According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), up to 80% of the world's oceans are unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored. Oceanographers like to put it this way: We know more about the surface of the moon than about the ocean floor (1). Thanks to new tools and technologies that make exploring hard-to-reach places like the Mariana Trench easier, this is finally beginning to change.
In recent decades, we have learned that our oceans play a much larger and more complex role in the health of our planet than previously thought. For example, we now know that 50-80% of the world's oxygen is produced by microscopic algae called phytoplankton, which drift in countless numbers through the open ocean. We also know that this phytoplankton forms the basis of the entire oceanic food web. This means that every marine creature on Earth depends on them in some way, from the smallest zooplankton to the largest blue whales (2).
This kind of connection is invaluable to us in restoring the global ecosystem to balance. The same could apply to the microbiomes of the body, which we have not yet thoroughly studied. Even if we do not find a microbe in our ear or lung microbiome that is as universally important as phytoplankton, we will most likely find that these different ecosystems play a crucial role in our health.
And just like in ocean exploration, we now have the technology to study and characterize more and more body microbiomes with unprecedented accuracy and detail. This means we can go beyond simply identifying the unique microbes that call these places home and begin to decipher the mechanisms they use to interact with our human halves. After all, it is the functions that microbes perform in the body that matter, not their classification or taxonomy. Just as our exploration of the little-studied ecosystems of our planet can lead to new insights and actions that improve (or even save) the lives of millions of people, so too can our study of the lesser-known microbiomes of the human body.
CleanHub
All mybacs products are linked to our partner CleanHub. More than 11 million tons of plastic waste enter our oceans every year (equivalent to one truckload per minute). Mismanaged plastic waste on this scale has massive impacts on our climate and health:
- Open burning of waste has significant climate impacts, accounting for 2-10% of global CO2 emissions.
- Landfilling waste releases methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
- Microplastics in the ocean hinder the ocean’s natural ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere.
- Plastic kills millions of animals every year. Nearly 700 species are directly affected by plastics.
- Tiny plastic particles enter the ocean food chain as marine creatures mistake these fragments for food—and soon end up on our plates.
To prevent further damage, we must ensure that the best methods to combat plastic pollution are used in the regions most affected. That is why our new Eco Jar is made from the innovative material Sulapac, making it 100% biodegradable, while also supporting a targeted CleanHub project in a country where plastic pollution is among the worst. The growing population, rapid urbanization, changing consumption patterns, and shifting lifestyles have led to improper handling of plastic waste and an accumulation of solid household waste in India (4).
Eco Warrior + Eco Jar = Ocean Care
Mr. Ravi is a fisherman who works with the collection partner Recity in Pondicherry, India. He began his journey as an Eco Warrior when he realized he was collecting more plastic than fish in his nets. Concerned not only for his own livelihood but also for marine life in a plastic-laden ocean, Mr. Ravi took matters into his own hands and started collecting plastic from the sea with his specialized boat. Mr. Ravi now leads a team of five fishermen with a specialized fleet of boats that collect plastic from the seabed and riverbeds in Pondicherry/SE India.
Ocean Ecosystem Facts
- Our ocean covers 70% of the planet and supports life as we know it
- Every second breath we take comes from the sea
- Our ocean feeds billions of people
- Our ocean is home to 80% of the world’s biodiversity.
Each of us is also a living, breathing ecosystem, not unlike the planet we call home. With mybacs products, you support not only your own ecosystem every day but also an ecosystem on our planet.
