Beware the Nurdles Everywhere as the Worst Pollutants...Personal Challenge 7 Facts 6 Questions 7 Suggestions

Beware the Nurdles Everywhere as the Worst Pollutants ... Personal Challenge 7- 6 -7

I always saw pollution as theft, and I always thought, 'Why should somebody be able to pollute the air, which belongs to all of us, or destroy a river or a waterway, which is supposed to belong to the whole community?' Robert Kennedy, Jr.

Is this bottom line on your agenda, too? 

The looming threat of plastic pollution is undoubtedly one of mankind’s greatest challenges. Plastic is now found in our soil, lakes, rivers and oceans, as well as in the bodies of humans and wildlife.

What do you know about NURDLES? These are the worst pollutants of them all. Nurdles are tiny pellets from plastic products of all kinds and the second-largest direct source of micro-plastic pollution to the ocean by weight. Their size varies from microscopic grains to millimeter-sized pellets

7 FACTS you may not want to know but cannot dismiss: 

1. 381 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide each year. 
2. Plastic is now found in our soil, lakes, rivers and oceans, as well as in the bodies of humans and wildlife.
3. Nurdles cannot degrade but accumulate in the environment for generations. They can act like sponges for toxic chemicals and often look like floating fish eggs that birds, fish, whales and filter-feeding marine life eat
4. Two-thirds of all plastic ever produced remains in the environment. Micro-plastics are found in tap water, bottled water, sea salt and a variety of seafood.
5. Plastics  can take up to 1,000 years to break down. Example, a single plastic coffee pod may take up to 500 years.
6. More than 99% of plastic comes from fossil fuels in the process of extraction, air and water pollution, increased traffic and pipeline construction.
7. Refining plastic resins and additives can release cancer-causing compounds and other toxins, often colorless and odorless.

6 QUESTIONS we all need more serious answers

Do your  due diligence: watch the video and read the article:  Nurdles Are a Growing Pollution Problem 

1. How do pellets become raw material and get into the environment ... production, transport, spills, hurricanes, waste water management?
2. What are ocean gyres…ocean trash congregation of nurdles  primarily in the Pacific ocean called the great Pacific garbage patch?
3. How is the food chain affected from starvation to consumption of smaller by larger predators?
4. How can we end the cycle of plastic pollution?  As suggested, the best solution would be to reduce plastic use, recycle and replace plastics with paper and glass. However, many countries are going in the opposite direction:  the U.S. plans to open more than 300 new plastic factories; China, middle east and Europe continue to invest in plastic production for decades.
5. How much plastic do you eat and inhale every day? Primary ingestion is from water and seafood, including some brands of bottled water vs tap water. Also indoor air may include synthetic fibers such as polyester, polyethylene and nylon, or non-synthetic particles composed of protein and cellulose.
6. What are the effects of plastic that do not break down in the human body? Chemicals in plastics have been linked to organ damage, obesity, heart disease, cancer as well as disrupting embryonic development and more.

These questions cannot be denied; facts cannot be ignored or buried in a land fill or flushed into a public waterway without consequences. A bigger personal challenge might be how to avoid and reduce our daily use of plastics. 

7 SUGGESTIONS ... common sense decisions every day   

1. Opt for products sold in glass containers rather than plastic whenever possible. 
2. Look for plastic-free alternatives to common items such as toys and toothbrushes.
3. Drink tap water rather than bottled water...filtered if possible. 
4. Avoid reheating food in plastic containers...use a glass container if using a microwave.
5. Store foods in glass rather than plastic...may contain  phthalates and styrene.
6. Ditch processed foods and takeout for fresh food...wrappers and containers.
7. Vacuum regularly...micro-plastic chemicals are found in most household dust, which can end up being either digested or inhaled. 

How will you draw the bottom line as a citizen of our one shared world and co-inhabitant of the Earth's biosphere and ecosystems? Will you bother to watch the video or check out science as more data is recorded? Will you try and control the Nurdles all around you?

Personally, I have never been more proud than to write an e-book for all ages who care about ecology and Nature's Cyclical Truths. In a culture where powerful superheroes and Mickey Mouse abound, it is time to meet a real superhero whose continued success is essential to all life on Earth. Throughout the Incredible Journey of a Water Sprite with Roots, we can walk the talk and share his many experiences with lifeforms essential to ecology and his amazement at several natural cycles. It is only when he encounters humankind that he feels a loss of self; and learns consciously, and sometimes painfully, the truth for the need for preservation of balance in nature.

Podcast interviews are welcome to discuss these important questions and other concerns. I can't help but wonder what the water sprite's reaction might be if he also met a crowd of Nurdles as part of our future.  

Questions and comments are always important ... Mother Nature is our best friend and deserves our awe, respect, protection and conservation. 

Sincerely,
Annemarie Berukoff
amarie10@gmail.com
833 471 4661
https://helpfulmindstreamforchanges.com 

Excerpt: I wonder but I really don't know. I wonder if anybody knows, even humankinds who are probably too busy with no time to dig deeper into what the right connections can mean to us all. But I care. Is caring a cycle? If you care enough about something, is that caring returned to you? If responsibility is given or taken, is that responsibility respected and used well? Generally speaking, do humankinds believe in being responsible at least, if not appreciative, of how past, present and future actions are all connected? The Incredible Journey of a Water Sprite with Roots 

How would you answer these 10 questions in a Podcast Interview? 2 Complete Answers Given

How would you answer these 10  questions on a Podcast Interview…two Answers given

Do you realize that only 40 per cent of surveyed people associate the benefits of biodiversity and nature with necessities of life such as food, water and fresh air? Time to change this.

Here is the background:

We have the moral responsibility to live in harmony with nature, but what exactly does nature give us? At their simplest, nature’s services are things people often take for granted:  the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat all ultimately rely on nature and biodiversity.

But other services are less obvious: nature is the bedrock for the production of the most common goods in our way of life which rely on bio-diverse environments. Oceans and coral reefs provide food and livelihoods to hundreds of millions of people. Forests clean the air, regulate the local climate and retain water for rivers. Healthy soils are essential to grow crops. Mountains and glaciers are key sources of water for major rivers. Increasingly, the fragility of ecosystems poses huge risks to societal and economic stability.

Quite simply, our natural balance is the foundation for a healthy society, fair economy for all, and global security.

I am looking for podcast hosts interested in discussing questions about ecology

Here are two questions answered:

1. What are the relationships between Earth’s biosphere, ecology, ecosystem and environment and us?

Biosphere is a global ecosystem which extends from a few kilometers into the atmosphere to at least 200 meters below the oceans based on water, air, minerals and all living organisms. 

Ecology is the study of relationships, competitions and interactions of all living organisms and fellow beings within its surrounding environment  

Note: Its etymology means study of the house, in this case, the planetary house.

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Ecosystem is a more functional localized unit with its own energy cycle containing all of the living species and all non-living elements in any particular environment. This energy flows through four levels from the sun through plants, food producers, consumers like animals, and  microorganisms, which ends with decomposition in order to recycle the process again. This can be as simple as puddle, a single tree or a forest. 

Environment depends on sunlight, soil, topography, water, atmosphere which includes energy cycles like food chains, nutrient cycles and ecological succession. Plant and animal communities as well as micro organisms form their self-sustaining habitats.

So, how important is it to relate to the Big Picture? Of course, it helps to better visualize how you and I have an individual footprint in our own habitation which is connected to the entire biosphere. By polluting our home, we add distress to the ecosystem of every other organism extending into our biosphere. When we drink a glass of fresh water, that water is  interconnected to the Big Picture and needs to be protected from its base.

2. What is the relationship between a water molecule and a hydrocarbon character?

I must say that hydrocarbons were some of the most amazing research for this e-book…I had no idea how carbon is one of the  most important elements on Earth

The most common building block for all organic life on Earth is the carbon molecule.  It is found in the soil and sedimentary rocks as well as in the atmosphere where it's a part of carbon dioxide gas emitted when fossil fuels are burned or when living organisms breathe out. It is also found in the ocean sediments developed from decaying hard shells and body parts of marine organisms.

Carbon also comes from photosynthesis which is the light energy that transfers electrons from water (H2O) to carbon dioxide (CO2), to produce carbohydrates and release oxygen.

Carbohydrates  are molecular compounds made from just three elements: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Smaller molecules are known as  glucose and  sucrose often called sugars. To make proteins, carbon will bind with hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen (and sometimes sulfur).

Just think the food we eat is really a complex amalgamation of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Does it make you wonder how we can ever gain weight?

  

A Hydrocarbon only has the elements of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). The carbon atoms join together to form the framework of the compound, and the hydrogen atoms attach to them in many different configurations. Standard composition for petroleum is 85% carbon 12% hydrogen and maybe a little nitrogen / oxygen.

The water sprite (H2O) has a a natural affinity with a hydrocarbon because they contain hydrogen. 

However, molecular chemistry is not the theme of this story even if it's interesting how bonded we are with other life forms. Almost 99% of the mass of the human body is made up of six elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. 

Only about 0.85% is composed of another five elements: potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium.

Then you ask Google what is a tree composed of: almost 98% (by weight) of a tree is made up of six elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur. 

Because we are bonded together with such common elements, it is vital to respect all forms of life to maintain natural balance. It is not surprising that this unique water sprite with plant features is often amazed with his encounters with different characters, some imaginary, but in real settings; and how many life forms and systems are interdependent where one broken link can affect the whole system.

Other relevant ecological questions are:

• What are the 5 parts of the water cycle beyond evaporation and condensation?
• How is climate change affected by the water cycle and vice versa?
• Why is environmental sustainability based on biological diversity?
• What are some amazing Cyclical Truths discovered in a water cycle journey that may be less known?
• How is pollution related to all  5 parts of a water cycle?
• What Is the difference between a natural cycle and a human manufacturing process?
• How can our lifestyles help to protect our water resources?
• Why does the water sprite hero have roots … doesn’t that make him immobile?
• Can scientific facts be understood better through an imaginative creative license as a first person bonding experience?
• Can water teach us about morality?  Does ecology have an ethical base?

Many of these questions can be answered by a living, feeling, talking water sprite with roots  with affinity to all lifeforms as he narrates his discoveries about several important cycles to maintain a healthy ecosystem, a healthy biodiversity and a healthy humankind society.

His story definitely connects the dots between climate, food production and ecosystems, but most importantly, he becomes a friend to the readers to be respected and protected.

What are some questions you would like to know about ecology or environmental sustainability?

Questions and comments are always important ... this finite blue planet is all we have. 

Sincerely,

Annemarie

amarie10@gmail.com

833 471 4661 (leave message and best time to call back) 

Excerpt: The Incredible Journey of a Water Sprite with Roots

 I wonder but I really don't know. I wonder if anybody knows, even humankinds who are probably too busy with no time to dig deeper into what the right connections can mean to us all. But I care. Is caring a cycle? If you care enough about something, is that caring returned to you? If responsibility is given or taken, is that responsibility respected and used well? Generally speaking, do humankinds believe in being responsible at least, if not appreciative, of how past, present and future actions are all connected?

...a friendly micro-organism found in fresh water ponds