The North Pacific Sub Tropical Gyre

blue = ocean current

white = ocean current

yellow = plastic (about 3.5 million tons of it)

Blue and white arrows represent the natural currents and movement of the ocean due to the moon, gravity and the rotation of the Earth. Because of the opposition of the arrows, vortexes are formed where the currents push objects into an area and it is contained there for extended periods of time. These areas are typically feeding areas for marine life as they can count on a large collection of plankton, algae and food to be densely concentrated here.

In the image above, the yellow dots represent all of the particles of plastic that are accumulating in these areas where they are constantly moved closer together but never broken down. Because of the chemical compostion of plastic it will never fully biodegrate and be absorbed by the Earth. Instead, it breaks down into even smaller pieces of plastic called "nurdies" that are easily ingested by fish, birds and other animals mistaking them for morsels of food.

What you can do:

Plastic is not good for the environment and it's not good for you body either- food and liquids that you consume should not be in contact with plastic as it actually leeches into everything that touches is. That means than chemicals in plastic actually enter your body everytime you consume something that was stored in a plastic container. These checmicals have been shown to contribute to hormonal fluctuations in the body that contribute to the development of cancer cells in the body, particullarly breast cancer in women. read more: half empty

reusable non plastic bottles: cut back on your personal consumption of plastic by avoiding purchasing (plastic) bottled water. Carry a refillable non plastic bottle with you ever and as people at restaurants and cafés if they wouldn't mind filling it up with filtered water.

canvas bags: carry reusable canvas bags whenever you go shopping to prevent getting a plastic bag each time you make a purchase. For smaller items like fruits and vegetables, hold on to the plastic bags and bring them with you, refilling them with produce and then as soon as you get home, take the food out of the plastic bag and try to store it in glass containers.

to-go ware: this company is amazing in their endeavors to get plastic out of your food and out of the environment. Started by my friend Stephanie Bernstein, to-go ware features reusable bamboo utensil sets and stainless steel food containers for when you eat meals on the go. www.to-goware.com