Monday marks World Oceans Day, recognized by the United Nations since 2008. Thousands of organizations and companies worldwide are celebrating World Oceans Week under this year’s banner, “Innovation for a sustainable ocean.” From conservation efforts to ending plastic and other pollution, we certainly need all the innovations we can dream up.

To celebrate, our friends at PlanetCare are offering a discount on their great little filter that addresses the largest source of microplastic pollution in the oceans: synthetic fibers from clothing like yoga pants and fleece jackets. The filter attaches to your washing machine and removes 90 percent of the microplastics that leave your clothes and pollute your rinse water – and then the oceans. Check out their website and Instagram for details.

We at DGI will also soon be offering filters for commercial washing machines – we’ll announce those here the minute they’re available.

Why do we care? Because microplastics, finer than an eyelash, slip through the usual washing machine filters into rivers and oceans where fish and other marine life ingest them. The plastic pollution then travels up the food chain and ends up on our dinner plates. It’s that simple.

Six million plastic fibers were released the last time you washed your yoga pants, and 35% of microplastics found in the oceans come from washing machines. Let’s work together to stop that pollution at its source!