Healthy Oceans = Healthy Penguins & People

Healthy Oceans = Healthy Penguins and People. . , African penguins, whose populations have declined by 97% over the last 100 years, and people both rely on healthy oceans for food, oxygen, stable weather patterns, and more. We can protect our oceans through the choices we make in our daily lives., [Captions:] , Heat-trapping blanket of carbon dioxide (CO2), Of the 300 million tons of plastic waste created worldwide, 8 million tons end up in our waterways and flow into our oceans. From Cincinnati, plastic travels down the Ohio River to the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico in the Atlantic Ocean., Only 9% of our plastic waste is recycled., Plastic production emits 1.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the air., Over 5 trillion pieces of plastic are in our oceans. By 2050, experts say there will be more plastic by weight than fish in the sea., 12 hundred million gallons of oil are used to produce the 30 billion plastic bags and 50 billion plastic bottles Americans use every year., Oil spills negatively impact African penguins and the fish they feed on., 90% of all seabirds, including African penguins, have plastics in their stomachs., As ocean temperatures rise, fish that African penguins eat move to cooler waters. Penguins must travel further to hunt and may not find enough to eat., Overfishing of sardines and anchovies leave African penguins struggling to find enough fish to eat., Fish mistake tiny bits of plastic for food. People, then, in turn, ingest these microplastics when we eat fish. Scientists suspect large amounts of plastic in our gust could have a toxic effect on our immune systems., The build-up of CO2 in our atmosphere traps heat from the sun close to the Earth like a blanket. This makes the global climate hotter and more unstable, leading to unpredictable and severe weather events that impact our health and safety., One way the Zoo has reduced its plastic waste was to eliminate plastic bags at the gift shop. Instead, guests are encouraged to purchase a reusable bag they can use again and again., Take Action!. Invest in reusable bags, bottles and straws to reduce your use of single-use plastic items., Choose seafood that has a low environmental impact. Go to seafoodwatch.org, or download the Seafood Watch app, for a guide to sustainable seafood.