According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), up to 80% of the world's oceans are unmapped, unmonitored, and unexplored. Oceanographers often 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 it easier to explore hard-to-reach places like the Mariana Trench, 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 across the open ocean. We also know that this phytoplankton forms the basis of the entire oceanic food web. This means that every marine life on Earth depends on it in some way, from the smallest zooplankton to the largest blue whales (2).
These kinds of connections are invaluable to us in restoring balance to the global ecosystem. The same could be true for the body's microbiomes, which we haven't yet explored in depth. Even if we don't find a microbe in our ear microbiome 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 as with the exploration of the oceans, we now have the technology to study and characterize ever more of the body's microbiomes with unprecedented accuracy and detail. This means we can move 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. Ultimately, what matters is the function microbes perform in the body, not their classification or taxonomy. Just as our exploration of the planet's little-studied ecosystems has the potential to lead to new insights and actions that will improve (or even save) the lives of millions.
CleanHub
All mybacs products are linked to our partner CleanHub. More than 11 million tons of plastic waste end up in our oceans every year (that's equivalent to a truckload every minute). Improperly managed plastic waste on this scale has a massive impact on our climate and our health.
- The open burning of waste has a significant impact on the climate, equivalent to 2-10% of global CO2 emissions.
- When waste is stored in landfills, methane is released, a greenhouse gas that is 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 because marine animals mistakenly believe these fragments to be food - and soon end up on our plates.
To prevent further damage, we must ensure that the best methods for combating plastic pollution are used in the regions that suffer most. That's why our new Eco Jar is made from the innovative material Sulapac, making it 100% biodegradable, and also supports a specific CleanHub project in one of the worst countries in the world for plastic pollution. The growing population, rapid urbanization, changing consumer behavior, and evolving lifestyles have led to the mismanagement of plastic waste and, consequently, to 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 discovered he was collecting more plastic than fish in his fishing nets. Concerned not only for his own livelihood but also for marine life in a plastic-ridden ocean, Mr. Ravi took matters into his own hands and began collecting plastic from the sea with his specialized boat. Mr. Ravi now has a team of five fishermen with a specialized fleet of boats that collect plastic from the seabed and rivers in Pondicherry, southeastern 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 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.
