Wednesday, March 16th, 2011...12:04 pm

American Cetacean Society presents “Plasitic Pollution and Solutions

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American Cetacean Society-Monterey Bay Chapter

Monthly meeting at Hopkins Marine Station, Lecture Hall, Boat Works Building

Date: Thursday, March 31, 2011

Time: 7:30 PM, join us at 7:00 for refreshments

Speaker: Dan Linehan, Write, Photographer and World Traveler

Subject: Plastic Pollution and Solutions

In the 1967 movie “The Graduate” there is an exchange between Mr. McGuire (Walter Brooke) and Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman) which was eerily predictive about our future: ” I want to say one word to you. Just one word…Plastics…”

The inference was that it was a key to the future but like many views into the future the positive, profitable aspects were anticipated without consideration of the potential negative effects or responsible implementation.

Today, nearly a half a century later, the use of plastics has rapidly outpaced our ability to properly dispose of what are mostly one-time-use plastics such as water bottles, straws, and lighters.  Plastics take hundreds of years to break apart and much, much longer to completely degrade.  Off the California coast lurks the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a mass of plastic debris twice the size of Texas.  The seawater and marine life exposed to plastic pollution truly have no boundaries.  Yet, there are many simple solutions that everyone can participate in to help stem the tide of this plastic pollution epidemic.

Our speaker, Dan Linehan, has worked under a NOAA Grant to investigate and report on the issue of plastic pollution.  He has shared the fruits of his research with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, other conservation oriented groups and has written articles which appeared in various publications including our own Monterey County Weekly.

Please come to the March Chapter Meeting to learn more about plastics and how they affect the environment, wildlife, and all of us.





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