5 Simple Steps That Make A Huge Difference For The Environment

Editor's note: This is a guest post written by Dune Ives and Emy Kane of the nonprofit, Lonely Whale Foundation, in partnership with Sustainable Surf.

You don't need to think of yourself as an environmentalist to do your part to help clean up the oceans.

Many of the plastics we use every day — from coffee cups to grocery bags, straws to microbeads — end up in an ocean. And it's taking a serious toll: There are more than 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the sea today, according to 5 Gyres, a nonprofit organization working to fight pollution.

A staggering 80% of ocean pollution comes directly from products we use here on land.

While the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has made waves around the world for its sheer magnitude, it’s actually the buildup of often small, easily consumable plastics that have dramatic effects on our oceans. A recent report by the World Economic Forum and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation predicted that by 2050, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish.

And whether you’re on the East Coast, West Coast, or reppin’ the No Coast, the future of our oceans affects you. Oceans are responsible for creating nearly 70% of all the oxygen we breathe, and 3 billion people depend on seafood as their main source of protein.

"We all depend on the ocean for health," Anna Cummings, 5 Gyres executive director, said.

So, how are we combatting this issue? Countless nonprofits and NGOs, including Plastic Pollution Coalition and 5 Gyres, are working across borders to reduce plastic use on a global scale. This new wave of environmental activism is gaining momentum by tackling the problem from a cultural angle.

Click through to learn more about five plastics you can trash from your daily routine before World Oceans Day on June 8.