Submerged marine festival ( plastic)

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  Posted by Juvincio Compaore on September 24, 2020 at 8:25 pm

  The forum was rich on researches from biologists . As I live in nyc, it was interesting to see that researches on aquatic life was made on the Hudson river. Tide deck at piers 26 was a great initiative in a sense that it is a feature that provide educates visitors on the river. Tide pools were impressive. I will definitely go visit the tide deck.

  Also it was exciting to learn about the billion oysters project which intend to restore the native eastern oyster population to NY harbor.

• Abigail Doris

  Participant

  September 27, 2020 at 6:28 pm

  Wow, who you would have thought that plastics, let alone micro-plastic, would have such an impact on the environment. I am aware that NY recycle plastic because it is a huge amount of solid waste and it takes centuries to break down in the landfill or ocean. However, I never thought about how plastic can end up in the ocean through our combined sewage overflow (CSO) systems. NYC has about 700 CSO system and discharge about 500 million gallons of overflow (waste water) per week when there is 1/10 of an inch of rainfall with an hour. Imagine how many plastics can end up in the ocean.

  Not only does plastic affect the environment, but it can be very harmful to human. For example, if someone engulf treated water that contains micro- plastic, these small particles can negatively impact their health.

  We can play our part by recycling and using less plastics, since it would be both beneficial to our health and the environment.

  All in all, this was really eye- opening. I can truly say that I understand the reasons NYC banned the used of plastic bags.
  Elihu Fleury

  Participant

  September 27, 2020 at 6:38 pm

  I think this topic is very timely given the plastic bag ban coming last month.

  As such, this whole video made me wonder about one thing – when recycling programs have existed for years, isn’t this a sign that they have been a colossal failure?

  And as a result, shouldn’t reform of these programs become a part of addressing this problem? Because I didn’t hear much of that during the program.
  Gary Fung

  Participant

  September 27, 2020 at 6:59 pm

  I was interested in this question as well and tried to google it, I found this article which a teen from Ireland invented a new method that can remove 85% to 92% of microplastic in water.

  https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/irish-teen-invents-method-remove-microplastics-ocean-wins/story?id=64731771

   
  Steven Kidder

  Participant

  September 27, 2020 at 7:13 pm

  Like many of the comments, I also hadn’t given much thought to microplastics or the idea that doing laundry would be an issue… I would be interested to see the detrimental effects better documented though–like if you keep fish in an a tank full of microplastics, what happens compared to normal?
  Mahmoud Ahmed

  Participant

  September 27, 2020 at 8:01 pm

  I totally agree with the obligation us a the society has the reduce our use of plastic material, but when you look at how it is really being implemented, you find that if you order an ice coffee, you would still get it in a plastic cup with a papered straw. People still not paying full attention to the issue, and what it seems to me is that some are just trying to show off by using very minor materials in the form of paper. I hope authorized agencies can raise more awareness to the problem, so that people can take more seriously.
  Passang Lhamo

  Member

  September 27, 2020 at 8:46 pm

  When I heard submerge festival, I thought they will  only show a marine animal and description of them but I was wrong. To my surprise this event was  very informative  and insightful in various ways. For example how the New York city sewage works, water recycles and plastic issues. Out of all events I loved plastic pollution topic. I appreciate how they went details about plastic. In the past when I heard plastic I always  imagine a trash like plastic bag that can  be seen  but  I was quite surprised that plastic can be micro. The next thing that amazed me was when I learnt that most  micro plastic are foam from food packing. I did not expect that. But nonetheless I appreciate how the NYC volunteers cleaning the plastics from  various river in NYC. In future I will try my best to recycle and reduce plastic.
  Abigail Doris

  Participant

  September 27, 2020 at 8:49 pm

  I think sometimes, it easier said than done. What I mean by this is, yes there are programs that implement recycling in NY, but I think many of the action weren’t implemented due to the lack of government involvement. For example, if the government have not got involved in the single- use of plastic, NYC would still be using plastic bags at most stores. I believe that the reform would lead to heavily taxing on new plastic and lower the cost of recyclable materials. This would encourage the use of recyclable bags. NYC took similar approach by charging the customer $0.05 for a paper bag, which they can avoid by bringing their own reusable bag.

  • This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by Abigail Doris.
  • This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by Abigail Doris.
  Passang Lhamo

  Member

  September 27, 2020 at 8:51 pm

  I agree but than I feel like we had enough plastic that more than our need. But I feel like it will be helpful for our environment  if every individual recycle there used plastic bag if possible.
  Hillary Andrade

  Participant

  September 27, 2020 at 8:55 pm

  Even though the plastic bag ban for NY was implemented last month, we were behind compared to other states such as California. Other countries have long implemented this ban too, such as Colombia. I feel like we could be doing better as a state to reduce plastic waste.

  I don’t think that it’s a sign of failure, but more a sign of lack of education. Not many people are aware of the harm that plastics may cause, although it might seem obvious to us. They are also less likely to know about recycling programs and their benefits to the environment.
  Passang Lhamo

  Member

  September 27, 2020 at 8:58 pm

  True 100%. I feel like media are only showing the world’s  oceans  are polluted to get more coverage and attention. It sad that media rarely covers our community plastic issues. But I believed we as individual can make difference by posting the reality of NYC plastic pollution through social media or creating blogs. Even though we may not directly help the ocean pollution but our  small actions will lead to bigger change.
  Laiba Sajid

  Participant

  September 27, 2020 at 10:45 pm

  Prior to watching the live video, I thought that the river was not as maintained. Although the event was targeted towards kids, It was very eye-opening for me. I learned that there are so many aquatic wildlife living within the waters and to quote from the live stream “the river was a living thing itself”

  -Laiba Sajid
  Laiba Sajid

  Participant

  September 27, 2020 at 11:00 pm

  Mahmoud Ahmed wrote:MICROPLASTICS! I have always known that normal-size plastics that are dumped into water bodies pose a huge threat to the marine life as well as human life. However, I never really thought of microplastics, and how they are as damaging and threatful as other plastics, as a matter of fact, they could be more dangerous since they easily get into the food chain. the microplastics removal technique that was expressed in the video seems a little insufficient, and such a huge threat should be treated more responsibly.

  I agree, people do not see the effects that microplastic has not only on the ecosystem but also on themselves. People should be more aware of this issue because we are directly affected by these plastics. Awareness would increase people’s daily choices that have a direct effect towards the environment. Such changes could include getting a microplastic filter for laundry, switching from plastic straws, avoid bottled water, etc

  -Laiba Sajid
  ronnie

  Member

  September 27, 2020 at 11:11 pm

  In my opinion, the submerge festival was pretty interesting and helpful in understanding more about the impacts that humans have on marine life. The one thing that caught my eye the most was the discussion of plastic pollution. In largely populated cities(like new york) where there is a lot of human activity, plastic pollution is a major issue. The craziest part is that the plastic pollution that we see is just a small amount of the plastic that’s actually there. There is a huge amount of microplastic waste that we cant see so I’m glad that organizations are looking at ways to help this issue.

   

  -Ronnie R
  ronnie

  Member

  September 27, 2020 at 11:22 pm

  I agree with you in that there is rarely any news media coverage about out local water pollutions and I think that this is A big reason as to why water poluttion has got to the point that it has now, especially with plastic pollution. If more coverage was given to significant issues like this, then plastic bag usage would have been banned much earlier. Also, more coverage would inform people more and guide them to recycle, clean up after themselves, be more environmentally friendly and aware and much more.

  My point is that more coverage would help people understand the impact that we have on our local waterways and help encourage solutions.
  Antony De La Cruz

  Participant

  September 28, 2020 at 2:27 am

  I agree with Hillary, education is the single most important aspect when it comes to the change in behavior that we are seeking. As she mentioned, it starts with the awareness that the general population lacks; not to mention the accelerated, short term, convenience seeking lifestyle that we have gotten used to. Regardless of these challenges, I would not consider these programs a “colossal failure”: There are designated days to pick up different recycling and trash items where I live (Manhattan). I see how both single and multiple families properties within my area are following procedure. More people are bringing their own bags to grocery shop, and using reusable water bottles. In some areas the city has dumpsters that classifies waste. We must accept, they’re far from perfect, and need to be evaluated and improved, as you suggest. But we’re getting there. 🙂