By Varun Sabharwal
On September 14, 2019, your favorite student-run newspaper, The Commentary, set out with benches, signs, and very little sunscreen, to pick up trash between the sandy grains of Ocean Beach. Our mission was twofold: (1) raise awareness for the need to keep our beaches clean, and (2) educate people that their garbage can be a hinderance for the myriad of creatures that also inhabit our planet.
In 2015, National Geographic reported that there was almost 5.2 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean, which made it challenging to understand the complete impact on this fragile ecosystem. In these days of changing weather patterns, devastating storms and droughts and striking school children, it is important for our community to realize that our need to act has never been more imminent. Maybe Greta Thurberg is right, and people tend not to think beyond the year 2055. Maybe all we need to push that dial is to do just a little bit for the environment.
Maybe next time YOU can be a part of The Commentary’s First Law of Motion—and come save the OCEAN! Together, we can help the turtles jump through their plastic hurdles!