i.f. contained

Scientists believe that more than 5 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean is now a form of plastic soup, in which plastic has accumulated to span almost from China to California. As the plastic in ocean ages, it breaks down into smaller and smaller particles but never disappears. Roughly 6 times more plastic than plankton can be found in areas of our oceans, where seabirds and other animals that feed on plankton cannot distinguish the difference. Then, plastic enters the food chain or fills up the stomachs of these birds until they starve to death.

This week's Illustration Friday word "contained" reminded me of plastic because it is one of the most common materials we use to contain things, from water to vegetables to, well, just about anything.

But does our reliance on this versatile material come at a larger price? And if so, how can we save ourselves from plastic when it touches everything in our lives?