Hello all!

I just want to let everyone know that I submitted an entry into the Earth Science Week photo contest (YAY!). Below I have the image I submitted, the caption I wrote, and more information about the contest and this year’s theme.

In the times when leaves turn colors and families come together, one starts to explore the wonders of the Earth by visiting local farms and pumpkin patches. In Dell’Osso Farm in Lathrop, California, thousands of families explore the taste, feeling, and experience that locally grown produce have to offer. The fresh apple cider, homemade pumpkin pie, and the legendary mystery of the corn maze make people appreciate the fall season and want to learn more about our wonderful world!

Earth Science Week is a contest organized by the Geoscience Institute based on the idea of bringing awareness and respect for our captivating world. Every year, Geoscience organizes the contest where anyone from any age group can submit a photo that relates the theme. The theme for 2019 was “Geoscience is for Everyone.” The theme is focused on promoting geoscience- the study of Earth- as a universal subject. I chose the image above to submit to the contest because I realized that fall is a season where families get together and start to appreciate the simple gifts that Earth give us like leaving changing colors or cold hot chocolate weather; little things that many do not realize are explained though the findings in geoscience. For more information on Earth Science Week click on the link under the Earth Science logo.

Work Cited

“About Earth Science Week.” Earth Science Week, 28 Mar. 2019, https://www.earthsciweek.org/about-esw.

What’s the one thing we as humans can not survive without? Some might say food others might say social media but what something that is forgotten is that water is the one thing we can not, without a doubt survive without. On average, a human with good health can survive at most 2 days without water. Almost immediately, however, detrimental effects can been seen in the human body when water is cut off. After watching the documentary FLOW, my mind has been open to the recent and developing issues water is facing.

The accessibility to fresh water is starting to become slim due to the actions our species is taking. From mass water usage in agriculture to polluting water, we are starting to limit the amount of fresh water our world has to offer. One major way we are using up fresh water is by adding chemicals. When our water source companies get water from the reservoir to our homes, chemicals are used to make the water “clean” but the reality is that chemicals used in water are starting to harm our bodies. For example, especially our hormones are being manipulated which can cause major problems in infertility for both men and women.

Water, like air and sunlight, are natural resources given to us by the Earth but the difference is that we do not pay for air or sunlight but we pay for water. Large corporations have taken advantage of our need for water in order to make profit and make water a multibillion dollar industry. The main company the film talks about is the major water company, Nestle. The water company and other alike, bottle fresh water and sell the product to consumers who are drawn to believe that bottled water is “cleaner.” The truth is that despite companies portraying bottled water as “better” or “fresh from the source,” the water used is the equivalent to that of tap water. Companies are using advertising manipulation to make people think that they need to buy bottled water but they really do not. Bottle water is not only bad because of the high price on water but because the plastic used in the bottled water plays a part in the global issue of plastic pollution found in the ocean.

We, as human are actively participating in the reduction of fresh water. We must take step to reduce the pollution we put into the Earth; chemicals in water and plastic in the ocean. Some tips I have for you today is to stop buying mass amounts of bottled water. The only benefit bottle water has is the money companies are gaining. Bottle water contains contaminants that affect our bodies and pollute our oceans.

Water, like our human right to air and freedoms, is a source of life that ALL humans have the right to without any conditions or restrictions. Below is a link to a non-profit organization who is working towards fighting for free, fresh water for all.

Work Cited

Photos from Free Library in WordPress.

When I was in fifth grade, my class and I visited our local recycling center. When I arrived I saw plastic everywhere I turned and I started to wonder how much plastic the entire world uses if I was only seeing the amount of plastic my city uses. I questioned, “Where does plastic go once it arrive to the recycling center? What is done to it?” I have always been informed to recycle but I never realized how much plastic is polluting our world, specifically the ocean, until I was introduced to the documentary, A Plastic Ocean. This film made me aware of how deeply plastic is affecting not only the wild life found in the ocean but us as consumers and human beings.

The thing that affected me the most and that made me want to care a lot more about plastic pollution was when the topic of sea turtles was brought up. As previously noted in my first blog, my favorite animals are sea turtles. Seeing the sea turtles in the documentary and seeing how their lives are in threatened by plastic, I wanted to find more information. I found out about the Hawaiian native turtle, the hawksbill. These turtles are currently endangered and are active members of the ecosystem because they eat unwanted sponges found on coral reefs. The knowledge I gained from the Vortex Swim about the tons of microplastic found in the surrounding waters of Hawaii allows me to conclude that these animals are endangered because of the toxins in the plastic found in Hawaiian waters. It makes me sad because Hawaii is also the central breading ground for these turtles which means that when a turtle of this species is born they are not only at risk of being eaten but seagulls but at being affected by the immediate exposure to plastic. If you would like to learn more about this species of turtles, click the link below.

As I continued to watch the documentary, I started to learn how plastic is affecting us as human beings. From one perspective, plastic is affecting us because more and more sea animals are being exposed to plastic and it’s toxins which means that when we consume sea animals, we are also being exposed to these toxins. The other perspective is how plastic toxins are entering our bodies at a faster rate because we constantly use unsafe plastic containers. Mentally, I was making notes of how I could reduce my use of plastic in order to reduce the amount of plastic enter the oceans and my body. I learned that to accomplish my plastic waste goal, I have to: invest more time in recycling, use glass jars for drinks, and use paper when I need to use disposables. For me, knowing this information is also useful because I plan to open my own restaurant, and if by using these simply tips I can reduce plastic waste, I want to be able to also encourage my consumers to do so as well. So in order to start my encouragement, I strongly suggest that you take a look at the links below where I have provided some products you can invest in to reduce your own plastic pollution.

Works Cited

Bee, Eva. “The Guardian.” The Guardian, 28 Mar. 2018, http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/28/plastic-crisis-urgent-recycling-bottles-no-fix.

Noaa. “Hawaiian Hawksbill Turtles: One of the World’s Most Endangered Sea Turtle Population.” NOAA Fisheries, 14 June 2018, http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/video/hawaiian-hawksbill-turtles-one-worlds-most-endangered-sea-turtle-population.

“A Plastic Ocean Official Trailer.” Performance by Craig Leeson, and Tanya Streeter, YouTube, YouTube, 2 Feb. 2016, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zrn4-FfbXw.

The ocean, a place I’ve loved since I was a child, a place that will always bring me home. This beautiful place is not only my home but the home of thousands of other species that live and maintain the sea. The problem is that the sea is not the happy place everyone pictures because due to plastic pollution, the sea is now become unsafe and hard to live in. The Vortex Swim is a mission by one man and his team to protect this home and bring awareness to the reality of what ocean life is like.

Ben Lecomte is one man who’s mission is to swim from Japan to San Francisco to show the world the mass amount of plastic that is polluting the ocean. Him and his team are currently on this mission and are set to finish soon. This mission has not been easy as it is their second attempt at it being accomplished. Ben’s goal is not to become famous for swimming across the ocean but to go viral in spreading the world about the harm our species is doing to the ocean.

To me, this mission is amazing not only because of how much information is being brought to the public eye about the ocean but because my favorite animals are turtles, specifically sea turtles. Over the summer, I would see Ads and memes about saving the turtles by switching to steel or glass straws instead of using plastic ones. Ben and his team have motivated me to learn more about pollution in the ocean and what to do to take action in helping save the ocean. They have motivated me to want to explore more about what is happening to sea turtles and what plastic is doing to the turtles.

Over the course of the next couple of week I will be taking the time to inform myself of what plastic does to turtles and steps I can take to reduce the amount of plastic found in the ocean.

To find out more about Ben and his mission check out the link below!