Beat Plastic Pollution

Beat Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution has become an epidemic. Every year, we throw away enough plastic to circle the Earth four times. Much of that waste doesn’t make it into a landfill, but instead ends up in our oceans, where it’s responsible for killing one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals every year. For the good of the planet, it’s time to rethink how we use plastic. Read on to get the facts and learn how you can beat plastic pollution.

 

http://worldenvironmentday.global/en/news

Hawaii bans sunscreens harmful to marine life

Sunscreens containing chemical substances harmful to coral reefs will be banned in the US state of Hawaii from 2021, US local media reported Wednesday.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige signed the legislation on Tuesday, making Hawaii the first state in the US to ban the sale, distribution and use of sunscreens that contain the chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate.

The bill states, “Oxybenzone and octinoxate cause mortality in developing coral; increase coral bleaching that indicates extreme stress, even at temperatures below 87.8 degrees Fahrenheit; and cause genetic damage to coral and other marine organisms.”

Chemicals such as oxybenzone and octinoxate that block skin exposure to ultraviolet rays are severely harmful to coral, according to nonprofit organization Haereticus Environmental Laboratory.

Observations by the journal “Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology,” say that sunscreens are accountable for 1.4 ton of toxic substance that flow into coral reefs every year around the world.

Gov. Ige said regarding the bill, “This is just one small step toward protecting and restoring the resiliency of Hawaii’s reefs.” The bill recognizes exceptions for people who are prescribed the sunscreens for medical needs.

The sunscreens to be banned in Hawaii account for 70 percent of the sunscreens distributed in the US market, according to US media.


written by Lim Jeongyeo (korea herald)
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180705000498&ACE_SEARCH=1

Market Mango

On May 12th, the OpenHands corporation opened up Market Mango in Apgujeong, Seoul. The reason for this bazaar was to help the villagers of Calawis, Phillippines become financially independent. The fundraised money was all used to fund the Mango business that the villagers started. Various items were sold, such as snacks, mangoes, cosmetics, and clothes, and the Ecosave Club also contributed by selling scarves and cosmetics. It was great to see so many people interested in such a great cause. We are looking forward to taking a part in more bazaars in the future.

by Ji Won Cindy Kim

Gifts for Kids and Renovation of Cherry's house

The Ecosave Club has continued to fundraise money to help Cherry's school and donated it to Open Hands.  With the help of our donation,  the Open Hands  provided school supplies to more than 100 Inuman and Inarawan kids.  In addition, with the help of Open Hands, we were able to cooperate and  renovate the entrance door of Cherry's house. It was glad to see kids smile with our gifts and improvements of Cherry's school condition.

 -school supplies for Inuman and Inarawan kids

 -Before

-After

  

 By Justin Chung 



World Environment Day 2018

“Beat Plastic Pollution”, the theme for World Environment Day 2018, is a call to action for all of us to come together to combat one of the great environmental challenges of our time. Chosen by this year’s host, India, the theme of World Environment Day 2018 invites us all to consider how we can make changes in our everyday lives to reduce the heavy burden of plastic pollution on our natural places, our wildlife – and our own health.
While plastic has many valuable uses, we have become over reliant on single-use or disposable plastic – with severe environmental consequences. Around the world, 1 million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute. Every year we use up to 5 trillion disposable plastic bags. In total, 50 per cent of the plastic we use is single use.
Nearly one third of the plastic packaging we use escapes collection systems, which means that it ends up clogging our city streets and polluting our natural environment. Every year, up to 13 million tons of plastic leak into our oceans, where it smothers coral reefs and threatens vulnerable marine wildlife. The plastic that ends up in the oceans can circle the Earth four times in a single year, and it can persist for up to 1,000 years before it fully disintegrates.
Plastic also makes its way into our water supply – and thus into our bodies. What harm does that cause? Scientists still aren’t sure, but plastics contain a number of chemicals, many of which are toxic or disrupt hormones. Plastics can also serve as a magnet for other pollutants, including dioxins, metals and pesticides.

If you can’t reuse it, refuse it

This year’s World Environment Day provides an opportunity for each of us to embrace the many ways that we can help to combat plastic pollution around the world. And you don’t have to wait until 5 June to act.
There are so many things that we can do – from asking the restaurants you frequent to stop using plastic straws, to bringing your own coffee mug to work, to pressuring your local authorities to improve how they manage your city’s waste. Here are some other specific ideas:

• Bring your own shopping bags to the supermarket
• Pressure food suppliers to use non-plastic packagin
• Refuse plastic cutlery
• Pick up any plastic you see the next time you go for a walk on the beach

What else can we do to tackle this problem? Share your ideas on social media using the hashtag #BeatPlasticPollution.

http://www.un.org (UN environment)

Earth Hour 2018 in Seoul

Justin, Cindy, and I represented the EcoSave club as we partook in the events during Earth Hour in Seoul. We volunteered around six to seven hours that day, instructing passerby of the activities that were related to spreading awareness of Earth Hour. Overall, it was an unique experience to witness Gwang Hwa Mun turn off its light for an hour.

By Daniel Kim

Thankful Environmental News of 2017

 The past year may have seemed like doom and gloom for the environment, but there was plenty to be thankful for. Below are some of the happier environmental stories of 2017.

1. New populations of rare wildlife were discovered
    In 2017, conservationists were able to find new populations of endangered wildlife. For example, a rich population of the 'helmeted hornbill,' a large bird in the Malay Peninsula, was found. This was a species that was nearly extinct at one point due to the extreme poaching, but the new discovery has sparked hope for the future.
    There were also discoveries made in the forests in Karen state in southeast Myanmar, as 31 different mammals were recorded in this area. These consisted of tigers, asian elephants, phayre's langurs and dholes. The place was previously prohibited due to political and security reasons.

2. A U.S. subnational delegation bypassed Trump and committed to keeping America’s Paris goal
    In June 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump decided to pull out of the Paris Agreement on climate change. He also decided not to pay for a pavilion at the U.N.’s climate summit held at Bonn, Germany, that the U.S. federal government has sponsored for 22 years.
In opposition to President Trump's stance, a rival coalition of U.S. governors, mayors, business and religious leaders sponsored an unofficial pavilion named “America’s Pledge: We Are Still In.”  Governor Jerry Brown of California and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg led the delegation. According to Mr. Bloomberg, decisions on whether or how the U.S. takes action on climate change are made by cities, states, and civil society, not federal government. These delegations were ready to continue supporting Paris Agreement if Washington won't support the cause.

3. Philanthropists and companies made big commitments for the environment
   This year, many philanthropists and companies start to make efforts for the environment. The Gates Foundation announced a $300 million grant to support agriculture research that would help famers in Africa and Asia adapt to climate change. The William and Flora Hewlett also announced a $600 million donation over to nonprofits that are working on climate change solutions. In addition, there were other foundations that announced that they will support conservation efforts. For instance, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation announced $20 million to local and global nonprofit organizations.

4. Large Marine Reserves were created
    Niue, a small island country in the South Pacific with a population of just 1,600, established a new marine protected area that covers 40 percent of the island’s exclusive economic zone. Through the 127,000-square-kilometer (49,000-square-mile) marine reserve, the government of Niue hopes to protect its fish stocks and help reduce overfishing of threatened fish species.

5. Newfound technologies are boosting conservation efforts 
    This year we saw the ever-increasing potential of technology to improve conservation monitoring and efforts. The international Barcode of Life initiative, for example, has developed a new LifeScanner Lab-In-A-Box portable DNA barcoding kit that can be used by rangers, police and port-of-entry officials to rapidly identify the species of plant and animal samples found on suspected smugglers. Another team has developed a handheld portable DNA sequencing device that allows it to identify plants faster than before in the field. Researchers have also adapted widely used technologies, like thermal imaging video technology, to detect the impact of white-nose syndrome in hibernating bats.

                      - article on 'Mongabay' summarized by Justin Chung