How important is it to keep plastic out of the environment? A few weeks ago, the Marine Mammal Center learned that a gray whale carcass was floating in San Francisco Bay. Though the MMC exists primarily to rescue and release living animals, Center scientists rushed to the scene to examine the dead whale, to try to discover what killed it. Results of toxicology tests are pending; scientists also found trash and other plastic in the whale’s stomach. We know that birds and other animals have died because of swallowing or getting tangled in plastic. MMC’s news story concludes, “This finding of trash deep inside the belly of a whale serves as an Earth Day reminder that we are all connected to the ocean. By helping to reduce our use of plastics and to properly dispose of those plastics, we can indeed make a difference in the health of the ocean and the creatures that live within its waters.  Learn more about how you can help and about The Marine Mammal Center “Save Our Seals. Save Ourselves.“

The carcass of a 37-foot-long juvenile Gray whale washed up in the SF Bay on April 21. © The Marine Mammal Center

Since plants and animals evolve to adapt to their environment, vast doses of herbicides, pesticides, and antibiotics are useful only temporarily – the creatures we call “pests” simply outcompete the chemicals before long. Now there’s evidence that biotech crops engineered to withstand herbicides simply give rise to the use of MORE herbicides.  According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, “the use of weed killers (herbicides) in the United States has increased dramatically—by 383 million pounds—over the first 13 years of commercial production of GE crops.”   Gee, we knew someone would be happy with this news… maybe it’s the chemical companies.

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