The concepts an ocean literate person should understand are organized into seven essential principles:
| Pollution Myth | Reality |
| The main human impact on the ocean is pollution |
BUSTED!
A number of different human impacts are included in my Save the Ocean Game Habitat loss, overfishing, ocean acidification .. the list goes on. |
| Most trash on the beach is due to offshore dumping |
BUSTED!
Almost all the trash on the beach starts as litter on the beach. The largest volume is fishing line, and there are more individual cigarette butts than anything else. See my Us Vs Them webpage. |
| Trash disappears in the ocean, doesn't it? |
BUSTED!
This trash sorting activity helps kids understand the lifetimes of marine debris. If Geoffrey Chaucer had left fishing line in the ocean, it would still be here today.
|
| There's an island of trash as large as Texas in the ocean |
PLAUSIBLE
- There is a vast amount of plastic debris in the ocean, covering an area larger than Texas. It is a serious problem. But it's more a soup than an island.
See videos by Jean Michel Cousteau and Five Gyres. |
| Most oil in the ocean is due to spills |
BUSTED!
Most oil comes from underwater seeps and runoff from land. See Us Vs Them |
| Oil spills are easy to clean up. |
BUSTED!
I added a map of the Gulf of Mexico to a self contained oil spill kit. |
| Climate Change Myth | Reality |
| Climate change is a hoax |
BUSTED! Here is some real climate science, an educational website and a partial list of educational resources.
|
| Melting of the Arctic Sea Ice causes sea level rise |
BUSTED!
Arctic ice is already in the ocean. This lesson plan and cut-and-paste worksheet should help. |
| Mile for mile, electric cars have a lower carbon footprint than traditional cars. |
PLAUSIBLE
- it depends on where you live and changing technology.
Printable discussion of electric cars |
| Myths Related to Scale |
Reality |
| Myth: toilets flush backwards in Australia |
BUSTED! The ocean is vastly larger than your plumbing; check out Bad Coriolis and Scientific American. |
| If everyone does one little thing, we can save the world. |
BUSTED!
What matters is how big the changes are relative to the normal state. Some thoughts on Small Things |
| An easy way to help the enviornment is to stop drinking bottled water |
CONFIRMED! See The story of bottled water
| |
| The best way to save energy is to turn off lights and/or use fluorescent bulbs. |
BUSTED! Most of our home energy budget goes to heating and cooling. |
| The best way to save water is to turn off the tap while brushing our teeth |
BUSTED! Most of our home water use goes to landscaping. Replace your lawn with xeriscape! |
| We can use all the plastic we need, as long as we put disposable containers in the recycle bin. |
BUSTED! Putting it in the bin doesn't mean it gets turned into something new. Most types of plastic aren't recyclable in most towns. Recycling Plastic |
| It helps the planet to get a reusable shopping bag. |
PLAUSIBLE
if you remember to use it |
| We use a lot less fuel if we drive 5-10 MPH slower. |
PLAUSIBLE
but driving less is better. Share a ride, double your per-person gas mileage! |
| Cloth diapers require a lot less energy than disposable |
BUSTED! - unless you hand was your diapers in cold water, with no bleach and line dry. On the other hand, disposable do end up in landfill. |
| Save the world, become a vegetarian. |
PLAUSIBLE Eat healthy, eat low on the food chain, and reduce your water footprint - sounds pretty good.
|
