These days, it can be hard to wade through the barrage of endless content and find trusted sources to self-educate, and we want to help! We have collected articles and studies that will help you dive deeper into every facet of the global issue of plastic pollution. Browse them below.
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Get the Facts From Trusted Sources
Our World in Data is a free online resource that provides accurate and concise data about the world's largest problems. Check out their Plastic Pollution page.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been a government since 1970.
- See their statistics about Containers and Packaging: Product-Specific Data
- Check out their Trash Free Waters programÂ
Scientific American Magazine is the oldest continually produced magazine in the United States. Learn more from this trusted source with the following articles:
- COVID-19 Has Worsened the Ocean Plastic Pollution ProblemÂ
- Solving Microplastic Pollution Means Reducing, Recycling—and Fundamental Rethinking
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) publishes peer-reviewed scientific journals. Here are some of their respected articles on plastic pollution:
- From AAAS Science Journal:Â Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean
- From AAAS Science Journal:Â Evaluating scenarios toward zero plastic pollution
- From AAAS Science Advances Journal: The United States’ contribution of plastic waste to land and ocean
The ScienceDirect website is run by Elsevier, a Dutch publishing company dedicated to scientific, technical, and medical research. ScienceDirect.com is home to a database of scientific reviews and studies, including the following:
- The impact of debris on marine life
- Sources, transport, and accumulation of different types of plastic litter in aquatic environments: A review study
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Discover the Solutions to Ocean Plastic
By this point, the problem has well been diagnosed. So what about moving forward with solutions for a sustainable future? Here are a few resources that acknowledge what is being done and speak to the work ahead:
- The Ellen MacArthur Foundation explains the concept of a circular economy and what it can do for the plastic problem.
- National Geographic celebrates some sustainable milestones in this list of actions on plastic pollution.
- Nature Communications weighs in with motivating actions to mitigate plastic pollution.
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a research center just up the hill from us in Boulder, Colorado. Here is their comprehensive plan of action that is currently underway.
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More From Sherpani
Environmental Activism on the Sherpani Travel Blog:
- How Sherpani Bags Reduce Ocean Plastic
- Small Pieces, Big Connections at our Upstream Cleanup
- Sherpani's Top Five Picks for Must-See Environmental Documentaries
- What is Sustainability? + What it Means to Us
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