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MISSION STATEMENT
It is the mission of REEF to work toward preservation of life in the oceans of the world through environmental action, funding, organization and education, with emphasis on the role that children and young adults can play in preservation of this vital part of their life support system - planet earth. Since most terrestrial thinking people rally more easily behind forest or atmospheric problems, it is the mission of REEF to concentrate on the other 71% of the planet -- PLANET WATER.
I can't reproduce full impact of this inspired site - the white, sandy background or the sound of the waves - you just know they are washing up on a beach as white as sugar! The closest I could come was this fabric background. Theirs really looks like sand. You MUST look at it! And listen to it! And take its message seriously! The site is slow to come up, and I could only hear the sound of the waves on Explorer, but try - it's worth it!
Note: I tried again in 2006, and alas, it no longer responds to the old website call numbers! I have put the new ones above, but it's become totally pedestrian, so don't get your hopes up! Sorry ....
WHAT IS KILLING THE PLANET?
Human industrial wastes in the form of organic compounds and heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium) accumulate in the biological food chain and are increasing toward toxic levels in many animals. Plutonium and other atomic wastes are being dumped into the oceans or lost due to marine accidents. Plutonium is so toxic that it is estimated a piece the size of a garden pea could kill one million people. Once released into the environment, it will remain for thousands of human generations.
TOXIC CHEMICALS COMBINE WITH OTHER CHEMICALS AND FORM NON-TOXIC ONES, DON'T THEY?
Some do and some don't. We can't understand the millions of chemical reactions possible in a polluted ocean, but we do know that many chemical compounds of heavy metals or of radioactive elements are as toxic or more toxic than the original.
THE OCEAN IS LARGE ENOUGH TO DILUTE POISONS.
The ocean is large but it is not infinite. The process of polluting it however can be infinite. Without an enormous decrease in the amount of chemicals going into the ocean, evaporation will concentrate them eventually to lethal levels.
WHAT DOES IT MATTER TO ME IF A FEW HUNDRED SPECIES BECOME EXTINCT?
Many essential chemical compounds (aspirin, penicillin, etc.) were first discovered in native plants and animals. We are destroying knowledge that may someday be needed for survival of the human race.
I'LL BE DEAD AND GONE BEFORE THIS ANYWAY.
If the industrial revolution had occurred ten generations earlier humans may have been extinct by now. Ten generations from now humans well may be extinct if we don't change direction. Some scientists predict that extinction may be as close as two generations. Will you be one of the people your grandchildren can thank for saving some of good life for them?
The warning signs are all around us. Our planet is in critical condition. Without help from the humans that brought it to this brink, it will become sterile and uninhabitable for future generations. There has already been extensive devastation of terrestrial biota, and pressure is increasing daily on the marine world.
Get Active! Get Involved! Work to Preserve a Clean Healthy Planet For Your Children