Alex Ibarra
ENG 150-274 December 12, 2012

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Living on this earth is a privilege and unfortunately we sometimes take advantage of it. Stories of deforestation, air and water pollution really make a person think of just how much our planet is being harmed. A major concern is water pollution. Water covers at least 70 percent of the planet which makes our rivers, lakes, and oceans essential. Many of these bodies of water are being polluted and although they may be out of sight, they eventually help pollution increase. Actions should be made to stop the pollution of our waters before things get worse. If we want to decrease the amount of pollution it starts out by increasing the amount of recycling we do. It
In the article ““The growing number of abandoned plastic fishing nets is one of the greatest dangers from marine debris”, says Bamford, and (Bamford, Holly 2009). The nets entangle seals, sea turtles and other animals and can often result in drowning them. Because fishermen are now using plastic for its low cost, abandon nets can continue fishing on their own for months or even years. This can cause harm to any animal but sea turtles seem especially susceptible. Not only are they entangled by fishing nets, they often swallow plastic bags, mistaking them for jellyfish. They can also get caught up in a variety of other objects, and there has been stories heard of snapping turtle that grow up with a plastic ring around their bodies.
As a society as whole we tend to generate a lot of trash. There’s no stopping the amount of trash that piles up, but we can decide what we do with it. In order to decrease water pollution the amount of recycling has to increase. Recycling doesn’t have to be difficult and it’s something that can be done right at home. Different sorts of plastic, aluminum cans, and steel are all valuable recyclables. Instead of just having a basic trash can, there can be a recycling bin right next to it or in a common place like the kitchen. If more households decide to take action and make recycling a habit it can have one of the most beneficial outcomes towards our environment. When a product is recycled it is turned back into its raw form. That can