What if society took pollution and plastics more seriously decades ago? The words quoted above sum up a feature article in Rolling Stone — an article that probably would not have needed to be written had society curbed its wasteful practices with plastic. The article is talking, of course, about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a swirling stew of bits of trash that is harming wildlife, polluting the water and growing by the day.

This is just one of the many consequences of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

It is alarming that such a mind-boggling phenomenon of unimaginable proportion is now featured in a rock ‘n roll magazine instead of a standard scientific publication like Scientific American, as one would expect. But, it is true: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is real. This worrisome reality is clearly depicted in down-to-earth terms by Kitt Doucette in issue number 1090 of the world-famous music periodical. What if those bans on plastic grocery bags happened 10, 15 or 20 years ago? Would we still be dealing with such a destructive and worrisome phenomenon today?

Another source, Zimbio, tells us that, while a vision of swirling plastic grocery bags and Dasani bottles might be what captivates our imaginations when we hear about this epic garbage current, it is in fact tiny pieces of man-made plastics called “microplastics” that are causing terrible complications in the earth’s largest ocean:

“From seabirds all the way to larval fish, microplastic enters the marine food chain and as it does, it releases a variety of polluting chemicals as part of the process of breaking down — this breakdown we have come to call ‘biodegradable’ but plastic doesn’t really ever disappear; it simply continues to separate into smaller and smaller components, releasing chemicals into the water and into the tissues of many ocean species, many of which end up on our dinner table.”

Would it have been possible to develop plant-based, truly biodegradable plastics if we saw such complications coming? Regardless of the answer, today we are saddled with the alarming process of countless microplastic pieces breaking off from larger manufactured products and affecting the natural habitat from start to finish. Oh, and it gets better (well… worse).

It turns out there are signs of a Great Atlantic Ocean Patch as well. National Geographic delivered the news that researchers at the Woods Hole-based Sea Education Association have found a floating garbage stew on their side of the States as well, which seems fair for all of our East Coast friends. That article informs us that, “The exact size of the patch is unknown but the plastic is likely gathering for the same reason the garbage is in the Pacific: Because of gyres, or rotating ocean currents that trap the waste.”

So, now the United States sits in the middle of the world’s two largest oceans, both of which are infected by unfathomable toxins and tiny plastic pieces that are poisoning our world’s marine life — a complicated situation that continually leaves us asking, “What if?” What if we had developed better plastics that are truly eco-friendly? What if we had better practices where recycling and consumerism weren’t the laws of the land? What if we had better policies that set the standard for sustainable urban and rural lifestyles years ago? Unfortunately, no one knows.

The invention of plastic made countless lives easier and revolutionized many, if not all, sectors of the world in the past century. While current complications may have caused finger pointing, I-told-you-sos and a perpetual revisit to the almighty “what if,” a fix-all solution seems out of sight.

But, not all is lost! There are always ways to mitigate such issues without giving up some of the conveniences plastics allow. The ever-popular cloth grocery bags are a major way to keep polyethylene out of our oceans. Additionally, it seems that scientists are looking for ways to create truly biodegradable plastic. And, lastly, let’s not forget the benefits of recycling! This means that we can truly and endlessly reuse a set amount of potentially harmful material without causing offensive complications to our natural habitat… and that writers at Rolling Stone can get back to covering the music industry.

It can be as simple as switching to Energy Star-rated CFLs, purchasing energy-efficient appliances, programming your thermostat or powering down your computer when you aren’t using it. There is always something you can do to consciously conserve energy and the EPA, which has teamed up with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Parent Teacher Organizations Today, wants to show you how.

The campaign aims to fight global warming starting at home. Energy Star estimates that if every U.S. household joined the cause, we could prevent enough greenhouse gases each year that are the equivalent to the carbon emissions of 18 million cars, proving that every little change does make a difference. To date, the campaign has involved more than 2.3 million participants making eco-conscious choices, which has saved 6.37 billion pounds of carbon emissions from our environment, and 3.98 kWh since 2005.

The “Change the World, Start with Energy Star” campaign includes a traveling multimedia tour of the Energy Star Exhibit House, which shows off energy-efficient practices to get children and families across the country excited about cutting their energy use — and costs. Cities on the tour list are Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle and Boston. You can also take an online room-by-room tour of the Energy Star home to learn how you can save energy in your home through small changes every day.

Some of those useful, energy-saving tips from Energy Star include:

• Programmable thermostat (cost savings: $180/year)
• Energy-efficient light bulbs (cost savings: $70/year)
• Energy Star-qualified heating and cooling appliances (cost savings: $200/year)
• Properly sealed leaks and insulation (cost savings: $200/year)

To learn more about the campaign and how you can take the pledge to fight against global warming, please visit here.

At first thought, unused fishing line wouldn’t seem like a potential danger to a number of different species of wildlife in the area.

Fishermen and other nature lovers should take a second thought, according to Grand Haven’s Pamm Tarchinski.

Tarchinski, a member of the local wildlife preservation group Defenders of Urban Wildlife, said discarded plastic monofilament can pose a serious threat to water fowl, sea gulls and certain kinds of fish that venture close to West Michigan shorelines.

“Most people don’t realize the serious problem it poses,” she said. “It’s the No. 1 case of injury to aquatic animals that frequent the shoreline.

“In most cases, it’s completely invisible to wildlife and it can easily wrap around their ankle. When that happens, these birds think it’s a trap, they yank away, and it causes an instant injury. It can also wrap around their feet and cause cuts. For mallards or geese, their feet act as their breaks every time they land on the water, and it’s hard to repair those injuries.”

Worse yet, if birds ingest the line, it can prevent them from feeding or it can tangle their beaks, eventually causing death.

When Tarchinski noticed a number of used strands of line near a pond near her home, she began to wonder if injured wildlife was a serious problem in her own backyard, and what could be done to prevent the issue.

After some research on the Internet, Tarchinski found her answers: Yes, it was a serious problem in several states — especially in coastal states such as Florida, where it affected dolphin, manatee and even sea otters — and many communities have turned to recycling bins to advert the issue.

The bins are simple to construct. Simply made of PVC piping and connected onto any standard post by thread adapters and plugs, the bins have began multiplying in rapid numbers.

“There’s hundreds, probably even close to a thousand of them around Florida,” Tarchinski said.

Florida’s state Web site offers step-by-step instructions on how to build the recycling tubes, how to print signs informing anglers its use, and how to get connected to line-recycling companies. The state of Maryland quickly followed suit, as it located funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Foundation and bought 52 recycling tubes and posted them in 26 state parks.

Tarchinski hopes Michigan and its Department of Natural Resources joins in the movement. Defenders of Urban Wildlife got the ball rolling, as it spent $75 on a bin purchased from Florida that they hoped they could install in either Grand Haven or Spring Lake.

At last month’s Spring Lake Village meeting, members of the group discussed the potential danger to wildlife and their proposed solution. The council approved the installation of the bin at Mill Point Park this week.

“It never really dawned on me on the potential problem until I took a walk near Mill Point and noticed how much fishing string was tossed down,” Spring Lake Village President Bill Filber said. “It’s a great idea that people in our community are making an effort to recycle it.”

Tarchinski and the Defenders of Urban Wildlife hope to raise $600 more to construct at least a dozen more of the bins, which they hope will pop up at popular fishing spots such as Grand Haven’s Harbor Island and south pier. Filber said he’d eventually like to see at least three other bins placed around Spring Lake as well.

Tarchinski said Cindy Fricano and Sue Rhem of Defenders of Urban Wildlife have volunteered to empty the bin and monitor any cases of vandalism at Mill Point Park. The bins will likely be removed during the winter to reduce any long-term wear and tear.

“With the bins in Florida, they’ve reported that they haven’t had many problems with trash or vandalism,” Tarchinski said. “Volunteers visit them at least every 12 days, and that seems to work.”

Once the line is collected, it will be mailed in prepaid cardboard shipping boxes to a fishing products manufacturing company in Idaho, which recycles the line into various products free of charge.

“We feel it’s a great way to encourage people to clean up the environment,” Tarchinski said.

By Jonathan Bardelline

A few years back Timberland started putting labels on products showing the energy, materials and chemicals that went into their shoes and boots.

With its Earthkeepers 2.0 boot set for release later this year, the company is putting something else into its footwear: a new way of designing boots.

The Earthkeepers 2.0 is Timberland’s first product designed to be disassembled and recycled, and is part of the Earthkeepers line of products that was created in 2007. The boot is 80 percent recyclable, and its soles are made with Green Rubber, a material that contains 42 percent recycled rubber tires that have been devulcanized.

With the boot, Timberland is following though with its plans announced a a few months ago to commercialize the use of Green Rubber and design products with end-of-life in mind.

When customers return the Earthkeepers 2.0 boots to Timberland, the company will be able to take the main parts of the boots apart, recycle the soles into new Green Rubber, have the leather parts refurbished and recycled the polyester lining. Compared to the previous Earthkeepers boots, the new products produce 15 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions and use 15 percent more recycled or renewable content.

The idea of companies making products that can be easily disassembled and recycled, and the idea of companies taking their own products back, has been circulating around various industries as more businesses see benefits from the processes.

Recycling and disposal is a key idea in many Cradle to Cradle products, like Steelcase’s Think chair, which is 99 percent recyclable and can be taken apart in five minutes.

Some businesses, like Zeftron Nylon, are even seeing the benefits of taking back other companies’ products to recycle and reuse. Zeftron Nylon has been taking in unwanted carpets from businesses, no matter the manufacturer, and recycling the carpets in order to make their own nylon 6 product.

A different approach is taken by Nike, which collects any type of athletic shoe, separates the rubber, foam and fabric, and them mixes the like materials together to make Nike Grind materials that are then used to make basketball courts, football fields, tennis courts and other sports surfaces.