I am here to learn more about Greenpeace’s Ocean Plastics campaign and how we can end single-use plastics.
Every minute of every day the equivalent of one garbage truck load of plastic enters our oceans. Plastics are filling up our oceans and killing marine life around the globe. From straws to soda rings, these plastics choke or entangle species like seabirds, turtles, and whales.
Actress and director Bonnie Wright, known for playing Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter film series, right, joins Greenpeace onboard the Arctic Sunrise to help highlight the urgent threat of ocean plastics. She works with crew member Jenn Peltz to pull up the tie lines as they depart the Bahamas.
We can no longer tolerate this cycle of destruction for so-called “convenience.” It’s time for corporations to come up with better designs and methods for the delivery of goods.
We trawled twice. Once just after departing from Freeport in The Bahamas and secondly when we were within The Gulf Stream. Trawling is like fishing, but unfortunately in this case for plastics. Greenpeace has been trawling, conducting beach cleanups and brand audits throughout their Atlantic Coast ship tour to gain a better understanding of just how much plastic we have polluting our waterways and connecting the waste back to the corporations responsible for it.
I was deeply saddened to find lots of different types of plastic in our trawl, large pieces of soft plastic, fishing lines, and polystyrene. The turtles and fish that were on this planet long before us are now eating these plastics which clog up their organs and can cause death.
This should not be happening. The single-use plastic that we all use practically every day is harming ocean wildlife. We not only need to work on holding ourselves and community accountable, but we also need to hold corporations accountable for choking our oceans. You can help stop plastic pollution, join me and Greenpeace by signing their petition to put pressure on corporate polluters.
There is no planet B, so I believe it is our responsibility to think before we consume plastic that will eventually make its way into this beautiful ocean I am currently surrounded by.
I look forward to sharing more stories after my journey aboard The Arctic Sunrise.
Stay tuned.
