Garbage Islands by Nasreen Alriashi

Oil spills, islands made out of bottles, and hurt wildlife are enough to make you hurl. Imagine living in it. At our expense, wildlife, and people are in hospitals every day. Either plastic around a turtle’s neck or they get cut from plastic in the water. And it’s all our fault.

 Pollution has always been a major problem. There are 1.8 million deaths every year from water pollution. Many people use water in the ocean as a source for drinking water and extracurricular activities. 

10-year-old, Imad Aljudaiji is irritated seeing the effects.

 “I know what water pollution is, I’m 10 and I am more worried about water pollution than most adults. It’s not fair, I go to the beach and see more plastic than sand.”

 Imad Aljudaiji

This is what we have become. Letting the children inherit a dirty Earth. When you inherited this Earth, it was pure. No plastic inside the oceans, just a beautiful blue ocean. 

Future generations should inherit this too.

Sumaya Algalham

That’s not it. That really cute sea otter, or how about that turtle, cute. Well because of us 1 million animals die from the plastic in our oceans. 

Sumaya Algalham, who likes to travel states,

  “I am 21 and this is crazy! I mean when it’s supposed to be winter it’s spring and when it’s spring it’s winter. When it’s Fall, it’s summer and when it’s summer it’s fall. It wasn’t like this when I was younger, It was better. Safer even, I mean I remember going to the beach and seeing sand, I remember it being so easy to find a spot that wasn’t covered in pollution. Now it’s not like before, and if we don’t stop, pretty soon there will be no beach at all. I’ve tried going across the country, I’ve been to Mexico! It’s still the same and it hurts.”

Peanut: The Story Behind a Poor Turtle Deformed by a Six-Pack Ring

   Injured turtle

You know when you buy pop and it has that little plastic part that floats in the ocean until a turtle or another innocent sea creature gets caught in this deadly trap.

Our beautiful blue oceans have islands of garbage in them. They are called “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”. They are located from the West Coast of North America to Japan. If you look at the graph on the left, you can see that 99% of everything in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is Plastic. Think about how much plastic you use. Thick about how much you throw away without a second glance. Now think about how much of that plastic ends up in the ocean. Floating into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. 


 

We are on the inside, in Michigan. So we don’t see these patches. If I know anything about the world, it’s that what goes around comes around. 

Sarah Chami, an 8th-grade student at Unis Middle school recalls a time where she was injured by water pollution when she was swimming at Cass Lake. 

Sarah Chami

“I was 11 and my foot was cut from glass that day. Pollution in the water affects sea animals. I noticed this when I go to public water places (lakes, ponds, etc). This is an important issue because we are ruining the poor sea animal’s habitats. I feel guilty, sad, ( I feel like we all should be feeling that) because we humans are the ones causing this. I believe we could put an end to this!!”

Well, I think it’s pretty clear where I stand. Pollution affects everyone. You could become a victim like Sarah, or see it everywhere you go, or worse grow up in a corrupted world.

 This is what we have become. Adults seem to turn a blind eye to this because this doesn’t affect them that much. Children are becoming ill every day this is not safe, we should keep our waters clean for future generations. I wouldn’t say this if I already haven’t. I reduce reuse and recycle. Now it’s your turn, if not for your future children. then for the Earth.


Nasreen Alriashi

8th grade Journalism

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