid is safe. But it was never said if the fluid was pre, or post injection into a fracking well. If I had to guess, it was before. Which begs the question, is fracking safe?! The fluid Hickenlooper drank may be benign, containing relatively familiar ingredients, but it's what happens  to the fluid inside the well, and the fluid that comes out of the well when it's all said and done that raises a cause for concern.

Gov. Hickenlooper drinks up (Source)

Radium, barium, and a whole host of other elements was found in extracted fracking fluid. If there is an accident, or the fracking well is not set up properly, this toxic cocktail could leak into nearby groundwater sources, poisoning us all. Also, this fluid must be disposed of properly. Some complain also about earthquakes, or lighting faucets on fire. But some say that both of these claims (including the water quality issue) are greatly exaggerated, or at times, even fabricated!

Propoganda? (Source)

Fracking isn't new. But we need to make sure that we stay safe.

Which brings me to my final point. There are many arguments for fracking. Arguments against, but it seems that in both extremes, there is some severe bias. This website is strongly opposed to fracking. It lists numerous articles, like-minded websites, and so forth. But I didn't notice anything addressing our needs for fossil fuels. Once section of the website simply stated, "we will never run out of fossil fuels."

This website features an article that is pro-fracking, and the article addresses the big positives to the practice. But like its above counterpart, the other side is mocked, rather than addressed. So who do we believe?

Neither.

Know what my opinion is? Do your own research. Read up and get educated. Weigh the pros and cons, and make a decision for yourself.  And know what's great about what I just said? YOU have the will and intelligence to ignore my statements, condone them, or abhor them. So why should the issue of fracking, or any issue be any different?

THIS guy gets it. (Source)

You are a thinking, breathing person. And instead of being for or against fracking, why not try and look for a compromise? Compromise is something that neither of the above websites suggest, but it is usually the best option.

So what do you think? Fracking good? Fracking bad? Or are you somewhere in between? Ah, diversity. I love it so!