In almost every area of our lives, today’s economy has made a major shift towards the world of ecology, going green and eco-friendly. Consumers are emphasizing an eco-lifestyle and companies are investing in everything from renewable sources of energy to completely ecologically safe products. Cities, counties, and entire states in the U.S. and around the globe are focused on reversing global warming. In this environment it comes as no surprise that there is a walk-of-shame for states in the U.S. that are listed as the ‘least green’.
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Over the last twenty years there has been a hot debate as to whether China should assist in the cost of global pollution. Countries around the world are all jumping on the band wagon to clean up the earth; each with the small or large part that they can play. China, on the other hand, has not been quite as reticent to join. The opinion of the Chinese government seems to have been that they shouldn’t have to pay to clean up a mess that they really didn’t participate in.
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Our Western culture seems to be enamored with bottled water. Whether fresh from the spring or just out of the tap, it seems to be an easy method in our quasi race to be healthy.
You have probably seen some of the television and online commercials displaying the massive quantity of plastic bottles that this love affair is producing. In our attempt at complying with the medical reason to drink water, we have taken this topic to excess (as usual) and we are producing a major pollutant that is rising as a priority environmental problem.
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The magic microbe
Groups of scientists from around the world are astonished at this phenomenon. Basically, what happens is that when pieces of plastic are colonized by microbes, a protective film is created around them. This protects the species that will eat them from potential toxic effects of the plastic. There is also evidence that suggest the microbes will assist with the break-down of plastic in this way as well.
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You have probably heard of the great garbage patch in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is currently the epicenter of plastic pollution on our planet, which is very harmful to the ocean fauna. It can poison and choke fish and other animals in the sea, and an even bigger problem is that the toxic chemicals coming from the plastic garbage patch are absorbed in the water.
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2) Storm Water Pollution
Storm water is next on our list of 3 kinds of pollution you may not have heard about. This refers to melted snow and rain that runs down surfaces like paved streets, parking lots, highways, rooftops. When running water hits these surfaces, it can take all sorts of pollution with it like pesticides, fertilizers, oil, animal waste, trash, and soil. Then the water could flow straight into local lakes, bays or streams. It may also go through storm pipes, from where it will be released into a local waterway. What’s worse is that in urban areas the large artificially constructed surfaces increase peak flows, which have various hydrologic effects like loss of habitat, instream sedimentation, and streambeds channels.

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We all know that there are different sources of pollution that exist all around the world. Most of these are the standard ones – greenhouse gas emissions, water contamination by factories, nuclear power plants, etc. But there are also different sources of pollution that are more subtle and not very much talked about. Here are 3 kinds of pollution that few will know about:
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There has been some debate in the last couple of years about the best solution for the plastic bag problem currently plaguing us. Should we use biodegradable plastic bags or reusable carrier bags? Let’s examine the issue in a bit more detail.

There is a common belief that because biodegradable plastic bags are BIODEGRADABLE, then it must be the best thing to use. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. These ‘biodegradable’ bags pose a whole new range of problems, so, they are hardly a solution to the current plastic problem. (To read about oxo-biodegradable plastics, click here).
Here we will examine the truth behind biodegradable plastic bags and explain why reusable carrier bags are the real solution to the plastic problem.
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In our unstable times, when almost everything we do as humans is said to cause pollution, there are some things that some of us still try to do in order lead an environmentally-friendly lifestyle. Unfortunately, this becomes more and more difficult, as we learn about more and more things that pollute our environment. Here are three of these things, some of which were initially intended to help the environment!
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3) Most of the garbage comes from Asia.

If you’ve ever visited the less developed countries in Asia, this will become obvious. The Mekong Delta in Vietnam alone could probably be responsible for a large chunk of the garbage in the Pacific. China and Bangladesh are not far behind, if not ahead. The problem is that people are not educated with regards to rubbish in these countries. The rivers there serve as sewage canals, and whatever the population doesn’t want gets discarded into them (individuals and large corporations alike).
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