PEARL HOMES are places where people care about our environment and want to do what they can to help protect our resources.
Brock Environmental Center
3663 Marlin Bay Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
Contact# 757.962.5398
“Marine debris is any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or Great Lakes”
–NOAA Marine Debris Program
Marine debris has become one of the most widespread pollution problems in the world’s oceans and waterways, impacting wildlife, human health and safety, habitats, and economies. Much of the abundance of marine debris is comprised of plastics. It is estimated that one-third of plastic material becomes single-use disposable packaging.
OCEAN PLASTIC POLLUTION— BREAK FREE FROM PLASTIC:
Plastic never goes away. Over time, it breaks down into micco-plastics that now pollute all of our waterways, collect in the sand on our beaches, and are in the fish that we eat. Plastic is a petroleum based product and production keeps increasing. Yes, increasing dramatically. We must break free from plastics before we destroy our oceans.
There are countless examples of plastic’s negative impact on our planet, but here are the top 10 facts provided by the organization Oceana. They present a compelling argument for reducing or eliminating our use of this harmful product.
If you need more inspiration, here is a film, Open Your Eyes, narrated by Jeff Bridges: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=9znvqIkIM-A&feature=emb_title
MARINE DEBRIS IMPACTS…
Impacts to Coastal Economies:
A beach filled with marine debris on the shore and in the water is not only an eye sore but it also deters people from going there. Marine debris degrades the beauty the coastal environment and, in many cases, may cause significant economic loss if an area is a popular destination for tourists. In Virginia, a portion of taxpayers dollars is used for litter removal. Lynnhaven River NOW hosts a waterway cleanup once a month. Cleanup locations are spread throughout the city. If you and your family or friends would like to volunteer at a cleanup visit our waterway cleanup page.
Impacts to humans:
Hazardous debris like broken glass, syringes, medical and personal hygiene debris containing pathogens presents a threat to bare-foot beach goers. Fishing line, nets, plastic bags, and rope pieces can wrap around boat propellers and clog seawater intakes compromises boaters’ safety. Plastic debris serves to concentrate and transport chemical pollutants into the marine food web, and likely to human diets. Chemicals of concern include those used in the manufacture of plastics, as well as pollutants present in the ocean water absorbed and concentrated in plastic and thus made available for animal consumption. (Rochman et al. -www.nature.com/articles/srep14340.)
Impacts to Wildlife:
Land and marine animals both feel the negative effects of ocean pollution. Marine mammals including turtles, birds, crustaceans, and fish can easily get entangled in marine debris (ex. fishing lines and nets, plastic bags and balloons especially) and can ingest it. Oftentimes marine animals will mistaken these items for food or accidentally ingest it during normal feeding hours. The result is digestive track disruption and damage to the gut causing malnutrition or death.
Learn more about the Virginia Balloon Study supported by the VA Aquarium and Marine Science Center and Clean Virginia Waterways.
Impacts to Ecosystems:
Sensitive ecosystems such as deep sea coral reefs are threatened by ocean pollution’s ability to smother and crush their environment. Hazardous chemical contaminants can absorb or attach to tiny pieces of plastic found in the water column. These microplastics can then be consumed by animals that live in the lowest tropic feeding levels in marine environments.
We can all work together to reduce the amount of trash from entering our waterways–assist with data collection, attend a cleanup and refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, repurpose and recycle. and other mitigation strategies. There are international, national, state-wide, and local opportunities that LRNow is a participant of and you can be to! Some of these efforts include the International Coastal Cleanup, National Marine Debris Monitoring Program, Clean Virginia Waterways, Clean the Bay Day and Keep it Beachy Clean.
PEARL HOMES are places where people care about our environment and want to do what they can to help protect our resources.
Lynnhaven River NOW recognizes schools providing outstanding environmental education as a Pearl School.
PEARL BUSINESSES are essential to truly move towards a more sustainable Virginia Beach and cleaner waters.
We all want to do our part to restore the health of all of our sacred waterways and protect them for future generations to enjoy.
SUSTAINABLE YARDS PROGRAM: Let us help you “green” your Lynnhaven watershed home. This unique program provides specific stormwater management practices to your yard at a significantly reduced cost to you.