As a marine biologist Christine Figgener his team filmed a plastic straw stuck in a nose sea turtle in August 2015 to remove, she says she had no idea what would be in tune with the world. He had no idea, almost three years later, the video would help galvanize a wider movement to eliminate life now includes companies such as Starbucks and American Airlines, the plastic straws from our day-to-day. The 34-year-old marine biologist, currently his Ph.D. at Texas A & M University is ending, says, “Celebrate” last week was followed by several companies of the announcement plastic straw Forbidden Starbucks leadership. “Of course I’m happy,” says Figgener TIME. “But I do not believe that companies feel like they can easily just getting away must be removed from plastic straws. I hope this is the first step” The wave of corporate plastic straw forbids last week arrives in Seattle, the first big city the United States was early this month to ban plastic straws -. And so public awareness on the negative effects of plastic disposable items such as straws, cups and cutlery can have on the environment has increased. (This Earth Day this year’s theme centered on plastic pollution.) AND VIDEO Figgener, currently about 31 million views on YouTube is still part of the conversation be like people aware of their plastic use and want more for be active in environmental protection. In Figgener so it gave the anti-plastic movement a face – even though a reptile face. Figgener says he does not want to claim “the video is the one who made everything,” but she did admit that arouses a good tool for environmentalists and pressure groups for presentations to be used, the pity. “They were able to show the suffering of a being that has been influenced by a straw that someone had discarded. In any case, that an object is passed for human hands and made its way to the sea,” he says . “It ‘was a very emotional effect on people and certainly fueled the movement that is already present.” His team found the male turtle off the coast of Costa Rica, while the harvesting of live parasites on the fish. In the video, Visiting Scientist Nathan Robinson calipers used slowly pull the object from completely extracted turtle nasal cavities took about five minutes to complete. And the sea turtle appeared to be in physical coercion as they removed – the video shows blood flowing from his nose and sneezing repeatedly and squeaks. The footage was powerful, and Figgener knew he could be more effective if you have shared on social media. “I thought that I can really show what an object can do, what kind of damage it can do,” he says. Figgener said that people say that he still has the video turtle changed their habits – that made them stop using plastic straws, bring reusable bags for shopping or more conscious about their use of plastic in general. “Everyone can do something at home, even if it’s one thing,” he says. And Figgener detect plastic is a “magic bullet” that changed the world, as it was everywhere in American culture until 1950, when the plastic materials are the most accessible and booming economy. Plastic straws are needed for some people with disabilities, even if a device straw to drink for centuries. Figgener says straws are only a beginning; they represent only 4% of the 9,000,000 tons of annual plastic pollution that washes into the oceans and coasts, published in the journal Science, according to a 2015 study But, he says, but they are also a good place for the fight against waste Ocean. The drinking tools are often used by environmental activists and groups including the Plastic Pollution Coalition as a “plastic gateway” that ordinary people in one purpose designated. Plastic straws are particularly dangerous for animals and humans, because it can be taken to break it into small pieces. In fact, one study found that 90% ate plastic of all seabirds – a number that is less than 5% in 1960. She says she is sure that his disappearance the negative impact of plastic straws in a near future by leaps and bounds increased Compare the plastic rings around six packs that were largely made by society and that people deliberately cut – in part because of emotional similar photos and images of animals with their mouths or heads stuck around. “I hope that in five years, we do not even have to discuss plastic straws. That there are too many alternatives,” says Figgener. Figgener has such an optimistic view of the sea turtle in the video that they put again to search on your pinball through saw last year for a day. While his research team was performing in Costa Rica, he has found a matching pair. When you got home, she checked the number in their database and confirm the same turtle was. “It seems to do very well and do his thing,” he says.
Reported that the video heartbreaking turtle. Here’s what they know companies like Starbucks, through plastic straws Desires
