Pollution, particularly plastic pollution, is currently one of the biggest issues for our planet. In this edition of our newsletter, we would like to encourage you to pursue more ecologically friendly solutions in upcoming months. Some of our actions as a species have had rather negative impacts. Here are some facts about how pollution has affected our seas:

•  Experts say by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish if pollution continues at this rate. It is calculated that the fish will be outnumbered by about 40-50 million tons.

• All mussels contain microplastics. The average amount of plastic found in these organisms is between 0.13 and 2.45 particles per gram of meat. This is likely to affect human health as well. 

• An approximate 10 million tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean each year. This number is expected to nearly triple in the coming decades.

This is very disheartening, but there are many things an individual can do to help. One of these small actions can be adding an orange bag to your household to allow for more materials to be recycled. Also try to avoid single-use plastics if possible and find out if your “recyclable” materials are truly being recycled. Also participating in community service to clean up your community like Rake Up Boise can help not only others, but our environment as well. If there are any things that are confusing, or you feel like there is more that you want to do, there are many resources online as to how you can help reduce your carbon footprint and make a greater impact on your community.