Your Next Mission: More Plastic, More Problems

Hey Earth Rangers! We have a big problem and we’re going to need all the creative minds we can gather to tackle it. That problem is plastic in the ocean!

On land, plastic can be very useful; in fact, it’s in almost everything we use! The trouble starts when we aren’t careful about what we buy or how we dispose of things when we’re done with them. If we don’t reuse or recycle our plastic properly and it ends up in a landfill or as litter on the ground, it can easily be blown into rivers or streams. From there, it will likely end up in an ocean, where it becomes a big problem!

What’s so bad about having plastic in our oceans?

Besides animals getting tangled in big plastic items, sea creatures can also mistake it for food. When eaten, plastic takes up room in an animal’s belly that should be filled with food. This means they miss out on the nutrients they need to stay healthy. The problem doesn’t end there. If a small fish eats some plastic and then is eaten by a larger fish and so on, the entire food chain is contaminated. It can even end up in the seafood we eat!

Your Mission: Cut single-use plastics out of your life!

Straws, plastic bags, and other single-use plastics (SUPs) are a big problem for our planet. Not only do they take lots of resources to make, they also contribute to climate change and can really hurt animals if they end up in nature. So let’s help our planet and cut single-use plastics from our lives!

How can you help?

• Recycle whenever you can, and never litter: Practicing the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) is always a good idea. Reusing or reducing what you buy is even better than recycling!
• Think before you buy: Pick items that aren’t wrapped in plastic, like loose fruit, and try to choose products with less plastic packaging.
• Go prepared: Take your own reusable shopping bag instead of using plastic ones from the store.
• Host a community cleanup: Gather your friends and family to help clean up a nearby park, your town, or even a beach before the trash finds its way into the ocean.
• Speak up: Spread the word, ask shops and businesses to use less plastic. You can also write letters or draw pictures to share with Earth Rangers or your local leaders. Your voice can spark change!

Say NO to single-use plastics whenever you can: These are plastics meant to be used once before being thrown out, like cups, cutlery, water bottles, straws or bags. Cut them out of your life and join the “More Plastic, More Problems” Mission today!

To complete this Mission, you must:

– Read through the Mission Brief to learn about the problems with single-use plastics.
– Compete with your family in the Cut the SUP Challenge to see who can use the least single-use plastics.
– Sign the pledge to say goodbye to single-use plastics in your life.
– When you’re done, come back and let us know how you did. We’d love to see videos of you reciting the pledge!

Look for More Plastic, More Problems in the Mission section of the Earth Rangers App!