With the mass consumption of plastic goods, most water bodies in the world are now incredibly polluted. Wave after wave of plastic and every kind of garbage imaginable has been dumped into the ocean and marine life is literally choking on it. Plastic pollution has really become a modern-time menace. Luckily some people have realized the magnitude of this issue and have started working on reversing it. While it may not be enough, it is definitely the start we need.
Image Credit: Mike Stocker / Sun Sentinel
Just a few months back, a massive group of divers got together to do something the world had never seen before. 633 divers gathered at Florida’s Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier and set to work cleaning up all the trash that littered the floor of the ocean. By doing so, they set a record for the world’s largest underwater clean. Even the Guinness World Records organization sent their personnel and the verification of the feat was completed on the spot.
Read: New York Officially Bans Plastic Bags
Speaking to the Sun-Sentintel, the adjudicator who verified the scene, Michael Empric, said that it took them well over a quarter of an hour to take note of all the divers entering the water. Many had even travelled across continents to be part of this massive feat. Empric, who was reporting to the Guinness organization, was present and clicking as person entered the surf.
Image Credit: Wayne K. Roustan
Empric even pointed out that the record itself wasn’t what mattered about that day. What was important was that all these people had come together to clean out the pier and make the community a better place to be at.
Earlier 614 divers had gathered at the Red Sea under the leadership of an ex-military scuba diver from Egypt called Ahmed Gabr in 2015. This was the record that was beaten.
Over the course of the day, the divers retrieved more than 700 kgs of garbage and over 27 kgs of just fishing line. But according to Tyler Bourgoine who was part of the dive, they hadn’t reached the right number yet as groups worked overtime to weight out all the material that was recovered. He pointed out that there were almost an endless amount of lead sinkers ranging from boat ladders to barbells in the water. He said that everyone involved had had a wonderful time working as a team to clean up the pier and the surrounding reef.
Image Credit: Wayne K. Roustan
According to Project AWARE, a group working on cleaning up the ocean, over 1500 kgs of trash had been removed that weekend. In times like these such efforts are necessary. A recent study revealed the horrifying truth that plastic particles are being absorbed into our bodies through our food and water. In fact, consuming bottled water lead to a definite increase in impurities in the body.
Image Credit: Mike Stocker / Sun Sentinel
Read: What have we done? Sickening photos show ‘sea of plastic’
Luckily, Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada had released a statement saying that they would make Canada free of single-use plastics in the next two years. Similar initiatives have been taken up by the European Union against plastic pollution.
Hopefully, the whole world will catch on to the plastic pollution crisis that is at hand and take the necessary steps before it is too late.
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The post A World Record Against Plastic Pollution – Largest Ocean Clean Up Ever appeared first on Educate Inspire Change.