PLANET REHAB

The Oil Connection by Gary C. Mitchell

2010-06-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

It has now been over one and 1/2 months since the disastrous Oil Spill in the Gulf. Images are everywhere - birds covered in oil, sea turtles slicked-up, once pristine beaches and marsh lands irrevocably changed.

Now, thanks to the Good Morning America Team, you can new see images underwater - startling and frightening images of great brown columns of a toxic soup of Oil and a "Dispersant" (that BP insists on using, even against the advice of the EPA) that rise from the deep and move throughout the gulf like giant under-water tornadoes. The affect of this toxic soup is unknown, but those closely studying the issue are terrified of the potential outcome.

According to Michael Custeau, the combination of Oil + Dispersant could be even more deadly than the Oil itself. Countless lives have now and forever

will be altered - and in many cases, lost.

At some point we begin to wonder if Oil really is our best choice. Unfortunately, Oil, in one form
or another, is everywhere.

You hold it, you drink from it, cook with it, bathe in it, eat with it, wear it,drive in it, talk to it - there is no escaping it - Plastic! But how often do we stop to recognize that plastic is actually made from oil? Hm...and just how does this effect us? And does plastic have any affect on the environment? According to recent Scientific Studies, it could be poisoning you!

In the 1967 film The Graduate, Mr. Maguire tells Benjamin,

"Just one word, Plastics!" and goes on to say that "the future lay in Plastics".

Well, Plastics have definitely altered our future!

Take bottled water for instance. Certainly a genius marketing gimmick, but a dangerous one on many levels. We have learned that fresh water is less than 1% of all of the planet's water. It actually takes 3 times the amount of water to make the "bottle" for bottled water as what it is filled with. The water used to fill bottled water is surrounded by it's very own set of controversies. Some bottled water companies, like Nestle, have been successful at plundering the pristine water sources from third world countries, often prohibiting the country's inhabitants from using their own water! Other companies, such as Evian, have been found filling their bottles with tap water. Add to that the fact that the majority of these bottles are discarded after a single use. And where does the bottle go? Well, certainly a percentage of these bottles get recycled, however, in the USA, 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown away every hour. Those that are not recycled or land-filled are very often ending up in the ocean.

As it turns out the Oceans have 5 areas where currents end up in kind of very slow moving vortexes called Gyres. If I threw a plastic bottle into the Santa Monica bay, the currents would eventually take it to an area known as the North Pacific Gyre. The bottle may or may not look like a bottle when it arrives in the NP Gyre - but all of the elements of the plastic will still be in tact, because plastic never dies. If the bottle were to break into smaller pieces, each of these pieces would act as a sponge and soak up all of the ddt, pcbs, and various poisons that we have been dumping in the ocean. By the time these plastic pieces arrive in the North Pacific Gyre, they may have up to one million times the amount of toxicity as surrounding areas. So what you say? Well, let's suppose that you are a fish, a fish that eats fish eggs - you see a plastic particle floating by and - yummy - looks just like fish eggs to you. The problem is that every level of life in the ocean is being affected by plastics. Plastics are becoming incorporated into the food chain. In some areas of the North Pacific Gyre, there are 6 times more plastic particles than plankton. Plankton is the basic building block of the ocean - oh, and guess what? Plankton just happens to be where we get the majority of our oxygen. See the problem? So, we have been talking about one area in the ocean that is filled with these plastics - the North Pacific Gyre. Just how big is it? Well, Scientific estimates now have it as being 1 1/2 times the size of the Continental US. Yep, filled with plastics. Oh, and, remember how we said that there are 5 Gyres in the world's oceans? Well, of those 5 Gyres, there are now 3 confirmed Plastic Garbage Patches - North Pacific Gyre, South Pacific Gyre and North Atlantic Gyre. AND, according to 5gyres.org, a group of scientists studying plastics in the oceans, there is now evidence that all 5 of the world's gyres are filling with plastics.

So what do we do? At every opportunity, opt away from using oil and oil products. Instead of using plastic bags (in the US we throw away 100 Billion Plastic Bags every hour - which is equivalent to dumping 12 million barrels of oil), bring your own re-usable bags. Instead of bottled water, opt for filtered water or - gasp - tap water. And, at every opportunity, encourage the use of renewable energy.

One opportunity to show your support for renewable energy is Hands Across the Sand. Planet Rehab is partnering in this event, which takes place on June 26, protesting offshore drilling and supporting renewable energy. For more info on how you can participate go to: http://planetrehab.org/web-msg.html or contact Gary Mitchell 323 350 0873.

Gulf Oil spill WORSE than Exxon-Valdez? The real cost of OIL?

2010-04-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

This Satellite image, taken on April 26, 2010 by the European Space Agency, shows the oil spill as it is spreading out across the gulf and heading toward the New Orleans shore. Conservative calculations show that in the first week of this spill at lea st 6 million gallons have entered the Gulf. That's a spill rate of at least 850,000 gallons (20,000 barrels) per day, 20 times larger than the official Coast Guard estimate of 42,000 gallons per day. The Exxon Valdez tanker spill totaled 11 million gallons. "We could exceed that in just a few days, if we haven't already", says John Amos, the president and founder of the nonprofit firm SkyWatch, which specializes in gathering and analyzing satellite and aerial data to promote environmental conservation. Amos
previously worked as a consulting geologist, "using satellite imagery as a global geologic tool," in his words, to locate natural resources for major oil and mining corporations. Now he assists advocacy organizations, government agencies, and academic researchers with data collection and analysis.

Based on a map released from a flyover on Wednesday and compared to "the last good satellite image that we got, from the afternoon of April 27," Amos believes that the slick covers about 4,400 square miles. Official estimates to date have put the slick at about 2,200 square miles.

The Deepwater Horizon drilling platform, about 130 miles southeast of New Orleans, exploded and caught fire on April 20 and sank a week ago today. There were 126 people on board; 11 are missing and likely dead. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency today because of the spreading oil slick -- which is expected to reach the state's coast late tonight -- and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called it a spill of "national significance."

The spill was bigger than imagined - five times more than first estimated - and closer. Fingers of oily sheen were reaching the Mississippi River delta, lapping the Louisiana shoreline in long, thin lines.

"It is of grave concern," David Kennedy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told The Associated Press. "I am frightened. This is a very, very big thing. And the efforts that are going to be required to do anything about it, especially if it continues on, are just mind-boggling."

The oil slick could become the nation's worst environmental disaster in decades, threatening hundreds of species of fish, birds and other wildlife along the Gulf Coast, one of the world's richest seafood grounds, teeming with shrimp, oysters and other marine life. Oil was thickening in waters south and east of the Mississippi delta about five miles offshore.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency Thursday so officials could begin preparing for the oil's impact. He said at least 10 wildlife management areas and refuges in his state and neighboring Mississippi are in the oil plume's path.

Is the Ocean FULL OF PLASTIC?

2010-04-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

12 Years ago, Captain Moore, after having finished a race, was sailing from Hawaii to CA. He decided to take a route that is rarely traveled. Half way home he was completely astonished! As he looked around him, he realized that the sea was completely full of plastic! I know this sounds like a nightmare, but unfortunately this is reality.

Sadly, it took 12 years for the first scientific expedition to take place. Last July Scripps Institute partnered with Seaplex (http://seaplexscience.com) and commandeered this investigation. Check out their research: Their preliminary findings? "IT IS MUCH WORSE THAN WE EXPECTED!" I could hardly breathe when I read the next line, "BUT WE BELIEVE THAT THE PLASTIC GARBAGE PATCH IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC IS EVEN BIGGER!" - Wait a minute. Now you are telling me there are 2 GARBAGE PATCHES IN THE OCEAN? What does this mean for the surrounding areas? How big are these plastic garbage patches? Well, it turns out that the estimates for the North Pacific Garbage Patch are 1 1/2 times the size of the continental United States - and no, that is NOT a typo. And as far as hurting the surrounding areas, well, plastic is killing us all (more on that later) and certainly altering life in the sea. Ocean creatures see plastic and think "FOOD" - and all too often this "FOOD" ends up killing them.

Plankton, you see, are the basic building blocks of the ocean. In fact, the majority of the oxygen we breath comes from plankton in the ocean. Now, in the N. Pacific Garbage Patch, it has been reported that there are 6 TIMES THE AMOUNT OF PLASTIC TO PLANKTON! Plastic is replacing food - it is altering the sexes of organisms - this is a very very bad thing.

Now for the bad part - it is suspected that there are actually 5 GARBAGE PATCHES IN THE WORLD! Confirmed so far - N Pacific (N Pacific Gyre), S Pacific and Atlantic Garbage Patch.
So, if this is really happening, why don't we know about it? Why don't they talk about it on the news? Hmmm, very good questions. Let's see, what is plastic made of? Oh yeah, OIL! HMMM.

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION!

2010-04-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

- Last year 50 million acres of Rainforest were destroyed
- Last year over 600 fires were started each day in the Amazon
- We are losing 137 species of Plants and Animals every day
- 40% of the Amazon will be lost by 2050 if we do not ACT NOW!

Experts agree that by leaving the Rainforests in tact and harvesting it's nuts, fruits, medicinal plants, ect., the Rainforest has greater economic value than cutting it down to make grazing land for cattle.

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION!

Help PLANET REHAB to SECURE, PROTECT AND MANAGE the ENDANGERED COSTA RICAN RAINFOREST. We are currently seeking volunteers in the following areas:

PUBLIC RELATIONS

GRANT WRITING

CORPORATE LIAISON

FUND RAISING

OUTREACH

LEGAL

WEB DESIGN AND MAINTENANCE

Americas Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change

2010-04-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

On June 4th, 2003, a press conference took place to release a New Major Report by the Pew Ocean Commissions. The report, entitled Americas Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change, is the culmination of a three year process representing the first comprehensive look at U.S. Ocean Policy in 30 years, and includes detailed recommendations for the U.S. Government and the American Public to improve the state of the ocean. Some of the major focus of the study are:

Species Depletion

Approximately 90 percent of the largest fish in the ocean have disappeared due to over fishing according to a study published in the May 15, 2003 Science Journal Nature.

Pollution

Due to large and small Oil Spills (i.e. Exxon Valdez) the health of the Ocean's waters are being seriously compromised. Urban Run-off, not only by Coastal Communities, but from ALL STATES ( as All Water Ways eventually lead to the Ocean) has also had a major impact. In this portion of the report, Surfers interviewed detail the rashes/diseases they encounter as a result of Ocean Pollution.

Loss Of Coastal

LandsFactor in that now approximately 50 percent of U.S. Citizens live in Coastal Communities. Habitat Loss is at an all time high. More buildings means more pollution, more asphalt and less opportunities for nature's soils to attempt to "cleanse" the effects of contamination.For more information regarding this report, please click on link below:

http://www.pewoceans.org/