Finding a Pollution Solution

People explore Georgian Bay in many ways: sailing, kayaking, swimming, even scuba diving and more! 

We all want the water in Georgian Bay to be clean for people, animals and plants. But the Great Lakes now contain a type of pollution that is hard to see - tiny microplastics!

Plastic microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic found in products like hand soap, body wash, and even toothpaste! 

Microbeads scrub away dirt, but once their job is finished they are washed down the drain and into lakes. Fish, birds and other animals can become sick by eating plastic beads.

Microplastic beads (Image: Oregon State University)

On August 20th, a group called exxpedition is setting sail to learn how much plastic is in Georgian Bay and other Great Lakes. You can help out by signing up to collect a water sample, or by holding a beach clean-up. This will be the largest simultaneous sampling for microplastics in history! Check out their website  for more information, to sign up and help keep our Great Lakes clean: http://exxpedition.com/greatlakes2016/