Jaen 1 Daniel Jaen English 113B Professor Mercado 30 April 2014 We All Need It The ocean covers about

70 percent of our land here on earth. The majority of our resources such as food, water, and tools come from our ocean; hence we rely on it for the survival of humanity. With the amount of waste that is being dumped into the ocean we are slowly cutting our time here on earth. I have the passion for fighting against the pollution in the ocean. Growing up near the beach my whole life I have always had a strong connection with the ocean. I started to surf and enjoy the beach every time I had the chance. Near the ocean I was able to see refineries sitting on the shore, polluting the water with all the waste from the factor. I have always cared for her environment and have shown this by recycling, picking up trash, and reducing the amount of waste I produce. We arent just affecting us humans, but the mammals and their lifestyle. If people reduced the amount of waste created by factories such as refineries near beach to change the location and create a new way of disposal with meetings in the local community. Growing up near the ocean I have developed a strong passion for its existence. Driving to the beach on the summer weekends I would notice all the tall circular buildings right on the shore. Not realizing until later in life that those build called refineries were pumping waste into the ocean harming the resources, life of the ocean, and life around the city. Reported in the L.A. Times, South Bay plants were among the top 10 sources of reactive hydrocarbons, which are produced by the incomplete combustion of gasoline and by fumes from fuels, paints and dry-

Jaen 2 cleaning solvents (Hatch 1). The reason this is such a concern is because it is in my community of Westchesters backyard. With polluting the water and air we are asking for the life span of humanity to be shorten. Our planet is 70 percent water and by mistreating it we are cutting out that many resources that we need to survive. People have not realized what we are doing to our water because it has not become a problem to big major countries. All over the world, in less fortunate place, their water is nothing but pollution and they do not have a big enough voice to raise awareness. Having the refineries in my own backyard have made me become more aware of what really is to come in the future and how to over come this issue. The refineries release waste that has toxins with in it that makes our ocean polluted and hazardous for marine life. As south bay refineries such as the Chevron Plant in El Segundo take top in releasing the most pollution, such toxins as nitrogen. Nitrogen is the leading pollutant in the ocean because of the algal blooms that harm the wild marine life; Algal blooms deplete dissolved oxygen, causing marine wildlife to suffer and become more vulnerable to toxins and disease (Ocean River). The marine life is an essential part of our survival in life and evolution. Contaminating the water with pollution such as nitrogen causes harmful effects on the marine wildlife. After poisoning the resources we ingest and use we are harming ourselves because of the decease spread throughout the pollution in the water. Having a job in Marina Del Rey, next to the ocean, I see how it is important for people to make money and survive off of what nature has provided for us. Taking away the ocean by contaminating the water will decrease the job opportunities for survival. Every living thing on the planet big or small has a purpose and contributes to the way the earth functions. The Marine life for example plays its part by giving us water, food, minerals, and other resources that people take for granted and mistreat. These recourses create lives for people and help them have a

Jaen 3 steady income. Not only are we killing the marine life in the water but also we are taking away the lives of fellow human beings. Us humans have been responsible from for the amount of pollution in the ocean on the South Bay side. With that being said, 80 percent of ocean pollution is caused from land-based activities (WWF). Being at the beach I see many thing that make me disappointed in humans. People are always leaving their trash behind for the wind to blow it into the water. This trash such as soda cans, plastic bags, and cigarette buds are getting sucked in by the tide; which leads to the ocean were aquatic life gets into it, eats it, and dies or catch a disease from it. In addition to trash we have off shore oilrigs that have had major spills depleting natural resources and killing a handful of aquatic life in the ocean. These events are unpredictable but can be prevented from the future by being more aware of youre surroundings and caring more about where you live. If we were to take more care and be more aware of what is going on we would have a better understanding of how to prevent things. If people werent so careless and did there own part we would have more time on earth. Now people do this and do not realize the action they have caused. Having this take place so close to a refinery just puts the cherry on top. Changing the way people view the world would just be one step to living longer on planet Earth. This can happen with community meetings that bring up awareness to come to a solution that everyone is on board with. Other than toxins and waste being dumped into the ocean by the refineries another pollutant is noise. The noise from the refineries or large vessels doesnt harm the earth b ut harms the wildlife. In large bodies of water, sound waves can carry undiminished for miles... can disrupt the migration, communication, hunting, and reproduction patterns of many marine animals, particularly aquatic mammals like whales and dolphins (National Geographic). The

Jaen 4 way marine life cycles helps us humans cycle through our lives. They do their daily jobs such as breeding to continue the food chain. With us disrupting the breeding and change the hunting paths with our over sized wasteful refineries and vessels we are also disrupting our society. We are taking away the normal way of living. In other places across the world the communities are built on the water and the only way to get to next door be to get in a boat and paddle across. For other communities across the world they only rely on the amount of fish caught to support their family and provide for the rest of the community. At this rate and time my community next to the refinery will be struggling for success of a bright future. I speak with experience and care for my environment. I have been recycling since I was ten years old. I have been surfing for six years and want to go to the coast guard after college. I have expressed complex feelings towards this issue because it means more than just proving a point. The start of resolving this issue would start with the CEOs of the refineries. These people only care about money and themselves. I ask why pollute the resources you need to obtain the money you want? Also, if it is worth the time to get money if you are just going to destroy the planet for the future? I plan to resolve this issue by continuing to do my part and recycle and make a stand. With this we can come up with a community meeting that addresses all issues that people are concerned with. In solving the issues people are concerned we can create awareness throughout the community, social events about the issues, and possibly petitions to get things done if the large CEOs wont allow it. In addition I plan to come up with relocation for the refineries near the beach and come up with a new way to dispose of the waste so we can stay on this planet for as long as a sun shines. I also what to enlighten the people around me so then they can tell people around them and it will become a concern that many people should be worried about.

Jaen 5 The refineries in my community have polluted the beautiful ocean with toxin waste and have disrupted the peace of the marine wildlife. The different types of pollutions show how much damage we are doing and how quickly it is all happening. Without stopping it or taking care of the issues such as refineries we will have a short time here on planet earth. If we all do our part it will show in the long run. Also coming up with a relocation of refineries and change the way the waste is disposed or even limiting the amount of resources put into the refinery. At the end of the day we should take care of where we live and take pride in it.

Jaen 6 Work Cited Algal Green Slime Nevermore! Stop Nutrient Water Pollution." StopFLnutrients. Ocean River Institute, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. Hatch, George. Chevron Plant in El Segundo Tops AQMD List of Pollutant Producers. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 09 Feb. 1990. Web. 24 Apr. 2014 "Marine Problems: Pollution." WWF. WWF Global, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. "The Ocean." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.