Picture this: A pristine white sand beach with clear blue waters. No trash. No animals trapped in fishing nets or plastic bottle rings. No floating debris from a careless company partaking in ocean dumping. Calmness. Stillness. Homeostasis.

Now picture this: 2016, America full of hate and pollution. That same beach now boasts tar colored waters that aren’t safe to swim in. Bacterial levels reaching a level too high to even chart. Trash floating everywhere. A dolphin washed against the shore caught in plastic carelessly tossed. Brown sand stained with trash.

This is what we are dealing with. This is what we have done. And this is what we have to change. It’s about time we started loving and caring for Mother Earth because this is the only one we will have. Do we want our future children to take on the burden of global warming, global pollution, and global climate change?

This is REAL and this is ALARMING.

According to National Geographic, ocean levels have risen approximately 4-8 inches over the past century. It is now believed that these levels rise 0.10 inches per year. While this might not seem like a lot, the effects on coastal habitats have been devastating. One million seabirds, and over 100,000 sea mammals will die each year because of pollution. Plastic is the number one commonly found substance dumped into the ocean. Plastic never disappears, it only breaks down into smaller pieces. Cruise ships and cargo liners have dumped 14 billion pounds of trash into the oceans, and that number continues to rise daily. This affects all levels of the food chain. It also affects our health. The ocean ecosystem is a fragile, life-sustaining organism. It keeps us alive and thriving. If I haven’t convinced you yet, how about this humbling fact: there is an ‘island’ of garbage TWICE the size of Texas floating somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. That is 537,194 square miles of pure garbage.

So what can we do about this? You might be thinking how can one person make an impact on such a large problem? But I assure you, every little bit counts. Whether it’s using reusable water bottles, recycling regularly, or even turning off the water while brushing your teeth, it all counts. I'm not saying never go on a cruise, or never buy a plastic water bottle again. Instead, raise awareness. Make one little change daily. These devastating facts can be thrown around tirelessly, but that won’t change anything. Actions can change this, and we can undo the havoc that has plagued our beautiful oceans. It’s not too late to make a difference.

I’m making the commitment to change Mother Earth. Will you?