The plastic in our oceans is killing thousands of sea turtles and marine mammals each year. Help us decrease the amount of plastic that is put in our oceans by adopting habits that exclude plastics.
As human communities continue to develop around the world, consumption of plastic continues to rise. This waste is contaminating the ocean with billions of tons of plastic, which harms and kills approximately 100,000 sea turtles and other marine animals each year. Sea turtles often mistake floating plastic bags for their favorite food, jellyfish, and the consequences of ingesting plastic can be fatal.
To address this growing threat, the Sea Turtle Restoration Project is empowering people to cleanup plastic from their local beaches with Marine Debris Action Teams and reduce the use of plastic bags through our Bag the PlasticsCampaign. So far, we've sent letters of support for bag bans in the California cities of Belmont, Calabasas, Fort Bragg, Long Beach, Santa Cruz and Marin County. In addition, a letter of support was sent to the Beach Erosion Authority for Clean Oceans and Nourishment (BEACON).
Take Action!
Learn about plastics and how they affect the environment and living organisms. It is important that you know how your actions are affecting others and what you can do to reduce the harm that you are doing.
Change the choices you make regarding plastics. Instead of using a plastic bag to transport your groceries, invest in reusable bags.
Support local stores that do not use plastic bags. Convince a supermarket to join this campaign. Whenever possible, fill out suggestion cards if the store provides them. You can also talk to the manager of the supermarket and provide him or her with information about this campaign.
Join STRP and the Bag the Plastics campaign and make a difference! Check back at this page regularly for more actions you can take.
