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Hi, I'm Isabelle MacNeil. And what's your name?
I'm Boris Worm, I'm a professor
of marine biology here at Dalhousie University.
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Isabelle:
be available for people- when are they going
to be available for use?
So the kit is available now, at our website,
but we're going to add to it.
So what we have there right now
is just the basics,
For example, we at
we're providing a virtual reality experience
where you can be a marine creature
in a virtual reality, you can look around
and experience the ocean as you're swimming
in a sea of plastic, and you're really feeling
what that's like, and so you're forming
a different understanding of what that's like,
how plastic actually affects marine creatures.
That's really cool, and how does the plastic
get into our oceans?
Well, the problem with plastic is, it swims,
and it lasts a long time, so when it's discarded
anywhere in the world, it often finds its way
into waterways and from that,
it goes into watersheds, down into rivers,
and into the ocean.
When I say water pollution, what do you think of that?
Plastic in the ocean?
People throwing like, bad things like
plastic, garbage, in the water.
I think it's a very bad thing because
there's also animals that live in the water
and if there's pollution in the water,
then they could get sick by that.
I think of like, plastic bags,
and water bottles, and the endangered species
in the water.
As kids, how can we solve this problem
from making sure that there is less plastic
in our waters and our beaches?
Yeah, there's a variety of things that kids
or anyone really, can do.
Um, it starts with your personal habits,
so we using a lot of plastic
in our personal lives, and I think it starts
with learning about which kind of plastics
can be recycled and which can't be,
which ones are toxic, and which are not,
and really trying to eliminate
the use of single-use plastic things,
like straws for example, or single-use plastic bottles
that are, for which we have good alternatives,
I can just drink from a cup or I can use a reusable bottle,
and that plastic will never be produced from me
and it will never end up in the ocean.
Do you use a reusable water bottle?
Uh, yeah.
You can just refill it all the time and
it's better for the earth.
Do you recycle at home?
Yes. We just put recyclable stuff in a bag
and we give it to a couple of people
and we get a bit of money.
I was just on a kayak trip,
and on that three day kayak trip,
I picked up every single piece of plastic I found,
and stuffed it into my kayak,
and that's plastic that will not kill a turtle,
or affect a seabird, that's plastic I can bring
to the recycling, and then it's made into
something useful rather than affecting marine life.
We have picked them up before,
and I have seen a lot of people
with garbage bags and they bring them
just to pick them up for fun.
How with this kit can you ensure
people to make sure that they can do it
and they will recycle and try to make a difference
so there is less plastic?
Sure. So, we can't force people to do anything,
of course, but, just you and I
having this conversation, I think already adds
to the consciousness that's out there,
um, we're talking to a number of viewers
right now, and those may talk to their friends,
and seeing online resource that's interactive
and interesting and up to date,
and science-based, I think really helps with
getting people, getting the facts right and really
giving them very concrete things to do,
um, so my hope just is that this turns into
a global movement, a phenomenon,
um, like many more people in Canada used to smoke,
we didn't used to wear seatbelts,
there were a lot of things
that people used to do, or were not used to,
that we're now doing, and I think we can
do the same with plastics.
It just takes a little bit
of mindfulness, and for that, you need
to know the facts- other than that,
you're not aware of the problem.
Thank you for your time and answering all our questions,
-It was great- -It was a great interview,
and I thank you for your interest.
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