Not only does plastic threaten our landfills but a recently discovered area in the North Pacific Gyre, a place where 4 prevailing ocean currents form what is essentially a whirlpool, has been nicknamed the “Pacific’s Garbage Patch”.

The peculiarities of this location arise from the fact that four prevailing ocean currents–the North Pacific Current to the north, the California Current to the east, the North Equatorial Current to the south, and the Kuroshio Current to the west meet here and create a clockwise circular vortex, or whirlpool, that draws waste material in, and once in, traps it. Consequently, most of the trash that enters the Pacific eventually winds up here.

Here are some disturbing facts about this area of ocean which is approximately 540,000 sq mi:

• It’s also known as the “Eastern Garbage Patch” & “Pacific Trash Vortex”
• The location is between the equator and 50° N latitude
• In 2001, the mass of plastic particles in the area exceeded zooplankton (animal life) by a ratio of 6 to 1
• Area covered with trash is approximately twice the size of Texas 
• Occasionally currents will shift, releasing large amounts of trash that are deposited on land

I urge you to watch this short video below and think about where that next plastic bottle or grocery bag you are throwing away may finally end up.

Plastic Vortex

The packaging for a microwavable “microwave” dinner is programmed for a shelf life of maybe six months, a cook time of two minutes and a landfill dead-time of centuries.  ~David Wann, Buzzworm, November 1990

Have you been to the grocery store and observed someone loading up cloth bags instead of using the plastic ones the store gives you? If so, you have seen someone who is conscious about the environment we live in.

Reusable shopping bags are really easy to use and have a great impact on the environment. And they do not take up much room between shopping trips.

I have over a dozen shopping bags now. I simply fold them up and put them in a pile then stuff them into one of the bags. I keep them in my trunk and when I head into the store, pull out some or all of the bags. I also found some reusable bags that are insulated to help keep my food cold. And I will say, the insulated ones have been wonderful at keeping my frozen food frozen!

After paying attention on my shopping trips, I found that using one reusable bag can equate to 2 to 4 plastic bags. If you use just 3 bags on each grocery trip, you are saving 6 to 12 bags from being tossed into your landfill.

Why is it so important to keep plastic bags out of the landfills? I have a list and am sure you can find even more reasons.

1. They do not decay.
2. Plastic bags often blow around getting stuck in trees.
3. If they do not make it undergroud and blow around, animals can get trapped in the handles and possibly suffocate.
4. The base material in plastic is the same petroleum base our gas is made out of. Want those prices down? Use less plastic anything and recycle.
5. It is estimated that each year we throw away between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic grocery bags. Out of all those used, an estimated 380 billion are consumed in the US alone.
6. It is estimated that over 100,000 turtles, birds, seals, and whales are killed every year by plastic bags.

More stores offer these for sale for under $10 per bag. The Highland Hiker has partnered with the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust to help preserve the beauty around us. For a limited time, when you come into any one of the Highland Hiker stores, you can pick up a reusable shopping bag for just $5. By purchasing one of these bags, you are not only helping keep those nasty plastic bags out of landfills, but also helping preserve the Highlands & Cashiers, NC area we all love so much.

Cartoon provided by www.NaturalNews.com

Congratulations to Robert, Jason & David on their beautiful window display which took first place in the contest held by Mephisto Shoes.

We’d also like to welcome two new employees to our shoe store: Alyson Baumrucker & Paul Inman.

Some of you may know Alyson from our Cashier’s store and with her knowledge of the brands we carry, she will be a great addition to our shoe store staff.

Paul has an extensive background in shoe sales and we all look forward to having him with us this season.