Tag Archives: Ocean plastics

Sierra Quadra: A Time For Community Resilience

Sierra Quadra is in the midst of a three part campaign on the Climate Crises And Community Resilience. This kicked off last month, with a showing of the film “Beyond Climate’ at the Quadra Island Community Centre and there are upcoming panel discussions on February 29 and March 28, 2020. (details at the bottom of this page).

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We Are Eating, Drinking & Breathing Microplastics

A new Portland State University study found an average of eleven microplastic pieces in every oyster tested and almost as many particles in clams. This is only one report. While most of our research focuses on the ocean, far more plastic degradation occurs on land. Up to 700,000 plastic microfilaments can be shed from a single load of laundry. A University of Victoria study concluded that the average North American consumes between 39,000 to 52,000 particles a year and that number can go as high as 121,000 “when inhalation is considered.” We are eating, drinking & breathing microplastics.

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Mathilde Gordon’s 2,042 Kilometre Kayak Adventure

By Roy L Hales

They paddled almost every day, sometimes more than fifty kilometres a day. The two women were at sea for three months. They started in the icy waters of Glacier Bay, Alaska, meticulously tabulating the impact of single use plastic everywhere they camped. I heard the story of Mathilde Gordon’s 2,042 kilometre kayak adventure during her recent visit to Cortes Island. 

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Turn It In Week

For the past eight years Gorge harbour residents, on Cortes Island, have been cleaning up the aquaculture debris, left by industry, at their own expense. This was sometimes a source of tension between property owners and industry. Barry and Amanda Glickman, who organized these annual clean-ups, said the first year they hauled away three truck loads of debris. The most recent clean-up was last May. Now the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is stepping in and, in partnership with industry, will be holding Turn it in Week between September 11-15, 2017.

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