While doing research for content of this website today, I stumbled across something very upsetting to me:

An article on the Discovery channel's website, which touts:  "'Great Garbage Patch' Not So Great After All - The massive floating island of plastic in the Pacific Ocean isn't nearly as large as reports have claimed, according to a new study."

Included in the section called "The Gist" designed to let people avoid reading the whole article they include the following statements:

• A well publicized collection of garbage in the Pacific Ocean is not nearly as dramatic as many reports suggest.
• Instead of mounds and towers, most plastic in the sea is tiny and widely dispersed.

...as well as statements stating that threats to wildlife are still serious, but who's going to read that?

Headlines are meant to give you the entire idea summed up in one sentence, and most will see these headlines and assume the best.  This article has now been carried over THOUSANDS of news outlets and, probably has erased any progress on making the public aware of this problem.

R E A P e R

There are five core initiatives to the ducks' mission. We will always strive to acheive our goals by making sure that our words and actions always align with these values & initiatives, without sensationalism or hiserics. 

• Research: We, as responsible beings have a duty to continuously research facts, to ensure our awareness and education adheres to the truth, as well as discovering new ways to avoid plastic and damaging practices.
• Education: With Awarness comes education, on all facets of the problem, from details on manufacturing to how to improve your life while avoiding plastic, to how to help reverse the damage we, as humans, have done.
• Awarness: Our main and primary goal will be to increase awareness of the dangers, downfalls and damages of plastics on the environment and our communities. From the enormous 500,000+ sq mile "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" (which is mainly plastic that will never go away...), the affects plastic bags and other "disposable" items have on wildlife and people, to the reasons that recylcing of plastic is NOT the answer... it is our job to make our neighbors aware of the need to eliminate the use of "disposable" plastic from our lives.
• Preservation of the Enviroment: We will strive to preserve the environment to the extent of our abilities, using the goals and values of our group, and spreading the word about our mission, and attempting to prevent plastics from effecting the world and wild in a negative way.
•  Restoration: Our ultimate and main objective as an activist group, will be to work to reverse the damage and existence of plastic products in the wilderness, including, but not limited to the oceans and forests. 

If you'd like to know more about how you can help, or to join in the Ducks' mission, click here.

Researchers have developed a method of replacing petroleum used in manufacturing plastic with feathers. Poultry farmers are eager to jump into a new revenue stream by selling their normally wasted 3 Billion pounds of poultry feathers they produce each year. 

Lets hope no further cruelty comes from the potential for money. 

Read the full article here: http://goo.gl/WQ9mF