Browsing: Microbeads

Environmental News David Suzuki
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Protecting oceans is paying off

Do you remember Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak? It turns out wizards aren’t the only ones who can vanish from sight with a special coat. Marine researchers have discovered shrimp-like crustaceans called hyperiids that can hide in the open using internal nanotechnology to cloak themselves in invisibility. That’s just one among many fascinating discoveries to celebrate on World Oceans Day, June 8.

Environmental News Ecojustice
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Thank You from Ecojustice

Thanks to you, in the past year we have celebrated numerous victories for people and the planet. We won the lengthy fight against Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, pressured the government to ban microbeads, and protected Canada’s national parks from commercial encroachment. As 2016 has come to a close, and 2017 is now here, our team is reflecting on the this year.

Environmental News Microbeads
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Ecojustice applauds federal ban on microbeads

The Canadian government has announced a ban on microbeads, and this progressive move will keep this harmful plastic pollutant out of Canada’s waterways. When products containing microbeads, such as cleansers, lotions and toothpastes, are used and rinsed down the drain, these bits of plastic — typically 1.0 millimetre or smaller in diameter — are too small to be caught by wastewater treatment facilities. Instead, they are flushed directly into lakes, rivers and streams, where they wreak havoc on wildlife. Scientists have found millions of microbeads in the Great Lakes, with the highest concentrations occurring near urban areas.