Compared to other incidents involving vehicles, violence and various other accidents, oil spills are not at the top of anyone’s list. Of course, they are horrendous, and most people “feel bad” for all the cute little animals displayed in ad campaigns such as Dawn’s dish soap. However, aside from active environmentalists, most people fail to see the impact these spills have on the planet. That is, of course, until a spill finally affects us directly.

In addition to 11 missing and presumed dead crew members, citizens along the Gulf Coast are facing a major health risk. Should the oil spread into the coast, citizens will experience symptoms such as headaches and nausea, ranging from minor to severe. If any tainted seafood is ingested, cancer becomes a high risk. This particular threat is also affecting people along the coast, as fishing towns are already living in fear of a seafood shortage. Not only is the seafood at risk right now, but it can possibly remain tainted for the next 10 to 20 years.

The implications of a disaster on such a monumental scale have been under-exaggerated by the media. Climateprogress.org made a comment that the media coverage of this “leak” is comparable to a blind person describing an elephant.

Accurate public awareness of such a horrendous occurrence falls into our hands, as a social media outlet and a small business working together to go green this month. This is an ideal time for other businesses to attempt “greening” their business, even for just a month, to increase environmental awareness and sustainability. The environment is already at risk from “eco-sins” committed by every one of us daily, without tragic accidents launching us into a darker environmental abyss.