5 Gyres http://5gyres.org 5 Gyres is dedicated to understanding plastic marine pollution through exploration, education, and action info@5gyres.org (5 Gyres) REVRSE RSS 2.0 Generator Beta ARE BIO PLASTICS BETTER FOR MARINE ANIMALS? ASK A DEAD SEA TURTLE. http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/02/02/are_bio_plastics_better_for_marine_animals_ask_a_dead_sea_turtle (Image courtesy of Wired)To date, 177 species of marine life have been shown to ingest plastics. It's a funny number, because researchers speculate that the more they look for polymers in stomachs, the more they will find.  TheSave The Bag Coalition will often say that they acknowledge that marine animals ingest plastic, but there exists no evidence that the plastic was the cause of the animal's death. In a particularly coarse and cold post entitled, Trick Photography they make this point. Environmentalists are often called 'bleeding hearts.' But even strategically, from the opposition's standpoint, is it really a good idea PR decision to defend the plastic bag by referencing a picture of a sea turtle with one sticking out of it's mouth? I would love to hear see if the person who wrote this had the guts to stand in front of a room full of fourth graders. I sure as hell wouldn't.  Well, the above picture is the stomach contents of a juvenile sea turtle accidentally caught off the coast of Argentina.  All types of plastic are present, including HDPE, the stuff most plastic bags are made of. Determining death, or eventual death of an animal based on a necropsy (autopsy for animals) is notoriously difficult in some cases. What's at issue is that industry takes advantage of the 'unknowns' to make the assertion that their products don't cause morbidity of animals. Scientists don't have the absolutely know what causes an animal's death unless it lives and dies in a controlled environment where the vectors that effect its health can be controlled and monitored.  And don't look for the American Chemistry Council to fund a study that feeds captive sea turtles a steady diet of plastic to sea if their products kill. No, they're busy working on important studies that try to convince you that a reusable bag is dangerous instead. Here's a call out Save The Bag Coalition:  let's have your staff eat the exact weight in plastic that this turtle did.  And then let's talk about how you feel. Federally, we as nation care about sea turtles: they are protected under endangered species law.  BUT Does Plastic Kill? How long would a turtle have survived with this much plastic garbage in his guts?  Well, we know that many types of plastic can't be passed by turtle and that it wreaks havoc on their digestive systems. We also know that carrying around a stomach full of plastic is going to slow him down and change his natural buoyancy. Sharper plastics, such as the pieces 5 Gyres finds photo-degraded in the gyres, cause gut impaction and the potential for stomach wall and intestinal perforation-- I know the dangers personally, my dog, Porkchop, ate a squeaker from a dog toy he got ahold of that perforated his intestine.  Without surgery it would have killed him. In the wild, everything about an animal's health and agility matters in determining her survival quotient.  Unlike humans, turtles don't have the option of wheelchairs, air conditioning, and money to help augment their survivability. Every time a turtle eats plastic, her chances for survival diminish, because plastic inside the bodies creates a disadvantage for the animal in her ranking amongst 'the survival of the fittest'. One thing we know for certain is this: turtles can't digest plastic. In December, a study was published in Science Of The Total Environment that looked at something interesting:  the researchers looked to see if the digestive juices of turtles could make plastic bags decay. Three common types of shopping bags were subjected to the gastrointestinal fluids (GIF) of Green and Loggerheads turtles.  One of the bags tested was a 'biodegradable plastic bag.' For 49 days the plastic marinated in the GIF and surprise, surprise, the degradation of standard poly bags was negligible. The biodegradable bag showed between three and nine percent degradation.  The 49 day number is important-- this is the timeframe that biobag manufacturer stated was the time it takes a biobag to fully decompose in an industrial compost facility. From the study's abstract concerning degradation : This was a much slower rate than reported by the manufacturers in an industrial composting situation (100% in 49 days). The GIF of the herbivorous Green turtle showed an increased capacity to break down the biodegradable polymer relative to the carnivorous Loggerhead, but at a much lower rate than digestion of natural vegetative matter. While the breakdown rate of biodegradable polymers in the intestinal fluids of sea turtles is greater than standard and degradable plastics, it is proposed that this is not rapid enough to prevent morbidity. Further study is recommended to investigate the speed at which biodegradable polymers decompose outside of industrial composting situations, and their durability in marine and freshwater systems.So, are biobags better? Three to nine percent better it appears, but like the recycling rates of plastic bags in general, not enough to make a difference worth talking about.  If you're concerned about plastics in the ocean killing sea turtles, here's something that will help: reduce your plastic footprint. Believe it or not, you do matter.  ]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:20:20 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/02/02/are_bio_plastics_better_for_marine_animals_ask_a_dead_sea_turtle Hittin' the Bottle http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/29/hittin_the_bottle Click HERE to see a human reenactment of a plastic bottle traveling from your city street to the ocean.  It was really gross.  What you can't see in the video is the 3ft. Asian Carp dead in the water behind my head.]]> Marcus Eriksen Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:39:50 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/29/hittin_the_bottle LA Times, "A Paradise Lost to Plastic" http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/28/la_times_a_paradise_lost_to_plastic   This is from the cover of today's LA Times, a report on a once idyllic stretch of white sand beaches along the southern Yucatan Peninsula that has now become an eyesore of plastic garbage - from bottles to shampoo containers to untold millions of fragments.We've certainly seen this in other areas one might call paradise were it not for the unwelcome plastic waste - Hawaii, Bermuda, the Azores, Mauritius, Easter Island, and we've been hearing horrific reports on Bali, a place we're planning to target for a "hot spot cleanup" in 2013. As long as we use a material that has no value at the end of its life cycle - no redemption value - we will continue to see this on beaches and islands far from development. And no amount of education will prevent 7 billion people from accidentally or intentionally littering, especially in places where economic survival is a more pressing issue. The solutions here must come in the form of better policies for dealing with waste, like Extended Producer Responsibility - requiring producers to deal with waste from their products instead of placing the burden on everyday people. Or smarter design - designing products to be recycled, and by this we mean truly recycled. Not partially downcycled, or simply exported overseas. Or better redemption programs - like bottle bills that encourage people to cash in on waste, and result in huge increases in recycling rates. This is where we're going to be focusing more of our efforts with 5 Gyres - promoting real solutions to plastic pollution. We've seen enough to know that this problem can't be solved at sea, and that reusable bags alone aren't enough. We need your help here! Become a member, join our efforts, and learn how you can be a part of the solution. ]]> Anna Cummins Sat, 28 Jan 2012 07:56:36 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/28/la_times_a_paradise_lost_to_plastic THE HUMAN ELEMENT: PLASTICS IN THE OCEAN = PLASTICS IN YOU. http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/25/the_human_element_plastics_in_the_ocean__plastics_in_you More and more, the issue of oceanic plastic pollution is becoming a mainstream concern and the creative around the issue is becoming more and more audacious. Some of the most provocative PSAs are being produced by The Surfrider Foundation in Australia.  Check these ads out, and please tell us what you think about them in the comments below or on our facebook fan page.  Too shocking? Awesome? Should there be more information on what you can do help the problem?  How does this make you feel?  ]]> Stiv Wilson Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:39:13 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/25/the_human_element_plastics_in_the_ocean__plastics_in_you DOLPHINS + PLASTIC BAGS = I'M GONNA CRY. http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/20/dolphins__plastic_bags__im_gonna_cry I colleague sent this video to me the other day, after listening to Stephen Joseph, attorney for Save The Plastic Bags, said that plastic bags aren't a problem in the ocean.  Well, we tend to disagree.  If you've ever needed some motivation to start your ban the bag campaign, check the video below. You'll get the kick in the butt you need. Warning, might want to grab some Kleenex. ]]> Stiv Wilson Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:33:13 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/20/dolphins__plastic_bags__im_gonna_cry EARTH UNIVERSITY: CLOSED LOOP BANANA BAG TO BANANA PACKAGING http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/19/earth_university_closed_loop_banana_bag_to_banana_packaging At Earth University in Costa Rica, the 5 Gyres Institute spoke to the freshman class about plastic pollution.   We were almost late for our lecture having to wait for thousands of bananas to roll through campus along a unique rail system that blocks roads temporarily.  University president, Dr. Jose Zaglul, gave us a tour of the banana plantation that doubles as an agriculture classroom, employment for willing students, and fundraising for the school.  

5 Gyres and blue plastic banannas from 5 Gyres on Vimeo.

"We try to do things in a different way that improves the agriculture industry," he explained.  Instead of traditional pesticides, they use a blend of chiles and garlic to ward off insects.  They still use blue plastic bags to cover the banana bunches, but unlike other plantations, they collect them and melt them to form pallets for packaging.  Then remelt them again to make new pallets when they are worn."This whole river here was full of plastic," Dr. Zaglul explained.  When the university started 23 years ago he made it his mission to clean up the river, and the plantation to clean up its act.  "These plastic bags wind up in the ocean where they are ingested by turtles.  They find plastic in their intestinal tract," he said, adding, "And we found a better way."  Earth University is an example of zero waste, while at the same time having a successful business.  This is EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY at work.  They have since built a strong relationship with Whole Foods Inc.  So when you go to your local Whole Foods grocer and see "Earth University" label on bananas, you'll know you're supporting the right thing.]]> Marcus Eriksen Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:58:23 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/19/earth_university_closed_loop_banana_bag_to_banana_packaging BRING YOUR BAG: OR PORTLANDIA WILL MAKE FUN OF YOU. http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/18/bring_your_bag_or_portlandia_will_make_fun_of_you Stiv Wilson Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:40:51 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/18/bring_your_bag_or_portlandia_will_make_fun_of_you HAVE A TRAWL? WE'LL TRAVEL: ANDREW FISH HEADS TO SEA http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/17/have_a_trawl_well_travel_andrew_fish_heads_to_sea One of the best parts of working for 5 Gyres is that I meet inspiring people everyday, all interested in being the change they want to see in the world.  Andrew Fish is no exception.  And ultimately, he's a a kindred spirit.  Like me, Andrew's interest in solving the plastic pollution problem came from being a surfer and his daily interactions with mother ocean alerted him to the marine eco-disaster that is plastic pollution.  Andrew, 25, quit his first 'real job' to take a 5 Gyres trawl across the Atlantic ocean on his cousin's 42 foot sailboat, Distant Shores. What's funny is that Andrew didn't actually 'quit' his real job, but rather gained some sponsorship from them. That company is called, Preserve.  Preserve is one of the great success stories in the resource recovery/recycling field. Like most social entrepreneurs, Preserve's founder, Eric Hudson, started his company from a desire to build a market based solution from an existing environmental problem.  Most plastics are hard to recycle--- it just doesn't make sense financially, and often, the recycled product doesn't come from 100% post consumer feedstock. Preserve is different.  Hudson wanted to look at products that people don't recycle so much--- toothbrushes, colanders, razor handles. By tirelessly working on his design process, Hudson is able to make these products out of existing waste, and then remake them out of them again, and again. I use a Preserve toothbrush which comes with a mailable envelope to send it back to the company when it's seen its last tooth. Pretty cool idea.But back to Andrew. Working at Preserve and being involved with Surfrider Foundation's Massachusetts Chapter, Andrew became increasingly interested in the plastic issue and when the opportunity presented itself to hop aboard his cousin's ship, he leaped.  Andrew will set sail from The Canaries to The Caribbean soon. At 5G HQ we love the inspiration. We need data. We need data, data, data if we as a global community addicted to plastics is going to really understand how much plastic is out there and the rate by which the 'garbage patches' are growing.  With our travel trawl program, we're making this possible with citizen scientists.  Andrew has been trained on the basic protocol for sample collection that will be analyzed by professionals, after the voyage.  This brings the cost of data collection down incredibly, which translates into creating more data.  Thanks Andrew, we're stoked.  Fair Winds and Following Seas. Keep up with Andrew's voyage on the 5G blog, and check out his site, here.Shout out to Preserve and Mass Surfrider for helping Andrew's voyage! ]]> Stiv Wilson Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:51:36 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/17/have_a_trawl_well_travel_andrew_fish_heads_to_sea Smart Paper Straws: the ethical alternative http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/12/smart_paper_straws_the_ethical_alternative_ Here's a smart business alternative to the plastic straw.  If you know that plastic pollution is a problem, and you insist on giving your customers a straw, then this is the ethical alternative.  If you use this, then you will not only save marine life the suffering that comes from persistent plastic waste, but you save your body from accumulating plasticizers that leech from new plastics.  Visit Aardvark Straws to get a box or two.  Give them away, one at a time, to every fast food restaurant in your community.  Give them to your local school and insist that kids don't put plastic straws in their mouths.  Give them to your city council members and urge them to have vendors in public places use paper straws.  It's simply the right thing to do.]]> Marcus Eriksen Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:10:58 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/12/smart_paper_straws_the_ethical_alternative_ CRY FOR ME, ARGENTINA: PLASTIC BAGS BLOW IN PATAGONIA http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/06/cry_for_me_argentina_plastic_bags_blow_in_patagonia Lightweight plastics such as plastic bags, films and wraps are commonly referred to by recyclers and waster management professionals as 'blow trash'.  Blow trash is amongst the worst offenders with regard to plastic pollution because thin, flimsy plastic like High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) which plastic bags are made from, have the uncanny ability to do what no other bag can do: fly.  This is a huge problem in Argentina, even though bag policies have been enacted in several cities and provinces, enforcement isn't happening. Plastic bag policies have been in effect for 4 years in the province of Buenos Aires, but it's still common for grocery stores to hand out plastic bags without interference from law enforcement and policymakers.  This is especially disturbing in the southern region of Patagonia, a place known as 'the land of the living wind' where prevailing westerly winds blow from Andean peaks, down across the steppe, and out to the Atlantic. When open air landfills and wind mix, it's easy to see the alpha of the marine plastic pollution omega.  It's a conveyor built of pollution. This problem isn't relegated to Argentina however, it exists everywhere-- I've sat on a beach in Uruguay watching plastic bags flutter in the breeze above bathers in the ocean, I've walked on a street in Cape Town, South Africa, witnessing the mighty wind known locally as 'The Doctor' carrying plastic bags to sea. Often, industry says, 'plastic bags aren't the problem, littering is the problem.'  Well, here's a case in point that proves that that isn't entirely accurate. Countless bags, films, and wraps from open air landfills take flight and enter the ocean even after 'proper disposable.'  Below is a panorama of an open air landfill near the Andes Mountains, adjacent to the sea affected by Patagonian winds. This proclivity for HDPE to blow in the wind is often the reason cited by municipalities in curbside recycling streams to disallow plastic bags (well that, and the market for recycled HDPE for recycling is terrible).What continually astonishes me, when I look at images of pollution in desolate lands like the one below, is this:  "When and How did this become okay?" 

]]> Stiv Wilson Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:09:32 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/06/cry_for_me_argentina_plastic_bags_blow_in_patagonia GAGGED: BAG BANS--TOP 25 CENSORED STORIES OF 2011 http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/03/gagged_bag_banstop_25_censored_stories_of_2011 (Me, Gagged By A Plastic Bag)I just received a a google alert about plastic bags and was interested to learn that one of the top 25 censored stories by the media in 2011 is about bag ban stories being suppressed. No surprise here, really--- day after day we battle misinformation spread by the industry and the media about plastic pollution, bags bans, and the efficacy of recycling. Industry is big, mean and private, and they have the money to spend on PR to get the media's attention-- what's disheartening is that the media so often just repeats what they say, without looking into the veracity of the claim made. Did you know, for example,  that over 25% of the world has now taken action to stop plastic bag pollution in less than six years?  It's interesting that this story is so controversial, but when you're dealing with an industry that makes a lot of money selling pollution, surprise, surprise.  And they insult our intelligence by making claims, citing sources that when one actually looks at the source itself, you often find the opposite of the claim.  Remember the whole reusable bag bacteria issue where industry claimed that reusable bags were dangerous? Well, if you read the report itself, you find that bacteria is present, but not the types that are dangerous to human health.  And another-- a recent Hilex Poly blog post claimed that recycling trends for plastic bags are going up. When you actually click through to the EPA report Hilex cites, you find that plastic bag recycling is actually going down, not up. It's unbelievable.  It's no surprise to see the media perpetuating the misinformation. Who has time to read a 50+ page EPA report to see if the data stated is actually supported?  As a journalist turned activist, it amazes me that so many journalists just don't track down primary sources anymore and even more, that their editors don't require them too.  This is how it happens:  Press Release comes in off of PR News Service---Associated Press Person takes Press Release and rewrites it in the form of a news story---- puts story out on AP wire---story gets aggregated all over the place----people think it's true because the same information exists on the sites of multiple news agencies. VOILA!  That's the propaganda machine at work, even though the actual source of the propaganda is a cut and paste from an industry press release.  Such was the case with this story on GreenBiz.com which took twenty hours of primary source research to dismantle in the rebuttal piece I wrote for Greenbiz, here (which, incidentally, is a really good primer for talking points around the issue). My experience here illustrates the problem well.  I know the founder of GreenBiz, a guy named Peter May, who I once did a webinar on digital media with ages ago. Pete's a really good guy, who developed a really good news site that I typically trust.  But when, as Bono says in the song, Sunday, Bloody Sunday, "When fact is fiction and TV, reality," what's a citizen to do? Hell, what's the owner of media company to do? The answer resides with me.  The answer resides with you. The only solution to this problem requires that citizen and stakeholder participation in the information delivery process goes way the heck up. If you're not outraged, you're not reading the facts about plastic from primary sources.  So read. Get Educated. Host a community forum. Back up your facts. Speak out. WE THE PEOPLE, the movement to stop plastic pollution, are the only vehicle to solution, which means, if YOU and I don't stand up, make the truth heard, who the heck will? ]]> Stiv Wilson Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:17:02 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/03/gagged_bag_banstop_25_censored_stories_of_2011 A CONVENIENT MISCONCEPTION: INDUSTRY TACTICS FOR MISINFORMATION http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/03/a_convenient_misconception_industry_tactics_for_misinformation The idea of a single, Texas-size garbage patch is the myth of media sensationalism.  It's lead to grandiose images of islands of trash, and enlivened the entrepreneurial spirit, like this post-consumer technofix.  And the plastics industry continues to use this myth to portray a lack of knowledge or consensus among scientists, when scientists had nothing to do with the media portrayal.   We know there are five subtropical gyres.  We know that they accumulate plastic.  And we know that legislation is one of several solutions we must use if we are to be honest about solutions.  But the plastic industry does not agree.  See Mark Gunther's misleading article in Green Biz titled "In Defense of the Plastic Bag".  If you read the book "Honest Broker" Roger Pielke labels the dishonesty that comes with this kind of science-twisting as "Issue Advocacy". Issue Advocates use many tactics to slow the pace of change. They will introduce confusing information or manufacture data to lead policymakers to delay legislation.  They will use catch phrases like "change kills jobs" or "change raises taxes" regardless of accuracy.  If we are to be honest brokers we must be pragmatic in light of all solutions, even the inconvenient ones.  And when the issue advocates lobby against good will, then we must respond.Please read the response by Stiv Wilson in Green Biz titled "In Defense of the Plastic Bag Ban."]]> Marcus Eriksen Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:00:31 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2012/01/03/a_convenient_misconception_industry_tactics_for_misinformation Ambassador Profile: Jess Cramp saving sharks in the Cooks http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/23/ambassador_profile_jess_cramp_saving_sharks_in_the_cooks One of the best parts of our expeditions are the people that join us on board, from all walks of life – artists, scientists, musicians, surfers, journalists, filmmakers, and the occasional bag pipe player from Scotland. We invite people to see plastic marine pollution first hand, working side by side with us to collect data, and document the issue, so that they will take the experiences back to their communities. And continue kicking plASStic in their respective ways. So it’s a joy to hear what people are up to back on land, a variety of projects that reflect the diversity of talents we’ve met, and we’ll be sharing these updates in the coming months. Starting with Jess Cramp, currently working on what could be the world’s largest Shark Sanctuary, in the Cook Islands. Jess is a rare breed – a competitive surfer and global activist with sun kissed charm and an infectious laugh, she is also a trained scientist, a licensed pilot, and an acrobat. After sailing across the South Pacific Gyre with us this past Spring, Jess headed onto the Cook Islands, looking to see where she could bring her unique combination of skills to a local project in need of support. She soon found the Pacific Island Conservation Initiative, a small, grassroots organization working to engage the local community in science-based conservation and species/habitat protection. Jess quickly became an integral player, and immediately set to work organizing a series of “rubbish roundups” that served two functions: helping remove mounds of waste from the island’s sensitive shorelines, and engaging the local community in learning more about PICI. “This is one of the biggest things we do”, Jess explained via skype, “become a part of the community, rather than trying to make changes as outsiders, which rarely works. It takes time for people to get to know you, and trust you. This is why I wanted to live in the community, and commit from the outset to staying at least 6 months.” Working on a shoestring, and slowly building local momentum for PICI's projects, Jess’s commitment and sacrifices are starting to pay off. PICI’s bigger goal of creating a Shark Sanctuary in the Cook Islands is gaining momentum, and media attention. Hopefully, these will attract much needed funds towards the effort, and sustain Jess’s work long enough to see this landmark initiative through. If successful, the Cook Island Shark Sanctuary will be the biggest of its kind, providing key habitat to numerous shark species, critically endangered around the world by habitat loss and unsustainable fishing practices, most notably the gruesome practice of shark finning.  The work ahead for Jess and PICI is challenging, to say the least, and will need support. You can help by spreading the word: if you know a journalist, donor, or NGO that can get involved, put them in touch with PICI, like them on Facebook, repost this, and stay informed. We’re tremendously inspired by Jess’s work, and will keeping close tabs on the future of PICI and the  Sanctuary. Thank you Jess! We're all rooting for you. (Especially the sharks.)]]> Anna Cummins Fri, 23 Dec 2011 07:58:27 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/23/ambassador_profile_jess_cramp_saving_sharks_in_the_cooks Northern Fulmars still eating plastic in the North Sea http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/22/northern_fulmars_still_eating_plastic_in_the_north_sea You open the stomach of a Northern Fulmar and plastic pours out.  It's not a new sight to Jan Andries van Franeker.  He  published the first evidence of plastic consumption by Northern Fulmars more than a decade ago.  When you meet him you're struck with his matter-of-fact tone about this issue, but after an our of conversation you learn that he's deeply concerned about the plight of plastic in seabirds.  His goal is to bring this awareness to everyone, from the European Parliament to elementary school children.  And that's why we were with him in Amsterdam recently.We were invited by the Plastic Soup Foundation to lecture about our recent findings of plastic in the Southern Hemisphere. We took a break one morning to watch Franeker at a local school to show children what he finds in Fulmars.  He guided students through the dissection.  "Ewwww" was followed by "Ohhhh" as students discovered that a seemingly healthy bird had died with a gut full of plastic pellets, odd bits of multi-colored fragments, and a piece of candy wrapping.   This firsthand experience will stay with these children for the rest of their lives, and hopefully move them to change how they see plastic used in the world.]]> Marcus Eriksen Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:26:04 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/22/northern_fulmars_still_eating_plastic_in_the_north_sea Thames Tells of Trashy Times http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/19/thames_tells_of_trashy_times

From Westminster Hall we walked along the bank of the Thames River in low-tide to look for artifacts from centuries ago. This is a side-adventure from our real purpose: to meet with Greener Upon Thames to discuss how to keep plastic bags from tarnishing the Olympics.  London want’s to put it’s best foot forward, but single-use plastic bags are a step back.   5 Gyres staff, joined Greener Upon Thames, and our dear friend Roz Savage, to meet MP Zac Goldsmith in Westminster Hall to discuss the reality of plastic pollution in the North Atlantic Gyre and beyond.  Zac is a hero for sustainability in England and was eager to know more about the science of the issue. 

 

Once it was over we walked under Big Ben, over the bridge and along the Thames toward the Tate Modern.  We’ve been here before, invited by the Society of Thames Mudlarks to walk the muddy bank to find and keep broken artifacts.  This time we were on our own.

 

We found glass, bricks, piece from a slate roof, a brass nail from a boot heel, and long ceramic tubes buried in the hard sediment.  What a different assortment of refuse from the years before plastic.  The nail and other scraps of metal are relics slowly oxidizing into oblivion.  Anything organic from the past, like potato peels, paper books and anything wooden is long gone, reabsorbed into other life.  And the bits of glass and ceramic tubes are inert, that is they are as harmless as the sand and silica that created them. 

 

High on the bank of the river today, below the streets and walkways, we see petroleum-based plastic.  Bags, bottles, spoons and straws, a large assortment of typical single-use throw away plastic products litter the landscape.  Plastic is neither inert, biodegradable, or will oxidize away.  We know the river will take it to the North Atlantic Ocean where we’ve found it swirling in the Sargasso Sea, absorbing persistent organic toxins, and breaking down to the size of fish food.  Greener Upon Thames has a great solution, and it starts with the Olympics rejecting plastic bags.  It's simply the right thing to do, like not putting lead in paint, or putting seatbelts in cars.  You just don't make things designed to be thrown away out of materials that last forever. 

 

And those little ceramic tubes, they are the long slender pipes used for smoking tobacco centuries ago. 

 

 

]]> Marcus Eriksen Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:14:41 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/19/thames_tells_of_trashy_times THIS IS WHAT CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY LOOKS LIKE: prAna we heart you. http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/19/this_is_what_corporate_social_responsibility_looks_like_prana_we_heart_you (pictured here, a prAna garment NOT wrapped in plastic)Last week I had a chance to catch up with Nicole Bassett who I've been trying to catch up with for over a year. When talking about 5 Gyres mission to foment change towards a zero waste world with our corporate partners, I would hear Nicole's name dropped over and over again by colleagues--- "You have GOT to meet Nicole," they'd say. Well, we finally chatted, and sure enough, it was enviro dork power in session. 5 Gyres has been working hard in the realm of researching the world's plastic pollution problems in the ocean, educating the global citizen on solutions to the problem, and grassroots organizing around policies to curb the use of single-use plastics.  But now, we're working to learn how to scale CSR (corporate social responsibility) practices that reduce or eliminate unnecessary plastics from our partners supply chains.  Nicole's work is inspiring and she's a great case study for change. I think people often feel overwhelmed and worried, thinking, 'what can I, by myself, do.'  Well, here's a start--  Be like Nicole. Be a person who gets interested in learning how to solve a problem with patience and grace, and start speaking up. At first, Nicole thought the task of eliminating the significant amount of prAna's plastic footprint would be difficult.  But she rose to the challenge.What's at issue, which few people realize, is that every piece of apparel you see on hangers in your favorite outdoor store or department store comes from its manufacturing country individually wrapped in poly bags. And with recycling rates for poly films so low it's laughable, the best course of action is to eliminate them in the first place. It's ironic, even--- Yep, your recycled PET fleece comes wrapped in virgin plastic. prAna, who is known to be an exceptionally conscious company with regard to the environment listend to Nicole's recommendations and guess what? By implementing her concepts, prAna saved money and cut out an INCREDIBLE amount of plastic. Check the video below about how Nicole's work culminated in prAna's success story.  Good job Nicole, and fine work prAna. We love you both over here at 5 Gyres HQ. 

A Poly Bag Tale from Prana Living on Vimeo.

Thanks Nicole.  You rule.  

]]> Stiv Wilson Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:54:43 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/19/this_is_what_corporate_social_responsibility_looks_like_prana_we_heart_you 5 Gyres at Westminster to chat Plastic Free Olympics http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/19/5_gyres_at_westminster_to_chat_plastic_free_olympics 5 Gyres has had a chance to meet with many a Council Member, Mayor, state legislator, and even a few National/International politicians to talk bag bans and plastic pollution strategies. But for a couple of North Americans, getting to meet last week with a British Member of Parliament at Westminster Hall was pretty thrilling. We were invited by Roz Savage and Greener Upon Thames, a London-based NGO working to rid the city of plastic bags. We met at a little café across the street from Westminster Hall, to chat before heading over to meet with Zac Goldsmith, a Member of the British Parliament with a strong environmental ethic. On the agenda was discussing a campaign launched by Greener Upon Thames to get the coming 2012 London Olympics to go plastic bag free. Zac was particularly interested in hearing the latest science on the issue – hard facts to confront the inevitable naysayers. We presented him with a sample of the North Atlantic Gyre, and gave him a brief plastic marine pollution overview. We then launched into a conversation of how to mobilize the public and the media, to spark the campaign. The Olympics would be a phenomenal platform for raising awareness. For a few weeks, the eyes of the world will be fixed on London for reasons other than the Euro. It’s a chance to make a huge statement about our disposable cultures and irresponsible consumerism – consumerism which exploits many of the countries represented in ways more devastating than plastic pollution. Zac agreed. The trick is getting this to be a priority issue for the other MPs. What he can do immediately as an MP is draft an Early Day Motion, and facilitate a debate at Westminster Hall. As they are everywhere, bag bans are a game of political chess, mounting the economic arguments to sway industry friendly/fearful legislators, and mobilizing enough public support. Never an easy task, but we’ve had some successes lately that restore our confidence in the power of the grassroots. How can you help? To begin with, sign the petition. Pass it on. Post it on your FB, send it to your friends, send it overseas, and ask others to do the same. We will keep you updated as the campaign progresses. ]]> Anna Cummins Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:57:39 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/19/5_gyres_at_westminster_to_chat_plastic_free_olympics Our next expedition explained in National Geographic. http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/15/our_next_expedition_explained_in_national_geographic How much debris is left from the Japanese tsunami after a year at sea?How big is the debris field and where is it going?What are the rates of colonization by marine life on debris at sea?The March 11, 2011 Japanese tsunami is a tragedy that offers an opportunity to learn some lessons about the nature of man-made waste in the oceans.  This great article in National Geographic explains why the 5 Gyres Institute is heading out to sea this summer to find the debris field.  Are you eager to come on board?  Email us at info@5gyres.org.]]> Marcus Eriksen Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:45:18 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/15/our_next_expedition_explained_in_national_geographic VICTORY IN THE GRAND CANYON! WELL, MAYBE http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/15/victory_in_the_grand_canyon_well_maybe After an article surfaced in the New York Times concerning Coca-Cola's meddling into National Park Policy regarding the ban of single-use plastic water bottles in Grand Canyon National Park, 5 Gyres started a petition on Change.org to urge Jon Jarvis, National Park Director, to not cow to corporate interests.  What's at issue is that Coke is a large donor to The National Park surface, and when the NYT piece came out, both Coke and The National Park vigorously denied that Coke's opposition had anything to do with Jarvis's top down suspension of soon to be implemented water bottle ban in the park. Through Freedom of Information Act requests, activists obtained emails between Coke and Director Jarvis which clearly showed that Jarvis was indeed influenced by Coke.  The petition received 100,000 signatures and through our advocacy efforts working virally in the digital medium, we effectively forced Jarvis's hand and he circulated a memo to his park superintendents yesterday (12/14/11) allowing superintendents to allow bottle bans.  But there's a catch--  Below is a cut from the policy that Jarvis sent concerning bottle bans to his superintendents. You can read the full text here:The proof is in the policy as they say, and if these new regulations prove to be too onerous or cost prohibitive for parks to act, then what we're really witnessing is a bait and switch.  Time will tell. ]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:03:13 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/15/victory_in_the_grand_canyon_well_maybe 5 Gyres special Bag It Screening on Sunday! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/14/5_gyres_special_bag_it_screening_on_sunday For anyone who hasn't yet seen Bag it, this is your chance! This coming Sunday, at 8:30 pm, 5 Gyres will host an online screening of the film with Constellation TV. How it works: you sign up for the screening here, purchase your tickets, and watch the film. Immediately following, we will hold a live q+a, to answer questions about plastic pollution, and share our experiences from the field.To whet your appetite, watch there trailer here. Bag it has been sweeping the nation, bringing a touch of humor and a personal story to the plastics issue. It promises to inspire, and will change the way you look at this issue - forever!]]> Anna Cummins Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:39:37 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/14/5_gyres_special_bag_it_screening_on_sunday 5 Gyres in the Netherlands - Part 1 http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/10/5_gyres_in_the_netherlands__part_1 How do you blast an issue like plastic pollution out across an entire country in just 3 short days? Ask the Plastic Soup Foundation (PSF), an Amsterdam based NGO fired up with making all of the Netherlands aware of plastic pollution – or “plastic soup” - in less than a week. First, it takes a bit of a hell raiser at the helm. Which is precisely what the Plastic Soup Foundation has in Maria Westerbos – a determined, fiery woman who wont take no for an answer, will go head to head with the industry, and will shake the press by the shoulders until they pay attention – all with a disarming laugh and a sparkle in her eyes. With her active board and a cadre of enthusiastic volunteers, they form Holland’s explosive new initiative to solve plastic pollution. Maria invited Marcus, Charles Moore and me out to Amsterdam for the "Plastic Soep 3 Daagse", an intensive three days of presentations, university visits, press conferences, meetings with politicians, and strategic problem solving with young innovators, all culminating in a lively flash mob in the main square. The 3-day plastic pollution marathon kicked off with Marcus and Charlie giving a keynote address at the 11th annual Sustainability Congress to an audience of 700 entrepreneurs, sustainability professionals, and even a few plastics industry reps. Marcus’s address included the first public announcement of our South Pacific Gyre data – the first global evidence of a clearly defined garbage patch between Chile and Easter Island. Stand by for publication of this paper in early 2012. The address seemed to hit home – one of the plastics industry reps approached Maria after the talk and told her he was “ashamed” of the damage his business had done, and wanted to get involved in solutions. Next, a press conference with local media – Charlie, Marcus and I joined by Hans Van Weenan, PSF’s chief scientist, and a representative from the North Sea Foundation, who performed an amazing demo on microplastics - stand by, demo to come soon!We then headed to meet with the European Foundation on Social Quaility, a fascinating think tank working to define social quality indicators in Europe and overseas. They are currently working closely on the next UN Sustainable Development Conference - the Rio + 20 summit, and  interested in following up on our plastics work overseas. Day 2 began with an early morning visit to a local school with Jan Van Franeker,  a world-renowned expert on seabirds, and one of the early pioneers of the plastics issue. Jan’s research on plastic ingestion by Fulmars dates back to the 70s, long before plastics were even a blip on the public radar. He brought 5 fresh Fulmar carcasses to the schoolroom, to dissect on the spot for an audience of riveted elementary school students. Sure enough – every single carcass contained plastic particles – film and fragments. This was a demo these students will likely never forget. We then split up in teams for an afternoon university tour – Marcus to Wageningen, Charlie to Delft, and me to Leeuwarden, accompanied by our new Dutch friends. The three of us had a chance to address separate groups of remarkably engaged students - several of whom have already inquired about joining us on our next expedition. Day 3: our visit to The Hague, a chance to meet with some of Holland’s respected politicians, and a member of the European Parliament. But not before doing a bit of plastics fishing in the ponds immediately outside the grounds. We brought our catch into the press conference to drive home the point that plastic waste is ubiquitous, entering our oceans from a million different waterways, streams, sewers – every city contributes to the plastic soup. Though most of the proceedings were in Dutch, bits were translated and the issue is universal enough for us to get the basics. Some politicians expressed the same hesitance to confront industry that we see in the states, preferring to put the responsibility back on consumer to make better choices. Others, fortunately including one of the European Members of Parliament, a strong ally to the Plastic Soup Foundation, understand the importance of taking preventative action. We presented him with a gyre sample from the North Atlantic, and will follow up on engaging the European fishing community in bringing our trawls on board to conduct citizen science plastics research. I’m missing numerous other highlights here – building a plastic bottle boat with kids, meeting with the director of a Big Picture School, Charlie’s book signings, and a final flash mob in the main square – but you get the gist. Holland is fired up on plastics, and this was just the beginning.5 years ago, plastic pollution was barely a whisper on the public radar. And now, country by country, the issue is taking the world by storm, leaving bag bans, campaigns, and new initiatives in its wake. It’s an exciting time to be involved, and we’re proud to be on board.(All photos by Peter Smith)]]> Anna Cummins Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:34:10 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/10/5_gyres_in_the_netherlands__part_1 We're Back! Sorry! Here's 2012 At a Glimpse! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/07/were_back_sorry_heres_2012_at_a_glimpse Well, well.  Sorry to our loyal plastic pollution fighters!  We were in tech hell for a little while, working to get our website updated with all our projects for 2012.  But, stay tuned, as we'll be updating the site tirelessly from here on out.  What's coming?  Tools for activists for Bag Bans, interactive descriptions of our routes.  Scientific papers on our findings being published and much, much more.  Have you signed up for our Newsletter?  It's Launching next week! Sign up here! Here's a quick and dirty rundown of what we have happening in 2012. Boy o boy are we busy!Our major programs for 2012 are as follows:India Youth SummitJapanese Tsunami Debris ExpeditionGreat Lakes Expedition (that's the ship we're going to hitch a ride on!)Fall Bicycle Outreach Tour (The East Coast)Education and Curriculum ProgramsRight now, we're all busy working on grants and corporate sponsorships to support our truly innovating programs which operate at the intersection of science, outreach, education, and advocacy. As always, we'll be updating from our expeditions and will keep you posted on when you can see 5 Gyres folks, speaking the good word in your hometown.  And please consider helping our cause! Donate to 5 Gyres, and help us spread the word by suggesting to your friends to 'like' us on Facebook!  Stay tuned, we have a lot of exciting news to share on our blog in the coming months. Thanks from the 5 Gyres Team and Ambassadors-Marcus EriksenAnna CumminsStiv WilsonLeslie MoyerMichelle NakamuraMary OsborneCarolynn Box ]]> Stiv Wilson Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:13:33 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/12/07/were_back_sorry_heres_2012_at_a_glimpse 5 Gyres on the East Coast http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/10/13/5_gyres_on_the_east_coast_ Sometimes I take it for granted that most people have heard about plastic in the oceans, particularly in the famed “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”. But then again, I live in California, home to tons of media about bag bans, bag monsters, plastic bottle boats, and general awareness raising campaigns about the plastic plague. So when Sunnye Collins from the New England Aquarium invited me out to Boston to kick off their fall lecture series, I jumped at the chance. We met Sunnye last year over Ethiopian food in Cape Town, after sailing across the South Atlantic Gyre – one of our more tumultuous, nausea-inducing crossings. Seeing evidence of plastic in the overwhelming majority of our surface samples certainly didn’t help. Sunnye has long been a plastic crusader, with her own blog, and avidly followed our JUNKraft blog during her maiden voyage in 2008. Clearly the topic resonated in Boston. Had the chance to speak to a full house, including a group of high school students who lingered afterward to ask questions, wondering how to approach their local city councils on a bag ban, and asking if they might someday join us at sea. A link to the full lecture here. Then a quick hop over to DC, where Professor Chris Palmer invited me to his lecture series at American University. Anyone who meets Chris – most of the marine conservation world – is instantly touched by his boundless energy, radiating enthusiasm, and humor. Acclaimed author, filmmaker, speaker, and even a stand up comic, Chris is also the President of Macgillivray Freeman Film’s One World One Oceans campaign, an ambitious 5 year project to engage new audiences around the world in ocean conservation. Clearly some of this has rubbed off on his students as well, who gathered around after my talk to introduce themselves, offer their insight, and ask about seats on our next expedition. Several students shared that this was their first exposure to the issue. While I hate to be the bearer of bad news, it’s a great reminder of how important outreach can be. In the works for 5 Gyres is a bigger East Coast Solutions Tour, "The Last Straw", to bring our traveling exhibit to Aquariums and science centers from Maine to Florida. The exhibit includes 3 kiosks on plastic pollution made from doors we found at salvage yards in New Orleans – remnants from Hurricane Katrina. Our hope with this tour is to expose thousands of new East Coasters to the plastics issue, and leave people with realistic, every day solutions. Look out for more on this soon!]]> Anna Cummins Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:13:39 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/10/13/5_gyres_on_the_east_coast_ Bad Garbage for Bix http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/10/10/bad_garbage_for_bix 5 Gyres is here on the East Coast, doing a few presentations at the New England Aquarium in Boston, and American University in DC. More about these later. Meanwhile, I’m staying with my childhood pal Wendy in Takoma Park, and her adorable family. Her 4-year old Bix has been fascinated with “bad garbage” since day one. One of his first words was “Dump Truck”. Wendy and Codi used to spend hours walking through back alleys in West LA so Bix could peer into dumpsters, pointing out all the “bad garbage”. He’s for sure going into waste management someday… Whenever I come to DC, he wants to see the latest “bad garbage” I’ve collected in the “big oceans”. He loves looking at our gyre samples, asking about each bit of plastic and asking the brilliantly childlike question: “why do the people throw garbage into the ocean?” This morning, before I went out on a run along Sligo Creek, he asked if I’d bring him back some bad garbage. So I grabbed a bag on my way out, and kept an eye out for plastic offenders. Sligo Creek is a gorgeous, meandering stream, with trails on either side, a popular site for joggers, walkers and cyclists. Still, 4 miles in, my bag was filled to the brim. Which got me thinking. I’ve picked up the random plastic bag or water bottle on runs, but I’ve never made it a ritual part of my jogs, usually caught up in thinking about work and life. But today, a 4 year old’s request gave a bit more meaning to my run. There are millions upon millions of runners, walkers, and hikers across the US. Many of who already pick up a few on their wanderings. But what if we all brought a bag to collect bad garbage for Bix? ]]> Anna Cummins Mon, 10 Oct 2011 06:32:35 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/10/10/bad_garbage_for_bix 5 Gyres Announces 2012 Expedition Schedule, Wanna Come? http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/10/05/5_gyres_announces_2012_expedition_schedule_wanna_come

Below is the official announcement of our Japanese Tsunami Debris Field Study in Spring, 2012

Crew Seats Available on Research Voyage to Investigate

Plastic Pollution and Debris from 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Oct. 5, 2011—Scientists, educators and eco-adventurers are being offered the unprecedented opportunity to join a research expedition through the North Pacific Ocean littered with debris generated by the Japan tsunami of March 2011. Rarely is such a monumental amount of material—tens of thousands of tons including cars, entire homes and boats—simultaneously thrust into the sea from a single location.

The 5 Gyres Institute and the Algalita Marine Research Foundation (Algalita) have organized this expedition in collaboration with Pangaea Explorations to offer a 7,000-mile, high-seas voyage aboard the Sea Dragon sailing vessel from May 1 through July 1, 2012.

The expedition’s first leg will sail from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands through the area of the North Pacific Gyre commonly referred to as the “Western Garbage Patch” where little research has been conducted on plastic pollution.  The trip’s second leg will travel due east from Japan to Hawaii through the gyre, a vast vortex of ocean currents where plastic debris accumulates, to cross the “Japan Tsunami Debris Field.” Of great interest to the researchers is how fast the plastic trash is traveling across the gyre, how quickly or slowly it is decomposing, how rapidly marine life is colonizing on it, and whether it is transporting invasive species.

“We’ll be riding the same currents that are transporting cigarette lighters, bottle caps, children’s toys and all manner of other plastic pollution generated by the tsunami,” said expedition leader Marcus Eriksen, Executive Director and co-founder of the Los Angeles-based 5 Gyres Institute.

The 2012 voyage is open to anyone 18-years and older, regardless of sailing experience. Participants will travel with four professional crewmembers and will be expected to earn their sea legs and rough hands by hauling in lines and hoisting sails. They also will conduct research side-by-side with scientists, whether operating a trawl or collecting and cataloging plastic marine pollution and sea life. 

Nine crew seats are available at a cost of $13,500 each for Leg 1 and $15,500 each for Leg 2.  A portion of the fare is tax deductible and net proceeds will support Algalita and 5 Gyres’ cooperative research and educational outreach.    

This is the second eco-adventure conducted by Algalita. Its July 2011 voyage across the eastern North Pacific Gyre sold out.  5 Gyres has conducted 7 eco-adventures across the five subtropical gyres, including the first expeditions to the three southern hemisphere gyres.  Crewmembers included scientists, artists, journalists and environmentalists from around the world, such as Tim Silverwood of New South Wales.

"After first hearing of the devastating state of the North Pacific Gyre, I immediately had a desire to witness it for myself and tell the world about it,” Silverwood said. “Participating in leading scientific research with people from all over the world, all motivated to bring this issue to the mainstream, was incredible. The voyage has provided me so many opportunities to talk with media in the community and to schools about the issue and what we need to do to counter this problem." 

“Our vision is a global environment that is healthy, sustainable, and productive for all living creatures, free from plastic pollution,” says Algalita Executive Director, Marieta Francis.  â€œUnderstanding the impact of the Japan tsunami resultant debris will provide once-in-a-lifetime information to help us move closer to that vision.” 

Algalita and 5 Gyres, both nonprofit organizations, have been leaders in pioneering research and increasing global awareness of plastic marine pollution. Algalita’s founder, Captain Charles Moore, brought attention to the “Eastern Garbage Patch” in the North Pacific Gyre in 1999.  5 Gyres continues to monitor plastic marine pollution in the “garbage patches” found in all five subtropical gyres.  Most of the plastic debris studied has been adrift for years, much of it broken down by the sun’s rays and ocean currents into small plastic particles. 

For all participation requirements, sponsorship opportunities and to register, contact Jeanne Gallagher: (562) 598-4889; opsadmin@algalita.org.  

About 5 Gyres Institute: 5 Gyres Institute is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization committed to meaningful change through research, education and community action. 5 Gyres disseminates its findings through lectures, publications and traveling exhibits, and raises awareness about plastic marine pollution through sailing expeditions across the world’s oceans.  For information on upcoming expeditions and exhibitions around the globe: (323) 395-1843; info@5Gyres.org. 

About Algalita Marine Research Foundation: The Algalita Marine Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Long Beach, CA, is dedicated to the protection of the marine environment and its watersheds through research, education, and restoration. Algalita conducts research and collaborative studies on the distribution, abundance and fate of marine plastic pollution and the potential harmful effects of plastics in the marine environment, including transference of toxins and their impact on human health; provides authoritative, educational findings to scientists, the general public, governmental agencies, and the private sector; collaborates with organizations working toward restoring the aquatic environment and ultimately eliminating plastic pollution. More information: (562) 598-4889; www.algalita.org.

About Pangaea Explorations:  Pangaea Explorations offers adventure sailing to actively strengthen the health of marine life through exploration, conservation and education work. Our mission is to inspire and develop a new generation of leaders in conservation science, communication, education, art and policy leadership. More information: www.panexplore.com.

]]> Stiv Wilson Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:04:43 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/10/05/5_gyres_announces_2012_expedition_schedule_wanna_come ROZ SAVAGE: YOU RULE http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/10/04/roz_savage_you_rule_ The first person to row all around the world.  She's done the Atlantic, The Pacific, and now, today, she's completed her row across the Indian Ocean.  What an inspiration to us all.  What's easier than rowing all the way around the world?  Answer:  refusing single-use plastics.  That's right. Whenever I think about how difficult this problem is to solve, I think of people like Roz Savage, who went from a normal, material addicted office woman, to UN climate change hero, author, world rower and tireless ocean advocate.  Roz, I love you.  Thank you for being you and showing me and the world what resolve, grace, toughness, and passion for change really looks like. Congrats. ]]> Stiv Wilson Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:52:54 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/10/04/roz_savage_you_rule_ ADVENTURER, EDUCATOR, AND MY BOSS: THE INTREPID ANNA CUMMINS http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/27/adventurer_educator_and_my_boss_the_intrepid_anna_cummins Well, I'm tickled pink at seeing this profile on my friend, boss and mentor Anna Cummins in the latest issue of Women's Adventure (PS, if you click on the link you can get a free digital subscription to the mag and read the piece!). As a man in the ocean conservation movement I've always thought women are under-represented and deserve more shout-outs--- after all, we do refer to this big liquid thing as 'Mother Ocean'. What's crazy is that 9/10 people who contact us at 5G HQ asking the question, 'how can I help' tend to be women.  It's kind of bizarre, really---  or maybe it's not--- maybe it's because women all over the world see a strong, hyper-intelligent woman as a figurehead of our organization who is not only extremely dedicated, she gets sh$#%t done. As a co-founder of 5 Gyres she's got a long history of engagement--- she has been a tireless advocate for all things good in the world ever since she was old enough to speak up enough to speak out.  I first met Anna when she was doing work in The North Pacific Gyre and I sought her out to write for a magazine I was editing. I had been working on plastic issues a bit as a volunteer for The Surfrider Foundation, but my knowledge of the issue was limited.  Originally my inspiration to work on this veritable marine eco-disaster came from being a surfer and seeing my home-breaks being affected by plastic garbage.  But once I read Anna's story it set me on a path that would forever change the scope of my work and my passion for life, really.  I helped organize an event for her when she was passing through my hometown of Portland after a project she had completed with her husband, Marcus, called Junkraft.  When I met her in person, about a year later, it was like meeting a celebrity--- or let me rephrase that--- I don't giddy about seeing rockstars or actors, but true, badass eco-warriors like Anna????? Yeah--  I get really excited.  I point blank asked her, "How do I get on your boat? I can sail, I can cook, I can clean toilets."  She invited me right there.  I sailed with her about six months later.  And in the middle of The North Atlantic Garbage Patch, saddened by what I saw firsthand, but also inspired by the smart people I was with who were trying to make a difference, I quit my job and decided to work for her full time. Because she's that awesome. Cheers Ms. Cummins.  Congrats on the piece, you're an inspiration to me and many and I'm forever grateful to you for giving me a chance to be a part of something that has made my life one with true purpose and meaning.  ]]> Stiv Wilson Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:06:56 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/27/adventurer_educator_and_my_boss_the_intrepid_anna_cummins SURFING WITH SYNTHETICS IN SANTA MONICA. GO AHEAD AND STAB ME IN THE EYE. http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/26/surfing_with_synthetics_in_santa_monica_go_ahead_and_stab_me_in_the_eye (All photos courtesy of 5 Gyres friend and colleague, Benjamin Kay)Remember these photos the next time the plastic bag and film industry tells you that High Density Polyethylene isn't a big litter problem.  Pictured above is educator, surfer and advocate, Ben Kay, after a surf session at Bay Street in Santa Monica. Sitting in the ocean, this plastic garbage just floats by, and Ben cleans what he can, stuffing plastic bags and films into his wetsuit.When did we as a society say, 'ahhh, you know what? This isn't that big a deal. Seriously dude, let's worry about bigger things, not a little bit of garbage in the ocean.'  Breaks my heart!  As a communications guy for 5G, I like pictures like these (well, actually I hate them, but you get the point) because these images demonstrate the scale and the scope of plastic pollution in our world's oceans. This is all collected by ONE FREAKING GUY, just hanging out, NOT ON THE BEACH, but IN THE WATER, stuffing garbage down his wetsuit during a surf session. Think about all the crap that floated by without Ben seeing it. Do we need to start lobbying wetsuit manufacturers to build trash pockets into their suits?Think about it.  One guy bobbing in the ocean. And this much crap is present.  Again, how did this get to be okay? When did we say, 'No worries big business with a 124 million dollar annual lobby, keep making this stuff and we don't have a problem because you pledge to capture a whopping 1% of it in the waste stream, and also pledge to make donations to politicians so they protect your bottom line. No big deal that this is in our ocean--  plastic pollution is just a necessary evil, get over it, hippie.What's even worse?  This is the dry season in LA county--  the storm drains haven't even flushed yet. What is the ocean worth to you?  Time for a sea chance in environmental empathy. If you're not outraged, you're probably double bagging your Fiji Water in plastic bags. Yikes. Want to help us fight this problem, but don't have any cash to donate? Just like Electrolux Appliances on Facebook, and one click equals one euro in the bank for 5G. ]]> Stiv Wilson Mon, 26 Sep 2011 09:39:38 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/26/surfing_with_synthetics_in_santa_monica_go_ahead_and_stab_me_in_the_eye JAPANESE TSUNAMI DEBRIS FIELD EXPEDITION TBA http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/22/japanese_tsunami_debris_field_expedition_tba (Debris field computer model and image courtesy of International Pacific Research Center)The 5 Gyres Institute in partnership with Algalita Marine Research Foundation, The University of Hawaii, and The United Nations Safe Planet campaign will announce the 5 Gyres 2012 expedition schedule next week. As in previous expeditions, we'll be aboard Pangaea Exploration's flagship sailing vessel, Sea Dragon gathering plastic pollution data as well as data on chemical density in collected micro-fragments of plastic as well as ambient sea water.  Official details and full press release coming soon. Stay tuned.  ]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 22 Sep 2011 09:40:19 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/22/japanese_tsunami_debris_field_expedition_tba THE BAGMONSTER LOSES IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND MARIN AND, AND, AND--- http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/16/the_bagmonster_loses_in_south_carolina_and_marin_and_and_and Well, it's been a devastating week for The old BagMonster indeed.  Here's the deal:  Reusable bag maker and 5 Gyres friend, ChicoBag was sued by plastic bag recyclers, Hilex Poly, Super Bag, and Advance Poly for statistics ChicoBag had made on their website about plastic pollution.  The three bag manufacturers stated that ChicoBag's claims had did 'irreparable harm' to their respective brands for quoting information from the EPA and NOAA on their website ( I LOVE THIS-- THE EPA! NOAA!).  Sure, some of the data is a bit outdated, but the sentiment is still the same---  I mean c'mon, even if the recycling rate for plastic bags is 14% vs 12% as stated, does it really matter? Well, read on, and you'll see it's much lower than either of those percentages and we can thank the industry for blowing off their feet with a shotgun for that!  What started as a traditional ploy by big business to silence smaller business (especially one like ChicoBag which was founded precisely to address the plastic pollution problem) backfired, SERIOUSLY.  And this should ring as a word of caution to industry--  don't mess with a passionate, smart, and organized grassroots base just because we're undercapitalized compared to you.  The PR for the plastic bag industry was bad.  Like real bad by any metric you judge it.  In city hall testimonies all over the country, where lobbyists from industry were stating that their product wasn't a big deal, were countered by 100s of activists all around the country chanting, 'You're going to listen to these guys? They're suing a small reusable bag maker, trying to put them out of business.' Well, from personal experience with policymakers, this lawsuit made for a sour taste in the elected mouths.  Kind of hard to pretend like you're the good guys when you sue small companies with aggressive SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) suits. Yeah, backfired big time.  I'm sure some people over at Hilex, Advance and Super got canned this week for suggesting such a stupid move. They'll spin this loss too, but make no mistake, they got their A@##%$%%! kicked.  What resulted was a big win for ChicoBag and the Anti-Single Use Plastic Movement at large. Chico challenged the three plastic bag makers about their recycling rate statistic (12%). Well Super and Advance didn't like that so much, feeling the sharks circle, and dropped the suit. That left Hilex, pants down, having to admit that this statistic was fabricated---  it's a number based on the TOTAL amount of HDPE they recycle (including films and wraps) but not just bags. This means that the sum total of bag recycling is certainly much, much lower! Take that BagMonster. Ultimately, with the aid of 25,000 petition signatures asking Hilex to drop the suit, they in fact did. Or 'settled' as they will say.For all the money and PR spin that industry spent trying to hurt a little guy, they ended up shooting themselves in the foot with an RPG, and I think the preliminary ruling in Marin, California earlier this week by Judge Lynn Duryee sums up how industry spin efforts are going:As the county points out in its opposition, "In the pantheon of lost causes, defending the plastic grocery bag would seem to be right up there with supporting smoking on planes or the murder of puppies. The ubiquitous thin white bag has moved squarely beyond eyesore into the realm of public nuisance, a symbol of waste and excess and the incremental destruction of nature." In jurisdictions with a marine environment, such as Marin, plastic bags are especially damaging to the environment. Plastic bags have no recycling market. It takes 500 years for them to decompose. And they have created a major solid waste issue for Marin. It was therefore a reasonable legislative and regulatory choice for Marin County, after years of study, to ban plastic bags while imposing a fee on paper bags. Such a regulation assures "the maintenance, restoration, enhancement or protection of the environment" which also does not have a "reasonable probability of a significant effect on the environment due unusual circumstances" In reviewing the County's legislative actions, the court finds no abuse of discretion. The count appropriately concluded that the ordinance is exempt pursuant to Guidelines sections 15307 and 15308.Yikes.Crack a beer folks! But watch out---  industry is going to comeback with a new strategy soon.  We'll be here. Constant pressure, endlessly applied.  ]]> Stiv Wilson Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:04:33 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/16/the_bagmonster_loses_in_south_carolina_and_marin_and_and_and JUNKraft on the playa: Burning Man 2011 http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/08/junkraft_on_the_playa_burning_man_2011  For those that know Burning Man, our excitement over bringing JUNK will make complete sense. 50 some thousand do-ers and dreamers from around the world – scientists, engineers, filmmakers, artists, musicians, CEOs of companies, fire dancers, yogis, lawyers, designers, movers, shakers (you get my drift?) – make the annual pilgrimage to this austere, strangely beautiful lunarscape of cracked earth and lips, to recharge, connect, and collaborate. And dance their glasses off. And watch a bunch of stuff burn. For those who are new to Burning Man: first, know that it’s impossible to describe. Or even adequately photograph. Try to imagine 50,000 people creating a temporary city in the desert, a city where no idea, personality, garb, or project is too wild, too out of the box. Imagine ultimate freedom for 6-10 days. Inhibitions and self-consciousness evaporate in the 100 plus degree heat. Guiding principles include random gifting, radical self reliance, leave no trace, radical self expression, participation, civic responsibility. Workshops, speakers, classes, cafes, dance parties, dinner parties, and cuddle puddles run 24-7. Imagine Waterworld meets Mad Max meets Woodstock on Mars, lit up at night like a technicolor LED cartoonland. And then imagine having more fun than you think should be allowed.Where else on earth can you discuss plasma gassification and waste-to-energy concepts with a cupcake?Okay, it really is impossible to explain. I’ll just stick with how we got there. Bringing JUNKraft to Burning Man has been a dream for the last 2 years. This year, thanks to the incredibly generous help from our supporters through Kickstarter, the dream became a slow trailer tow towards the playa. Joel Paschal, Marcus’s co-navigator on JUNK’s virgin sail across the North Pacific Gyre, came over from Honolulu, helping unload and reload JUNK for the umpteenth time. It took us 2 ½ months to build JUNK in 2008. It took Marcus and Joel 3 months to slowly drift towards Hawaii, skirting 3 hurricanes and tightening belts when supplies inevitably ran low. And it took us roughly 3 hours to set her up in the playa, loosely tying the foolproof lashings that Joel learned from a book on building traditional Polynesian canoes. From the moment we began unloading, JUNK was met with incredulity, awe, and respect. “You guys did WHAT?? You mean you really sailed thing to HAWAII?” Most people thought it was simply a statement on waste. To hear that it was a more or less functional boat that dared the 2600 mile crossing with no motor and no support boat, immediately commanded peoples attention. Which is precisely why we came. To share our message about plastic pollution with every single passerbyer, showing them through our surface samples from all 5 Gyres that the world's oceans are trashed with plastic. To explain that these oceans can't be "cleaned" of plastic, but that real solutions need to happen on land, through personal responsibility, legislation, local campaigns, demanding better products from companies, and through spreading the word. And sure, we also came to have some fun, check out the artwork, and meet up with friends - old and new. Below, with Filmmaker Chris Paine (Who Killed The Electric Car?)......and Marina De Bris, our friend/artist/designer who staged a fashion show atop JUNK, with her trash outfits made entirely from waste she's pulled from local rivers and beaches. Below, Marcus and I posing as "Ballona Man" and "Cuidado".Artwork is a major part of Burning Man. Huge, towering structures like the Otic Oasis, Gregg Fleishman's stunning meditation center/architectural masterpiece (pictured below in the center) built entirely out of wood without a single nail, screw or bolt....Flashmob-esque projects like the Billion Jellyfish Bloom, a hauntingly beautiful art performance piece that undulates its way through the night, inviting people to interact and engage...And engineering marvels like Charon, Peter Hudson's latest, a "3-d stroboscopic zoetrope commemorating one of the great rites of human passage". Powered entirely by people pulling on long ropes, the series of skeletons paddling towards Hades become animated when the speed matches a strobe light. Chilling, and from a design perspective, genius. To add our own artistic touch, Ben Lear, a singer/songwriter who sailed the South Pacific with us last spring, came out from New York to perform his folk opera Lillian on top of JUNK. Wearing a wetsuit strung with LED’s, Ben was a spectacle, drawing people towards the raft like a male siren.In total at Burning Man there were 10 people involved with JUNK or 5 Gyres: our own Leslie Moyer, who has sailed 3 Gyres with us, her dashing beau Toby Salz, who sailed the South Pacific and has helped us with fundraising, Bill Bowles, a filmmaker who also sailed the South Pacific, and shot some Burning Man footage for a short piece, Joel, who sailed the North Atlantic with us, Nicole Chatterson, who sailed the North Pacific, and helped build JUNKraft, Ben Lear; Marcus and I, and then a complete surprise - our Kiwi first mate Dale Selvam, who appeared in a cloud of dust, tearing around the playa like a madman on his bicycle. Burning Man is not without its issues. Thousands of people towing heavy pieces in trailers, burning tremendous amounts of petroleum, bringing STUFF, generating WASTE – this is of course the down side to any massive festival. But the inspiration, creativity, energy, and sheer madness of the place transcended our expectations. We're already planning the next installation: JUNKraft on wheels, towed by a fleet of bicycles. For now, still wiping the playa dust out of our ears and noses, and trying to hold onto just a bit of the Black Rock Glow. ]]> Anna Cummins Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:01:53 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/08/junkraft_on_the_playa_burning_man_2011 BAG BANS WORK: HERE'S PROOF, AND GOOD JOB LAGUNA BEACH! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/07/bag_bans_work_heres_proof_and_good_job_laguna_beach So, it's true bag bans are the most effective means of reducing plastic bag pollution in the environment. How do we know? Look at the photos above taken 8 months apart after the Maui bag ban. The best way to eliminate plastic pollution is to eliminate the unnecessary plastic that causes it. And we're tickled pink here at 5G HQ because the dominoes are falling, rapidly. Sure, it's tough to beat an industry's interest whose representing council has a 124 million bucks to blow annually on protecting their bottom lines, but more and more, people are waking up to the fact that if you don't do anything about plastic getting into the environment, it's only going to get worse.  Strategically, municipal bag bans with slightly different policies are the best way to pave the way for an eventual state and then federal ban.  Recyclers (with the exception of the highly vocal Hilex Poly) don't want plastic bags and grocery stores could care less if they gave them out or not, that's a fact. But what the grocers don't want is a patchwork of policies that messes with their supply chain logistics. But the only way to to get them onboard for a state initiative that will give them just that is to force their hand by enacting a patchwork of policies so that they demand statewide action.  So, my people, it's time.  If you've been planning to start a Ban The Bag campaign, there is no time like the present.  Help the dominoes fall.  And we can help.  Cheers to Laguna Beach for unanimously voting Tuesday to draft and ordinance to ban the bag in Laguna.  As Chad Nelson, Laguna native and policy director for Surfrider Foundation National said, though plastic bags are cheap to produce, 2-3 cents per each, the taxpayer is paying 17 cents per bag to cleanup or dispose of.  As he says, "We're paying that difference threefold at least publicly." Why are we paying to dispose of someone else's garbage?  Start your campaign today.  ]]> Stiv Wilson Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:07:34 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/07/bag_bans_work_heres_proof_and_good_job_laguna_beach JUNKRAFT AT BURNING MAN! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/05/junkraft_at_burning_man_ Wow, these are my bosses for goodness sake!!!  Pictured above is Dr. Marcus Eriksen wearing "Ballona Man" and Anna Cummins is wearing, "Cuidado" both outfits created by our tireless supporter and trashy artist, Marina DeBris.  Marina's materials are usually imported (the plastic for these outfits was found on Playa Del Rey and Venice Beach coming from some of the most exotic parts of the world. Hehe.  Marcus and Anna are attending Burning Man this year doing outreach events to kick off the Waste To Waves Outreach Tour, where 5 Gyres will be sharing our data and experiences of the past two years of gyre expeditions.  Enjoy bosses! But come home soon!  ]]> Stiv Wilson Mon, 05 Sep 2011 10:12:03 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/05/junkraft_at_burning_man_ ELECTROLUX/5GYRES FACEBOOK 'LIKE' CAMPAIGN. LIKE US BOTH AND 5 GYRES CAN RECEIVE $30,000! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/01/electrolux5gyres_facebook_like_campaign_like_us_both_and_5_gyres_can_receive_30000 Okay friends, Romans, Countrymen.  This is a CALL TO ACTION!  Do you want to do something awesome for 5 Gyres?  Simply 'Like' US and ELECTROLUX on Facebook and our partner, Electrolux will give 5 Gyres one EURO for EACH like???  We need your help to spread the word.  Please share this post on your facebook wall, tweet it, hire a sky-writer, whatever you can do to spread the word. The campaign runs for two months, September and October.  We could potentially make $30,000 from Electrolux. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:36:20 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/09/01/electrolux5gyres_facebook_like_campaign_like_us_both_and_5_gyres_can_receive_30000 CORRUPTING OUR CHILDREN: A New Low American Chemistry Council http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/08/19/corrupting_our_children_a_new_low_american_chemistry_council It's amazing--  as an activist working for common sense policy on plastic bags, I've been astonished by the tactics of The American Chemistry Council to influence the public, lawmakers, with sheer economic clout.  According to a 2006 tax return, The American Chemistry Council had an annual budget of right around $120 million.  They've spent $9 million in the state of California since 2003 and I'd recommend taking a look at campaign contributions to your state's lawmakers where plastic bag policies are being considered. That information is public information on your Secretary of State's website. Fighting for their bottom line with no regard to the environmental and possible human health effects of their product on the commons is one thing, but actively lobbying California's educator to change curriculum to mislead our children is another.  And that's exactly what they did in California- they influence educators into changing curriculum to be more plastic bag friendly.  Outrageous. Check the full article (where the above photo was obtained) on SFGate online. ]]> Stiv Wilson Fri, 19 Aug 2011 07:41:57 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/08/19/corrupting_our_children_a_new_low_american_chemistry_council THE HIPPIES ARE WINNING! HOW TO FIND A SH$#%T! LOAD OF PLASTIC BAGS IN OTHER PLACES! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/08/17/the_hippies_are_winning_how_to_find_a_sht_load_of_plastic_bags_in_other_places Stiv Wilson Wed, 17 Aug 2011 08:15:06 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/08/17/the_hippies_are_winning_how_to_find_a_sht_load_of_plastic_bags_in_other_places DIAMONDS, WAIT NO! PLASTICS ARE FOREVER! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/08/15/diamonds_wait_no_plastics_are_forever You want to get a special gift, something that will last the test of time, something that demonstrates you care, and that you will care forever.  Precious, rare, and synthetic, give the gift of plastic garbage to your special someone.  Haha.  5 Gyres has partnered with designer Katelin Gibbs a New York jewelry designer who has designed these beautiful pieces to help support our work at 5 Gyres.  The pieces are made from pre-production plastic pellets (nurdles) and actual micro-fragments of plastic collecting in the South Pacific Gyre. 25% of sales go directly to support our work fighting plastic pollution in the world's oceans. Thank you so much Katelin! ]]> Stiv Wilson Mon, 15 Aug 2011 09:01:08 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/08/15/diamonds_wait_no_plastics_are_forever Would You Buy A Reusable Bag From This Guy? Outdoor Retailer 2011 http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/08/05/would_you_buy_a_reusable_bag_from_this_guy_outdoor_retailer_2011 Well I would.  The 5 Gyres team is in Salt Lake City right now at the Summer Outdoor Retailer tradeshow.  Pictured above is a photo of one of our friends from Chico Bag, who, in an effort to tirelessly reduce plastic pollution wherever it hides has now hired a Queens, New York Chico Bag rep. named, 'Juice.' Says Andy Keller, CEO of Chico Bag, "Yeah, well, you know, sometimes you got to hire some local flavor to get local buy-in. I want someone authentic, from the gutter, after all that's where plastic bags end up, in the gutter." The new reps mantra?  "Hey you stupid Jerkfaces, why you killin sea turtles when you carry your malt liquor home? Quit trying to whack the planet hunh there Chief?  Heyyyyyyyyy, am I right or am I right? Bada-Bing." (disclaimer- the above is completely fabricated, though this guy does work for Chico Bag and we like him.)Besides hanging with our friends at Chico, we're meeting with several brands in the outdoor market to help us with our outreach and education mission in 2012.  It's inspiring to see that so many large companies are taking on the problem of plastic pollution from packaging, to supply chain.  Five years ago, this issue wasn't even on the radar, but now, more and more, progressive, socially responsible companies are embracing the goal of zero waste in their corporate responsibility plans.  Right now, the apparel industry uses an incredible amount of HDPE film wrapping their clothing from producer to retail.  Each jacket, hat, scarf, etc. is individually wrapped in hard to recycle plastic films, but more and more, companies are working to solve this problem with creative and innovative supply chain solutions. After all, if the outdoors is corrupted by pollution, it's going to affect an outdoor companies bottom line.  We say, Bravo.  ]]> Stiv Wilson Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:25:03 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/08/05/would_you_buy_a_reusable_bag_from_this_guy_outdoor_retailer_2011 Soup at 45 degrees North http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/25/soup_at_45_degrees_north We just passed 45°N, halfway between the equator and the North Pole. We joked, “Shall we go back to where it’s warm? We did our last trawl yesterday of the sea surface, using the manta trawl, which is 60cm wide by 15cm tall. We towed it roughly two miles and came up with only a fragment or two of plastic, and a tangled piece of fishing line. There’s a lot less here than what we were finding two weeks ago. We’re also recording water temperature, which reads 59°F. That’s not tropical to me. We’re out of the gyre. We’re now in the area where the eastward current that defines the northern boundary of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre splits to form the California Current to the south and the Alaskan Current to the north. The plastic in the accumulation zone of the Eastern Garbage Patch is being driven east and south along the west coast of North America, until the North Equatorial Current pushes it west again, unless it meanders slowly into the center. “So, what shall we have for dinner?” It’s unanimous, “SOUP!” Of the 13 people on board, we divided into three watches. There’s always at least two people outside at all times, even at 3 o’clock in the morning when the wind is blowing 20 knots and an icy drizzle creeps down you neck. That’s when a mug of soup goes down happily and warms your soul from the inside. We’re now at 45°39N, 131°13W, with less than 400 miles before the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We’ll stop in Victoria, Canada first to get our passports stamped, which may take a while with 7 different nationalities on board. Then we’ll spend a day traveling slowly through the strait to Vancouver, hopefully lucky enough to see an orca or two. ]]> Marcus Eriksen Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:15:47 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/25/soup_at_45_degrees_north A (mid Pacific) Pen to Take Note Of http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/21/a_mid_pacific_pen_to_take_note_of_ Walking Kahuku Beach on the North Shore of Oahu, I found the typical gyre debris: Fishing buoys and nets, light sticks, toothbrushes, bottle caps, knots from plastic bags, toy wheels, and a polyethylene pen. Sitting at the high tide line among millions of tiny multi-colored bits of microplastic, was your typical single-use, disposable plastic pen. I took out my Papermate biodegradable pen to make a note of it. What if all plastic was made NOT to last in the ocean for decades? A company named Metabolix produces a bioplastic called Mirel, short for “Miracle of Nature”. The polymer is polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), made for the bacterial fermentation of corn sugar, which according to standards American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM) will degrade by half its volume in 18 months while floating in the ocean. Solution-minded citizens recognize that there is no single solution to plastic pollution, but implementing solutions as we find them, like bioplastics, improved recovery systems, and smart legislation, will collectively make all the difference. (Marcus Eriksen reports from the North Pacific Gyre)@font-face { font-family: "ï¼­ï¼³ 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; } ]]> Anna Cummins Thu, 21 Jul 2011 20:35:08 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/21/a_mid_pacific_pen_to_take_note_of_ It's a Goopy, Patchy Patch http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/19/its_a_goopy_patchy_patch (Marcus Eriksen reports from the North Pacific Gyre)“Is that some kind of Jelly?” someone asked. A gallon of little red jellies filled our trawl. They were not there in the previous trawl or the one after. A jelly patch in the garbage patch (would that be a “JAM” session?). We are following the route Captain Moore took through the Eastern Garbage Patch in 2000, north from Hawaii to latitude 40°N, then east. We’re on the same track. We’re finding far less plastic than last week in the waters just north of Hawaii. The field of debris seems to come and go. We left Hawaii with sea surface temperatures between 24°-26°C, then it dropped to 18°C about 600-800 miles N. Plastic concentrations dropped. Did we actually go beyond the Transitional Zone Chlorophyll Front (TZCF), where other scientists have shown plastic accumulation and phytoplankton production happen in a temperature band at 18°C? Did we venture from the Subtropical Gyre into the Subpolar Gyre? We got as high as 43°N and returned to 40°N to cover the tracks of our earlier voyage 11 years ago. Our manta tows have few visible fragments of plastic, though we’re in the accumulation zone. Is there a decreasing trend in plastic pollution out here? If so, where did it go? Or maybe the patch is as amorphous and elusive as we believe it to be. In the end we will add data from this expedition to all others, look for spatial and temporal patterns, and hopefully have a clearer picture of the ultimate fate of plastic pollution. It’s now 6pm and time to retrieve the manta trawl. I hope it’s not full of goop. I’m running out of sample jars to put it in.]]> Anna Cummins Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:09:14 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/19/its_a_goopy_patchy_patch Jumping into the North Pacific Gyre http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/17/jumping_into_the_north_pacific_gyre_ (Marcus Eriksen reports from the middle of the Gyre)July 15, 2011 - Day at the Pool. Jin said, “I want to go diving in the pool!” Not a bad idea. We’re in the middle of a high pressure system at 40°N,143°W with no wind of waves on the horizon. We’re becalmed. With a mile of seawater below us, I doubt anyone will mind swimming in the deep end. Jin and Brandon are the Korean filmmakers that are going to bring this story to the people of Korea. Jin donned his scuba gear and underwater cameras for the plunge. Tim had a different idea, stripping down to his skivvies and giving the camera a thumbs up as he plunged. He’s the filmmaker from Australia with a strong desire to see his country address the issue head on. “People in my country want to know what the issue is so they can take care of it where we live,” he said. This is the reason for the diversity of crew. We have filmmakers, artists, educators, and scientists sequestered on a 72ft. sailboat for three weeks. The interchange of information and ideas sparks new directions and relationships that breed innovative ideas spread around the world. But it can’t be all work. Within a few minutes, most of the crew was in the sea washing off the worries of a week of waves behind us.]]> Anna Cummins Sun, 17 Jul 2011 08:02:34 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/17/jumping_into_the_north_pacific_gyre_ WOOT! California Supreme Court says No EIR Necessary to Ban The Bag. http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/14/woot_california_supreme_court_says_no_eir_necessary_to_ban_the_bag (pictured above, a plastic bag blown onto a barbed wire fence at a landfill near the ocean)In perhaps one of the most watched cases in plastic policy history, The California Supreme Court ruled today that municipalities enacting bag bans are not required to file an environmental review of impacts with regard to plastic policy.  The case centered on the city of Manhattan Beach, who enacted a ban that was challenged by Save The Bag Coalition, a group of plastic bag manufacturers looking to protect their own interests.  Justice Carol Corrigan wrote on the unanimous decision, that it's a matter of common sense and substantial evidence that there would be no significant environmental impact with regard to the ban. Save The Bag Coalition sued on the grounds that under the California's Environmental Quality Law enacting policy requires an environmental impact review. Save The Bag, had they been successful would then hammer on their data that suggests that banning plastic bags would increase paper bag use, citing a study that shows that paper production has a larger carbon footprint, but neglects to look at the end of life consequences of plastic in the waste stream and the carbon footprint of recycling and transport to recycling facilities by truck and freighter.  The precedent is a huge win for many cities and municipalities in California and could affect:  San Francisco, Marin County, Santa Monica, Malibu, Long Beach and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County who might have faced legal challenges to their respective bans. With regard to ruling, because of how narrow the decision is, its somewhat unclear how the precedent will affect larger cities with regard to EIR's and paper. Many cities have adopted policies with a 5 cent fee attached to paper in order to address the issue, as well as encourage reusable bag use-- a policy that Save The Bag and members thereof attempt to politically defeat calling the fee a tax.  "Common sense leads us to the conclusion that the environmental impacts discernible from the 'life cycle' of plastic and paper bags are not significantly implicated by a plastic bag ban in Manhattan Beach," wrote Corrigan.  To all the many, many businesses, NGOs, and advocates who have long fought for our oceans, streams, and streets, BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!  

]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:04:59 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/14/woot_california_supreme_court_says_no_eir_necessary_to_ban_the_bag A pleasant surprise in the trawl http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/13/a_pleasant_surprise_in_the_trawl We pulled the trawl aboard and Carolyn grabbed the end of the net to remove the cod end. "There's something huge inside," she said. Of the hundreds of trawls we've done over many years, it was a surprise to find a glass float in the manta trawl. We all peered into its eerie eye to see if we could see through it. These are not made for the Asian fishing fleets any longer, so this one could have been trapped in gyre currents for decades. They used to float nets, and they range in size from as big as a tennis ball to the size of a beach ball. This one slid easily into the 15cm tube at the end of the net. It's pleasant to find for it's historical significance, and that it's relatively inert compared to the modern plastic counterparts, which we see out here daily. The polyethlene and polypropylene floats made today, along with every other piece of plastic, are sponges for many persistent organic pollutants. These POP's are sorbed onto and into the surface of plastic in high concentrations relative to ambient seawater. One big question scientists are answering now is whether plastic ingested be marine life transports those POPs into their bodies. Are the fish we harvest to feed the world contaminated by the plastic they mistake for food? We need that answer. We still find glass and metal materials at sea, like lightbulbs, glass bottles and metal parts attached to floating cigarette lighters. Glass, metal, wood & paper, and plastic all behave differently. Glass is inert. Metal will oxidize and go away. Wood & paper will biodegrade. Plastic doesn't do any of these, or at least on time scales that compare to the rate of new plastic entering the sea. Should we return to glass for fishing floats? Or wood, metal or bioplastic? Observing how we all eyed the eye of the glass float with envy, I would be happy to see the plastic ones become historical relics.]]> Anna Cummins Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:03:18 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/13/a_pleasant_surprise_in_the_trawl Teenage turtle with 315 pieces of plastic - http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/12/teenage_turtle_with_315_pieces_of_plastic__ Aussie Seabird Rescuer Rochelle Ferris has performed her share of Sea Turtle necropsies. But this one shocked her, a veteran of 15 years.Volunteers found and brought Rochelle the dead sea turtle, a teenager by her estimates. On conducting an autopsy, they found 315 pieces of plastic in its intestinal tract. Before this, the record holder for plastic ingestion was 130. There was, in her opinion, no question that plastic caused the turtle's death. This gut wrenching video (literally) shows the spectrum of plastic pieces ingested by the turtle - mainly household, consumer plastics - plastic bag fragments, plastic lollipop sticks, plastic lids, etc. Quite a few plastic bags in fact....(and this, in the face of a massive backlash from plastic bag manufacturers against bag bans.)What's interesting is that this is not a new phenomenon. There are reports on plastic ingestion by sea turtles dating back to the 60s. A comprehensive study looking at 408 autopsies of Leatherbacks found 37% of Leatherbacks since 1968 had plastic in their GI tract. (Leatherback Turtles: The menace of plastic).  What's new is the response from mainstream media, activists, scientists, and legislators world wide - we now recognize that this is a problem, and many of us are working hard to try and fix it. And if we falter, doubt, or get overwhelmed, watching this video should convince us that our work is meaningful and necessary. Every single piece plastic in the marine environment is potentially lethal for a turtle, whale, or sea lion. Its our job now to prevent it from getting there in the first place. 5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. ]]> Anna Cummins Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:29:21 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/12/teenage_turtle_with_315_pieces_of_plastic__ This is KNOT supposed to be here - Marcus reports from the North Pacific Gyre http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/12/this_is_knot_supposed_to_be_here__marcus_reports_from_the_north_pacific_gyre The funny thing about knots is that they make plastic last longer at sea. It’s not uncommon to find only the knot from a degraded fishing net, or a knotted plastic bag shredded on all ends, but the knot stays intact. Our first sample from the 2011 expedition produced a handful of multi-colored confetti of plastic fragments and a knot. With the naked eye we did not see foamed plastic of thin films, just thick rounded fragments. Plastic fragments have a much lower surface area to volume ratio than foams or films. This is why we do not find Styrofoam cups or plastic bags in the middle of the gyres very often. Consumer items that stand out are toothbrushes, bottle caps, and soles of shoes. These are the products that by design happen to behave in the ocean like giant fragments. They are similar to the other large items we find from the fishing industry, like buoys with 1cm thick plastic walls, or hard plastic floats. These are the things designed to last whole in the ocean for a long time, and they do. When thin films or netting gets knotted, it reduces the surface area exposed to UV light, so it behaves like a fragment and degradation is slowed. When we trawl we use a 300-micron mesh net, with holes smaller than your t-shirt, to skim the sea surface and capture micro-plastics. That’s where the thin films of polyethylene are, like what plastic grocery bags are made of. When we analyze our samples in the lab for plastic type, weight and count, we find that the numbers of plastic films are second only to the number of plastic fragments.What’s important to note here is that although you may not here reports of your common everyday, single-use, plastic products floating in the ocean, it is likely still here as micro-plastic particles or chemically diffuse throughout the sea, unless it’s tied in a knot.(Marcus Eriksen reports from the North Pacific Gyre, currently aboard the Sea Dragon with the Algalita Marine Research Foundation)]]> Anna Cummins Tue, 12 Jul 2011 08:02:27 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/12/this_is_knot_supposed_to_be_here__marcus_reports_from_the_north_pacific_gyre Gyre Bound: Puking and Rough Seas http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/11/gyre_bound_puking_and_rough_seas (Below is a report from Carolynn Box, who is on her way to The North Pacific Gyre with 5 Gyres/Algalita expedition leader, Marcus Eriksen)up and at em.The Sea Dragon left Honolulu at noon on July 7. We were escorted out of the harbor by a helicopter that was gathering film footage for a Korean media channel, who will be producing a four-part documentary series on plastic pollution. Following the dramatic send off we cruised west along the southern side of Oahu. Captain Clive changed course to try to avoid choppy choppy water and big wind. Life was good and the crew was nervous but happy.

But as we turned around the southwest side of Oahu, the lovely mellow gorgeous sailing turned into quit the scene. Over the next six hours everyone, except Captain Clive, Skipper Dale and Judy, a sailor/social worker from Hawaii who is the same age as my mom, took their turn leaning over the side of the Sea Dragon. At times, more than four of us were leaning over together. Yup, so much for me being the "one in ten people that don't get sea sick." But it wasn't that bad. It could have been worse. People were feeling worse that me. So I just pretended to feel okay. That's all you can do until you do feel okay.

For the last three days the swells have been ten plus feet and the winds have averaged around 25-30 knots. We've all worn our full foulies (waterproof overalls and jackets) and life vests most of the rainy days. But our little Sea Dragon and our amazing leaders, Clive and Dale have been working hard to get us through the trade winds. We are heading directly north while the winds are coming at us from the northeast. The winds are strong and they are making us put up a bit of a fight to get to the center of the gyre. But we are working our way there.

This morning (today is July 10) I work up feeling good. I poked my head out to deck at 730AM to see Marcus, the research leader from Algalita, and Skipper Dale, who is actually the expedition leader, preparing the research equipment. After helping tidy up the "snake pit," the area where all the lines come together in a massive mess, if not organized, I made oatmeal with a bit of banana and cinnamon for those who were up. Jin, a videographer from Korea, has now been calling me "little mama" for the morning because he was quite happy with his oatmeal. Jin doesn't speak English so our conversations are broken and entertaining. But his sidekick is Brandon, another film guy from Korea, who is also Jin's translator.

I've already been on night watch twice and it is taking some getting used to. This is not the South Atlantic Voyage with gorgeous calm seas and warm light winds. At least not yet. During both watches I daydreamed of fresh scones and crepes. But the most I could do was make some peppermint tea. But this hit the spot and was worth the ten bruises.

I'm ready for the research to begin. We are still waiting for the seas to calm a bit. And we have a birthday party tomorrow night. This means we will have to make a birthday cake for Aussie Tim, one of the founders of an Aussie non-profit called Take Three that focuses on beach cleanups and public education. I'm ready for cake now. This is a good sign.

Approx. Location:30 06.25N157 11.20W562 miles North of Honolulu

xo

]]> Stiv Wilson Mon, 11 Jul 2011 09:47:09 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/11/gyre_bound_puking_and_rough_seas WHAT A DUMP! But It Doesn't Have To Be If YOU Care http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/07/what_a_dump_but_it_doesnt_have_to_be_if_you_care

I always seem to find a toilet seat--  this one (above) was tumbling in the surf.  It had just arrived.  Ming and I took a long walk along the shore to see what was washed up.  We're both preparing to embark on a voyage to the North Pacific Gyre - within hours now, but figured we would go see what the gyre had delivered to the beach.  We were stunned to see a confetti of multi-colored plastic on the surface of the entire beach, from end to end, and from the waters edge to the high tide line.

 

Kahuku Beach is on the Northshore of Oahu, Hawaii, and collects plastic pollution that sweeps through the gyre. This is what likely happens to most of the trash in the gyres.  Islands, like the dozens in the Hawaiian Archipelago, are the natural nets that collect plastic, but that’s doesn’t account for all of it.  The complete lifecycle of plastic pollution is unknown, but some ideas include sinking to the seafloor, photodegradation to the point of biodegradation, and beaching.    

What's clear to us is that if you want to clean the plastic in the gyre you simply have to clean your beach.  BEACH CLEANUP IS GYRE CLEANUP!  If you haven't been on a beach/river/street cleanup lately, try organizing one on your own.  Keeping plastic off the land keeps it from the sea.  It's that simple.

We left the beach with two boxes filled with plastic.  Tomorrow, we sail into the gyre to see if there's more. We know there will be. 

]]> Marcus Eriksen Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:09:31 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/07/07/what_a_dump_but_it_doesnt_have_to_be_if_you_care Artist is "Washed Up" in Mexico http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/30/artist_is_washed_up_in_mexico Check out the work of artist Alejandro Duran using plastic to show the plague of pollution in the Yucatan Peninsula.http://www.alejandroduran.com/projects/washed-up/]]> Marcus Eriksen Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:20:22 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/30/artist_is_washed_up_in_mexico Washed Ashore - plastics, sea life and art http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/29/washed_ashore__plastics_sea_life_and_art Marine Mammal Center at Fort Cronkhite in Sausalito, California is hosting an incredible exhibit: 15 massive sea creature-sculptures made from ocean trash, including Henry the Giant Fish, Avery the Giant Bird, a giant jelly, a giant squid, an oil spill, a whale bone rib cage, a coral reef made of Styrofoam, a giant sea turtle, a sea star (also a musical instrument), and others.Washed Ashore is a community art project that proposes to turn the appalling reality of ocean trash into compelling sculptures that celebrate marine life, inspiring us to re-think our use of plastics and change our habits. Thousands of pounds of plastic pollution collected on Oregon beaches were used to create the sculptures.The project is the vision of artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi. Pozzi is the lead artist and director of the Washed Ashore project, based in Bandon, Oregon. Angela has been an exhibiting artist and educator for more than 30 years and runs artist residency programs and workshops through her Artula Institute for Arts and Environmental Education organization. The ultimate hope for the Washed Ashore project is global action -- to create a stream of events, discussions and awareness that lead to active solutions. Go see this exhibit! Photos are below. Washed Ashore - plastics, sea life and artat The Marine Mammal CenterJune 25 - October 15Admission is free, and docent-led tours are available. The exhibit is on tour! Next up is the Oregon State Fair. You can see the schedule here: http://www.washedashore.org/exhibit.phphttp://www.marinemammalcenter.org/Get-Involved/events/washed-ashore-plastics-sea.html]]> Leslie Moyer Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:58:31 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/29/washed_ashore__plastics_sea_life_and_art My BIG FAT Problem With Recycling Plastic As A Solution To Plastic Pollution. http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/29/my_big_fat_problem_with_recycling_plastic_as_a_solution_to_plastic_pollution (photo courtesy of Chelsea Rochman, Tijuana River Valley)I've been told that Edward Abbey had a bumper sticker on his 60s era Cadillac that read, 'Burn The Shit Up.' I love the sentiment for its irony. It's pretty cynical, stating that there is little point in conservation efforts because humans, historically, tend to only act when forced to, and that no matter what happens we will exhaust a given resource before we'll really switch to something sustainable.  New ideas and technologies are often met with Galileo-esque skepticism, are lobbied against because bigger players want to maintain market control, and promising solutions dangle on the verge of capital investment big enough to make them a player.  But the plastic spigot doesn't shut off.  Not from the production to the ocean. So it's hard for me to believe that I'm doing anything 'really' good for the earth by throwing a plastic piece of plastic in my recycle bin. In the US, consumption of single-use plastics far outpaces even the best advances in recycling. So, we're not doing better, we're doing worse and recycling is fueling the guilt-free over consumption diet of single-use plastics. The laws of nature are simple, matter is neither gained nor destroyed and you can only make more plastic out of plastic-- it doesn't matter if it's decking material or fleece jackets, it's still plastic. That's it. That's the big fat problem. MathI spoke with Mark Daniels at Hilex Poly about a month ago. He'd Googled me and 5 Gyres, but pretended he didn't know who I was for awhile. Fair enough, I've been a pretty outspoken proponent of bag bans. Mark stated in our conversation that his company recycles 1/50th of the plastic bags we as a nation consume annually. We agreed that this rate was 100 billion and that Hilex recycled 2 billion of that. Daniels has had this conversation before. He rattles talking point facts in conversation that are redoubled on his site. He talks about plastic bags being reused often by consumers which somehow, for reasons I can't understand, makes him believe that reusing a plastic bag somehow lessons its environmental impact after its used a second time. Here's the problem: reuse of plastic bags actually makes us DEPENDENT on them-- using them for dog poop or trash can liners or whatever means that once used, you need more and more and more of them for dog poop and trash can-liners.  Daniels told me personal narratives of beaches he cherishes. He used phrases like 'cradle to cradle' when describing his company's ethic. We went in circles, point/counterpoint into the absurd. The real issue is this: you can't make a bag out of a bag. At present, available technology only allows for 30% post consumer high density polyethylene (HDPE) to be added to the next generation of bag because the recycling process weakens polymer chains needed for a new bag's structural integrity. This translates to 70% virgin material being added to the next generation of bags. Which means every time you recycle one bag, you net 3.3 new bags. And every time you recycle 3.3 bags, you will then net 10.  And so on and so on to infinity. This is precisely why industry favors recycling as THE solution. Now, you can make other stuff out of recycled HDPE as well, like deck chairs and wallets and whatever else. Making single-use plastic into durable goods doesn't mean you're eliminating plastic. But after about forty years in the sun UV light will start making that chair brittle. And how long does a wallet last? So then what? Where does it go? Answer: the trash, the street, the river, the ocean. If you metrically increase the sum total of plastic in the world, the sum total of plastic escaping the waste stream and ending up in the environment will go up, as a matter of mathematical law. What's my evidence? Well, the problem is getting worse. And it's worse today than it was yesterday. Daniels wasn't pleased with my pushiness, which is fine, because I'm not pleased that he is suing reusable bag makers, and fighting any bag ban policy everywhere and spending lots of money to do it. Half the time during our conversation I felt like he was simply constructing elaborate but flawed argument structures to convince himself of what he was saying. Finally, I asked him, "Mark, is it a fair statement that the product of recycling plastic is more plastic in the world, not less?" His answer, "Yes."  So there you have it- does it get any simpler than that? Recycling isn't doing anything but altering the process by how we manufacture more plastic and creating secondary markets to do so. The marketing campaign repeats the same facts from Daniels and the website. He champions that it's made mostly of natural gas as opposed to raw crude. I'm sorry, but when did natural gas become a renewable resource? And another-- they put up youtube videos touting this fact "Plastic Bags Are 100% Recycleable" Fair enough, but he darn well knows that only 1 in 50 ARE recycled. This is intentionally misleading. And he's been trained to know the nuance. The media, for its part, is guilty of perpetuating the recycling myth too. They never truly analyze the waste stream--  they don't look at what happens to your plastic stuff after you throw it in your recycling box.  Here's what's at issue: we have an endless supply of plastic garbage because we consume so incredibly much of it. We've consumed more plastic in this century than the entire century previous already. It's only 2011. So that means that the demand for waste plastic and recycled feedstock will always be vastly lower than the supply. You don't need a degree in economics to understand that this makes waste plastic, as a commodity, worthless.Let's look at Hilex Poly. They're owned by a parent company that manufactures virgin plastic stuff. They also aren't a public corporation, so I can't get access to their profit and loss statements but I know that they were in bankruptcy for quite awhile. They seem to have an endless supply of lobby and marketing dollars to fight anti-single use plastic legislation. Business must be booming-- either that, or they're just a giant PR front pushing a feel good solution that isn't doing anything but passing the buck to the taxpayer to cleanup, encouraging more consumption and making the next generation deal with algorithmically increasing plastic garbage on beaches and waterways.  I don't want to sound harsh, but if they're in the business of producing plastic, their goal is to produce more of it. Not less. That's business.They are exacerbating the problem with a smiley face. We've reached a tipping point with our world's oceans where mitigation as anything but a short term strategy should be laughed out of a room. We need to stop the crap going in. Yesterday. Or the day before that.  As an exercise: start by asking whomever you give your bags to to recycle where they end up. And then ask the next chain of custody where they go. And then the next. Determine then for yourself, if you believe recycling works. I looked at one particular case in response to an Op-Ed in The Statesman Journal. The bags went to a transfer station, and then in this case, they went to a company called AgriPlas who is attempting to turn plastic into fuel but the market forces governing their model are cost prohibitive. They said, "Every bit of polyethylene we've collected over the past two years is still here, there are very few domestic markets for plastic wraps, bags and films. Sometimes China takes it." The China factor is interesting. China takes it because we import more than we export as a country. This means boats are empty going home so it's easy to take it. China is not sending empty ships to America, buying plastic, and taking it home. Plastic is concentrated fuel and once they get it home they can burn it for fuel with no environmental constraints on emissions. So what DO WE DO?  Well, for one, we need to incentivize plastic or make it a valuable material for its fuel source and not worthless crap. Bottle bills are a great start for PET, but industry fights these tooth and nail too. But again, so what if you're making more plastic stuff out of using recycled PET as feedstock? How is this helping to reduce the amount of plastic in the world? It's not. So what are you actually accomplishing by recycling other than creating more industry infrastructure to make more plastic? By recycling, from an economic vantage, we're making the industry more economically powerful to lobby against environmental legislation designed to address it.    DO I think we should just throw it in a landfill? Well, kind of.  Sometimes I do. Hear me out. Throwing plastic away would accelerate landfills filling and closing.  That would accelerate all the bad stuff that happens to water tables below landfills.  That would make the stuff pile up so drastically fast we'd have no choice as a society but to do something meaningful about it.  Burn the shit up, as Abbey's bumper sticker read.  But here's what I think, really.  First, get aware of your consumption. Count the plastic objects you interact with daily.  Figure out where you can eliminate them.  Start seeing it everywhere where it lurks, in your home, on the street, everywhere. And then, yes, let's burn the rest of the shit up responsibly, especially if we're going to keep making it, which we are-- as Abbey predicts. See, I'm not saying we should stop making plastic entirely, it's a wonderful material for some applications, but we need to understand the true implications for the world where it ends up.We have to take the resources spent on building recycling infrastructure and put them into decentralized plasma incineration technologies that pay for plastic feed and burn garbage at such a high heat, the resulting harmful emissions don't form as a byproduct. We need to destroy it, turn it back to inert elements. This technology already exists. It's used on military bases and cruise ships. The byproduct of burning plastic in this way is electricity and inert slag. Check out the company in Toronto, Pyrogenesis. We've been there, we believe this is a viable solution. But we'd need a paradigm shift in attitude towards waste infrastructure to make this work. Polymers are all over the place. You're a polymer. You can make polymers out of things other than oil or sorry, natural gas. But if industry is going to shift to start making them plant based, which they are, because fossil fuels are becoming increasingly more expensive, let's deliver that plastic back to their doorstep for fuel. Because making it out of plants doesn't solve the problem of it's longevity in the environment. Now, there is one good thing about recycling that should give us some hope. I like it's sociological import: it shows that widescale behavior change with regard to attitudes towards waste can happen. But that's where you and I come in. We're the dogs who have to learn new tricks if our puppies are going to survive. Policy Yuckness, Punch Me In The Face. So what happens when you challenge industry on their solution? They balk at meaningful recycling thresholds. This is what happened to my home state of Oregon's bag policy legislation. I watched a statewide bag ban fail in Oregon because lawmakers were convinced they shouldn't act because lobbyists for the industry kept touting recycling as a solution. So a couple of republican senators attempted to address this in the bill (OR SB-536) itself at the 11th hour. The so called -18 amendments championed by Vic Gilliam (R) called for recycling thresholds to increase 20% per year up to 80% (which in school terms, is still a B-) or otherwise a ban goes into effect.  Anna Richter Taylor, a spokesperson for Hilex Poly said these thresholds were, and I quote,"unrealistic." So, basically what is industry admitting? Answer: that recycling isn't the solution. And when asked WHAT IS a meaningful threshold by the reporter, Richter was tight lipped, saying, "We're not going to negotiate through the media." Why doesn't she just say what she means? "Meaningful thresholds for recycling are what I DAMN WELL SAY THEY ARE AND I'M GOING TO OUTSPEND YOU TO HAVE IT MY WAY AND IF YOU CHALLENGE ME I'M TAKING MY PLASTIC BALL AND GOING HOME." When I was a kid, my dad used to say, 'You'd argue with a sign post and take the wrong way home." This is how I feel the industry argues. If public policy limits their ability to conduct business anyway they say fit, they'll pull from a very effective playbook to defeat anything proposed. Susan Freinkel, author of Plastic: A Toxic Love Story summed up their tactics very well on her blog. But what about the ACC (American Chemistry Council) funding gyre expeditions and marine debris conferences? Isn't that a sign of goodwill?  Unfortunately, it's more like a tactic to frame the debate. As reporter Ashley Ahearn who produced a story for a local NPR affiliate on plastic said in response to an interview with Steve Russell, Vice President of The American Chemistry Council about their funding for the plastic research he touted was, "What the general public needs to understand about the prevalence of plastics in the ocean is more research examining the biological impact of what happens when plastics make their way into the ecosystem." In short what she's saying is that we already know it's out there. 5 Gyres has shown that it's in every subtropical oceanic gyre now. Why doesn't the ACC fund independent research institutions on how it's killing us? Or how plastic is absorbing runoff pollutants, concentrating it, being consumed by fish, and bioaccumulating and magnifying up the food chain to your spicy tuna roll? Bad for biz, isn't it?The most cynical tactic I've seen is this: industry hammers on a plastic policy with a plastic bag ban with a 5 cent paper bag fee attached saying that it's a tax. Well, in Oregon, the definition of a tax is very specific and Politifact called out Mark Daniels and Anna Richter Taylor for calling it a tax. They use the word 'tax' to galvanize the anti-tax base even though the 5 cent deposit on paper doesn't go into state coffers. Strategically, the goal is to politically defeat it on tax grounds that have nothing to do with the environment and to pressure lawmakers to drop the 5 cent deposit so they can then later challenge the constitutionality of such a policy in the courts. The grounds? Typically, it's that its unfair to single out plastic as an environmental problem and not paper. The irony? That's what the bill they lobbied against is precisely trying to address! It's ugly, it's complex and it works because we're not paying enough attention to their tactics. The cherry on top? Suing reusable bag manufacturers to boot! Egads! Putting all this together, how can a citizen feel anything but hoodwinked by an industry hell bent on polluting the world?  Contributing to bioaccumulated toxins in your body that they are responsible for producing?  How is recycling going to fix this? I'm okay with taking small steps, but they have to be in the right direction. ]]> Stiv Wilson Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:36:20 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/29/my_big_fat_problem_with_recycling_plastic_as_a_solution_to_plastic_pollution Former Senator John Edwards Needs Reusable Bag In His Prius (Shocking Photo?) http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/27/former_senator_john_edwards_needs_reusable_bag_in_his_prius_shocking_photo Okay, so typically, 5 Gyres isn't going to get all TMZ on our dear supporters, but this photo from one of our fans states the obvious: we need need more education about the detrimental affect plastic bags have on our environment, and we need to get to the politicians (prone to scandals or otherwise). This is John Edwards (former senator) loading an incredible amount of plastic into his Prius at grocery store in North Carolina.  Hey John! Give us a call! We'll learn ya! ]]> Stiv Wilson Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:54:26 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/27/former_senator_john_edwards_needs_reusable_bag_in_his_prius_shocking_photo PATAGONIA AND DOLOREAN HAVE PARTNERED TO BENEFIT 5 GYRES! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/22/patagonia_and_dolorean_have_partnered_to_benefit_5_gyres

BIG THANKS to Al James and Dolorean for supporting our work!  You can BUY THE TUNE, "Disputed Trail" HERE.

VENTURA, Calif. (Embargoed June 22, 2011) — Patagonia Inc., the environmentally minded apparel company, and some of music’s most talented artists, including Dolorean have come together to form the Patagonia Music Collective in an effort to fund environmental activism. The program will launch Tuesday, June 22, 2011 at www.patagonia.com/music.

The collective brings together musicians, fans and grassroots environmental groups. Artists, such as Dolorean have donated unreleased tracks that will be sold for $.99 with net proceeds going directly to the artist’s favorite environmental group. Dolorean and Patagonia have joined together to benefit 5 Gyres. When a fan, activist or customer purchases “Disputed Trail” for $.99 via the Patagonia Music Collective, net proceeds will directly go to 5 Gyres in the artist’s name.

Says Al James of Dolorean, "5 Gyres Institute is a pioneer in exploring the open waters and spreading the word locally and globally about the plastic pollution that compromises our oceans. Once I got to know some of these courageous and optimistic explorers personally and heard the stories of their travels and research, I knew I had to get involved." 

“Patagonia is always looking for unique ways, above and beyond the 1% of sales we donate annually, to help fund the environmental movement,” notes Rob BonDurant, Patagonia’s VP of Marketing, “Musicians have been approaching Patagonia for years asking how they can be involved in the enviro work we do. This is our answer. Artists generously donate unreleased tracks – and the enviro group receives money from the song’s sales to fund its work. We are very excited about facilitating a direct connection between an artist’s fans and the grassroots groups working to save the planet. We’re hopeful fans will learn more about the group and cause their favorite artist supports and personally get involved.”

The tracks will be available at www.patagonia.com/music, through a dedicated iPhone® app and a web widget player on participating artist’s websites. Fulfillment will be handled by iTunes®. Visit www.patagonia.com/music for details.

About 5 Gyres:

The 5 Gyres Institute studies the impacts of plastic waste on the world’s oceans, marine life, and human health.  Having logged more than 25,000 miles at sea to be the first organization to cross the five subtropical gyres in the North and South Pacific, North and South Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, 5 Gyres shares it's scientific work globally through publications, lectures, and public awareness campaigns - and is unique in its focus on proactive, land-based solutions.

About Patagonia

Patagonia, with sales last year of over $333M, is noted internationally for its commitment to product quality and environmental activism. In Fall 2011, the Company’s entire product line will be recyclable thorough its Common Threads Recycling Program. The company also advocates corporate transparency through its interactive website, The Footprint Chronicles®, which outlines the environmental and social footprint of individual products. Patagonia was featured as The Coolest Company on the Planet on Fortune Magazine’s April 2007 cover.

Contact:

Stiv Wilson

Communications Director, 5 Gyres

stiv@5gyres.org

]]> Stiv Wilson Wed, 22 Jun 2011 08:35:45 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/22/patagonia_and_dolorean_have_partnered_to_benefit_5_gyres TRASHING SAN FRANCISCO BAY with Super-Sized McGarbage http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/20/trashing_san_francisco_bay_with_supersized_mcgarbage Ever wondered what trash items make into the the watersheds the most?  Well, here's a pretty interesting study completed by Clean Water Action shows what the culprits are.  Read the full story here.]]> Stiv Wilson Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:07:22 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/20/trashing_san_francisco_bay_with_supersized_mcgarbage Holga Photo Album from South Pacific Gyre Expedition, Leg 2 (Easter Island to Tahiti) http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/15/holga_photo_album_from_south_pacific_gyre_expedition_leg_2_easter_island_to_tahiti_ Sunset from Sea in the South Pacific Gyre Photo credits: Leslie MoyerEaster Island MoaiPhoto credits: Leslie MoyerPlastic Trash on Ovahe Beach, Easter IslandPhoto credits: Leslie MoyerFull SailsPhoto credits: Leslie MoyerEaster Island MoaiPhoto credits: Leslie Moyer   Sea Dragon Deck   Photo credits: Leslie MoyerSea Dragon from Above on Pitcairn IslandPhoto credits: Leslie MoyerManta TrawlPhoto credits: Leslie MoyerSunset from DeckPhoto credits: Leslie MoyerHereheretue Island, South PacificPhoto credits: Leslie Moyerk]]> Leslie Moyer Wed, 15 Jun 2011 01:07:48 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/15/holga_photo_album_from_south_pacific_gyre_expedition_leg_2_easter_island_to_tahiti_ South Seas Explorer: South Pacific Gyre #4 http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/01/south_seas_explorer_south_pacific_gyre_4 Leslie Moyer Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:24:46 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/06/01/south_seas_explorer_south_pacific_gyre_4 mini-JUNK sails the Deschutes River http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/31/minijunk_sails_the_deschutes_river Bottle boat #15(?) built in Bend, Oregon.  "The Deschutes River Rover" was built by students on the bank of the river after assembling 150 2-liter bottles into a make-shift boat.  5 Gyres staff were on hand to test the contraption in frigid snow melt. We brought the LA Cola Kayak and the Cigarette Lighter SUP as examples of what can "float your boat".  It worked surprisingly well for the short trip down the river, as students ran along the bank cheering the test run of their creation, but then....Disaster struck as the seams between the bottles began to unravel.  What began as frigid toes turned into a full dunk.  Two lessons learned here.  1.  Any piece of plastic can flow to the gyres from any watershed in the world.2.  If you build a bottle-boat, use more duct tape.]]> Marcus Eriksen Tue, 31 May 2011 10:45:43 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/31/minijunk_sails_the_deschutes_river Cocktails for 5 Gyres at the Givinghour! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/29/cocktails_for_5_gyres_at_the_givinghour Kat's brainchild, the Giving Hour makes philanthropy accessible, personal, and affordable. While you might not be ready to write a big check to your fave non-profit, wouldn't you go hang out at a bar with your friends, knowing that you are "drinking with a purpose"?So come hang with us on June 8th, from 4 - 7. We'd love to see you, hear what you've been up to, and share our latest. We'll be raffling off some gyre samples, chico bags, and stainless steel bottles. Come out and raise a glass for clean oceans!!]]> Anna Cummins Sun, 29 May 2011 17:00:53 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/29/cocktails_for_5_gyres_at_the_givinghour 6 Square Meters of Plastic + 1 Bryde's Whale = Death. http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/27/6_square_meters_of_plastic__1_brydes_whale__death Stiv Wilson Fri, 27 May 2011 09:34:26 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/27/6_square_meters_of_plastic__1_brydes_whale__death 5 Gyres webcast tomorrow! Schools nationwide sign on to learn about plastic pollution http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/25/5_gyres_webcast_tomorrow_schools_nationwide_sign_on_to_learn_about_plastic_pollution Now that we've completed expeditions across all 5 subtropical gyres, one of our main goals is getting the word out - engaging new audiences. especially youth, in understanding the problem, and working on solutions. So we were thrilled when Meghan from NYSMEA invited us to participate in a live webcast for schools nationwide, to share our findings on plastic pollution in the world's oceans, and talk about solutions. Students from Ohio, South Carolina, North Carolina, Washington DC, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Michigan, and California will take part in this cyber classroom, learning about plastic marine pollution firsthand through our videos, photos, and stories. Following the presentation, students will have a chance to ask questions and make comments. This is a tremendous opportunity to reach students from around the country without upping our carbon footprint any higher than it already is...the downside of international travel!Thanks to the Wings World Quest for making this introduction - this incredible network of women reminds me of how much stronger we all are when we collaborate. We're facing some huge challenges in our oceans, but - cliche as it may sound - we can achieve pretty great things when we join forces. Do you have any ideas for how to partner with us? No idea too small or too crazy....]]> Anna Cummins Wed, 25 May 2011 10:20:07 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/25/5_gyres_webcast_tomorrow_schools_nationwide_sign_on_to_learn_about_plastic_pollution South Seas Explorer: South Pacific Gyre #3 http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/25/south_seas_explorer_south_pacific_gyre_3 Leslie Moyer Wed, 25 May 2011 00:20:41 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/25/south_seas_explorer_south_pacific_gyre_3 Mystery Creature Solved. It's a MONSTROSA! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/23/mystery_creature_solved__its_a_monstrosa It's one of the more amazing creatures that appeared in our nets while trawling in the middle of the South Pacific Gyre halfway between Chile and Easter Island.  It's a penaeoid shrimp, of the larval genus "Ceratapsis", which is known primarily from stomach contents of fish, like tuna, wahoo and skipjack.   They are rare to find swimming on the sea surface, which is where our surface trawl captured it.  Thanks goes out to Holly Gray of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, Julianne Passerelli of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, and Jody Martin of the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History.   We dreamed we had something new that floated from the deep.  We would be able to name it.  Something like "Shrimpus plasticus" or "Bulbus bottlecapus" or "Syntheticus suspendii".  Oh well.  Still, a beautiful thing to witness in the world.(If you think of your own hypothetical name, share it!)]]> Marcus Eriksen Mon, 23 May 2011 15:33:43 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/23/mystery_creature_solved__its_a_monstrosa South Seas Explorer: South Pacific Gyre #2 http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/23/south_seas_explorer_south_pacific_gyre_2 Leslie Moyer Mon, 23 May 2011 00:16:31 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/23/south_seas_explorer_south_pacific_gyre_2 South Seas Explorer: South Pacific Gyre #1 http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/20/south_seas_explorer_south_pacific_gyre_1 Leslie Moyer Fri, 20 May 2011 23:53:35 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/20/south_seas_explorer_south_pacific_gyre_1 Baggin It! Upcycled Trash http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/20/baggin_it__upcycled_trash 5 Gyres is in Bend, Oregon for the week with our "Waste to Waves" exhibit at the community college.  After a brief talk in the lecture hall, I met Sara Weiner, founder of Sara Bella.  Her message of UPCYCLING OUR TRASH is preceded by DON'T MAKE IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!  She makes the coolest fashionable and functional gear from laminated plastic film of all types.  I would wear this!  Check out her site sarabella.com and the video below.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WxyF_lGggc&feature=player_embedded]]> Marcus Eriksen Fri, 20 May 2011 08:01:22 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/20/baggin_it__upcycled_trash Plastic Pollution in Namibia http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/19/plastic_pollution_in_namibia When the 5 Gyres South Atlantic expedition crew arrived safely in Nambia where they would set sail for the second leg of the South Atlantic gyre expedition, they were in a beach town Swakopmund.  The Skeleton Coast is surrounded by breathtaking dunes, the oldest desert on Earth, and imagery reminiscent of both Road Warrior and Sebastião Salgado’s timeless landscapes in his Genesis project. The beaches are beautiful, but a walk along the shoreline and a quick beach cleanup showed that like coastal areas all over the world, Namibia has a problem with plastic trash accumulating on its otherwise relatively pristine beaches. Based on what I found on the beach and knowing that the Namibian coast is not an accumulation zone, we can assume that the majority of the plastic trash photographed here was left by beachgoers rather than washed up by actions of the gyre. Trash building up on beaches is one of the most direct pathways to marine plastic pollution, and every time the tide comes in, the actions of the Atlantic Ocean bring much of what is on the beach out to sea.  With one of the lowest population densities in Africa, the majority of Namibians live in dire poverty on less than $2 a day. It’s estimated that one in five of Namibians are infected with HIV, and AIDS as the leading cause of death in the country. The country has a looming energy crisis and unemployment rates at unacceptably high levels. With negligible funds for coastal protection, trash will continue to accumulate until something drastic changes. Many of the packaging that ends up here is produced nationally in Africa, but I saw remnants of imported products hailing from as far away as the US and Argentina.  The effects of our throwaway culture has reaches far beyond our backyard.5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more.]]> Leslie Moyer Thu, 19 May 2011 13:10:14 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/19/plastic_pollution_in_namibia UN's Safe Planet: toxic chemicals meet art, poetry, music and science http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/18/uns_safe_planet_toxic_chemicals_meet_art_poetry_music_and_science Anyone who thinks that UN events are characterized by marathon delegate meetings and painstaking negotiations behind closed doors hasn’t met the Safe Planet Campaign. Case in point: last weeks “Full Fathom Five” event at the Magnan Metz Gallery in Chelsea NYC – a wildly entertaining and informative evening of artwork, music, poetry, film, and science. And wine…served in stainless steel cup-lettes. What more could you ask for? Full Fathom Five drew art lovers and sustainability advocates alike to learn about Safe Planet, a UN initiative that leverages 3 International Conventions – Stockholm, Rotterdam, and Basel, to raise awareness about the harmful effects of toxic chemicals and waste on human health. One area of concern: the potential health impacts of plastic pollution, as pollutants from plastic travel up the food chain. This connection is what brought 5 Gyres’ work to the attention of the Safe Planet team, who have since invited us to present at a number of International events – from Geneva to Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro to Hawaii. And many more on the horizon. (L Wendy Mackie, R Barbara Benish)Barbara Benish welcomed the crowd last Thursday night with an overview of the Safe Planet Campaign, only one year in existence but already making waves for its tremendously successful outreach model, using artwork and film as communication tools. Barbara was followed by Katharina Kummer Peiry, Executive Secretary of the Basel Convention - and as I learned, also an avid sailor! We’re hoping she might join our next 5 Gyres expedition… We then heard from Wendy Mackie from Clean The Bay, a Rhode Island based non-profit responsible for removing astoun1400 tons of plastic waste from RI shores since 2005, and gallery owner Larry Litt; who shared his “Cupbearer Project”, inspired by noticing the tremendous amount of plastic waste generated by wine tasting/artwalk hopping. Brilliant idea – I love my cup, and hope we can work with Larry to encourage other galleries to follow his lead.Poetry and music followed, with moving prose from Jorn Ake, and a few selections of Ben Lear’s Rock/Folk opera Lillian. Ben is a NY based musician who recently sailed with (and serenaded) us across the South Pacific Ocean, studying plastic in a new part of the word. Just to his left, Barbara Benish’s arresting painting inspired by 5 Gyres. 5 Gyres then had the floor, to share our newest film – a beautiful piece from Jody Lemmon documenting our South Atlantic Expedition, and say a few words on our global findings. We’ve now seen plastic pollution across 25,000 miles of ocean, and are focusing our efforts on outreach and solutions. We will continue monitoring, with our next expedition in the works to the “Western Garbage Patch’ off Japan in a years time. Given the approaching wave of debris from the Tsunami, this voyage is already generating a buzz. We wrapped up with a film from Howard Baral and a final address from Michael Stanley-Jones describing Safe Planet’s work on the “Body Burden”, a key component of the campaign. “Body burden” refers to the sum total of synthetic chemicals and heavy metals that we all carry in our bodies, accumulating even before our birth. Howard’s film shows actor/activist Ed Begley Jr. and Olympic medalist Stine Hattestad undergoing body burden tests, a process known as “biomonitoring”. Two very healthy people, right? Yet both had trace levels of numerous contaminants in their bodies, and Begely Jr.’s DDT levels were 2-3x higher than Stine’s. What implications do these pollutant levels have on our health? How on earth are we simply standing by, allowing our own bodies to be contaminated by corporate greed and ignorance? I had my own body burden analyzed in 2009, and found trace levels of PCBs, DDT, PFCs, and higher levels of flame retardants (PBDEs) in my blood serum. While I’m no Olympian, I am a relatively healthy, mostly organic eating, mostly vegetarian athletic person. Finding ANY levels of these Persistent Organic Pollutants in my body is unacceptable. We simply don’t have enough information to know what impacts these will have on our long-term health, or on our children. We cannot stand by idly – our silence is tacit acceptance.  Its chilling to think that our bodies are the ultimate repository for corporate “externalities”, an innocuous way of saying we all suffer for the contamination that industry doesn’t pay for – for the pollution in our oceans, in our water, in our air, and in our own blood…. 5 Gyres is thrilled to join this growing network of educators, artists, scientists, and high level policymakers. We have many projects on the horizons - look out for future Safe Planet events in your city. And don’t forget your stainless steel wine cup. ]]> Anna Cummins Wed, 18 May 2011 12:11:11 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/18/uns_safe_planet_toxic_chemicals_meet_art_poetry_music_and_science European Union Pays Fisherman To Catch Plastic, Not Fish. http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/17/european_union_pays_fisherman_to_catch_plastic_not_fish_ Okay, this is news of the weird.  I've been hearing rumbles for awhile that that the EU was going to be granting significant funds to help solve marine plastic pollution issue.  Recently they announced a pretty strange program aimed at killing two birds with one stone: overfishing and plastic pollution. Maria Damanaki, the EU's fisheries commissioner announced that a pilot project will begin in The Mediterranean this month where fisherman will be given 'special nets' to collect plastic garbage in their waters.  There are several questions about the program that haven't been answered:  what's the net design and how does one sine plastic from the ocean without bycatch? Typically, a plastic trawling net is the same weave as a plankton net (300 microns) which means it gathers everything present in the water except the water itself.  (this is photograph of an actual sample taken in the South Atlantic Gyre on a 5 Gyres expedition. Note that plastic fragments co-mingle with biomass. Microplastics in the ocean, as defined by being smaller than 5mm in size are what blanket the oceans like confetti.  When plastic enters the ocean, the polymer chains of hydrocarbons break apart from the sun, corrosion and wave action, but the hydrocarbon molecules themselves do not breakdown but persist in these very small fragments.)The 5 Gyres Institute has long been skeptical of oceanic cleanup efforts for a host of reasons. One, the ocean is really big.  Two, the bycatch would be astronomical.  Contrary to what Damanaki states as a 'growing value in recycling markets' the market for biofouled plastic is at present zero, though Damanaki believes that the plastic catch is economically valuable enough to collect and sell, though the claim can't be substantiated. EU subsidies will buoy the project at first, hoping that this economic model will emerge when the subsidy runs out.  Read a description of the project here. ]]> Stiv Wilson Tue, 17 May 2011 12:28:15 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/17/european_union_pays_fisherman_to_catch_plastic_not_fish_ Bag Bans, Industry Strong Arming and The Metaphorical Significance of Sea Turtles http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/12/bag_bans_industry_strong_arming_and_the_metaphorical_significance_of_sea_turtles (above was a tweet we got after the 5th International Marine Debris Conference from the ACC. And below is why I don't believe them.)Sometimes you just want to cry, when you realize how little you are in the face of such a massive industry that's hellbent on fighting to protect their interests, despite the costs to our shared environment, oceans and the inhabitants thereof.  It's painful sometimes to do a vote count in your state legislators and see correlation between the 'no's' with campaign contributions. It's salt on a wound to see industry offering a recycling solution that deals with 1/50th of the problem in the US and in actuality, creates more plastic-- recycling 1 bag nets 3.3 new bags, and this is why industry supports it. I've worked on a bag ban in Portland, Oregon, my hometown for four years and had a citywide victory clenched last summer. I received awards and media attention for my efforts, but none of that matters to me. This fight is about something bigger than me, my ego, and my ambition. And I can tell you this for damn sure, I sure as hell am not fighting plastic pollution for the money!  Here's how the issue went down: politicians on the state level jockeyed to stop the ordinance, despite the will and wish of the Portland people, wanting rather ambitiously to be the first state to ban the bag and didn't want any citywide actions convoluting their work. Politically, they thought they were wiser than our local lawmakers. And it was bad timing, really. That's what I think. Despite good intentions by many legislators, they miscalculated and ended up drawing a huge target on Oregon. With the failure of AB1988 in California, the hired industry guns moved just one state up. In Oregon, we have a ballot referral process where city ordinances can be challenged if special interest gathers enough signatures to refer the ordinance to the ballot. Industry will pay to gather signatures and then will convolute the issue, confuse the voters, and poor a lot of money in to guard their interests. Such was the case in Seattle. Portland's mayor and staff were confident that even if the ordinance would have been referred to the ballot, that stakeholders and local politicians could beat the industry on the ground. Media attempted to draw a wedge between environmentalists and city politicians, looking for controversy that didn't exist.  No, to the contrary, local lawmakers and activists were in lock step, carefully working the process strategically.  Statewide legislators thought otherwise.  And now, here we are, one vote short of a majority in the senate which in essence keeps the legislation in committee.  Until we get support of one more senator, the bill languishes. And it's all politics, really. It doesn't have anything to do with the issue so much. It's about horsetrading and anger about certain interest groups supporting certain politicians and such and who is giving who more money. It's the kind of stuff that makes people to queasy to be the 'We' in 'We The People'. It's the kind of crap that makes people apathetic about voting.And somewhere, right now, a sea turtle is choking on a plastic bag.  I know that sounds funny-- that's the knee jerk bleeding liberal mantra-- 'YOU'RE KILLING THE ANIMALS!' But let me ask you, have you ever swam with a sea turtle?  I have.  I swam over a reef on Oahu not four weeks ago with a turtle who was three times older than I was. Her shell was larger than a kitchen table, and with effortless motion, glided ahead of me in the water. I had to full throttle slam the butterfly to keep up.  But here's the point:  swimming with turtles is a life changing experience whether you're a registered Republican or Democrat.  Like dolphins, turtle liking knows no political party. Swimming with one was an experience that made me a better human being. Why? Because I felt connected to this earth that bore me, felt a part rather than apart of nature.  I was engaged in something that steeped me in the world, rather than insulating me from it. I was reminded of the mystery, beauty and imagination that the ocean primeval imparts on a pilgrim who ventures there to meet it on her terms.  And that kind of thing translates to pure, uncut human happiness. Joy. The kind of happiness that isn't contingent on anything at all. Not your job. Not your salary. Not your lot in life. No, in the ocean you are nothing but another creature, a joe schmoe amidst the backdrop of the sublime. You want a society of happy educated kids? Throw them in the ocean with a few turtles. Give them opportunity to swim in unpolluted water, witnessing a world that inspires awe.  But back to the battle. We have incredible statewide support for the Ban The Bag legislation, including grocers and recyclers, but out of state money has infiltrated and the effects are palpable. It's a real David and Goliath scenario, a fight that won't be decided by one match up; no, this is one that will be won by constant pressure, endlessly applied.  The industry rhetoric is confusing, the American Chemistry Council funds scientists to publicly tell us what we already know (hell, they're even making artless youtube viral videos now): we don't know a lot about oceanic plastic pollution. Strategically, this is done so that lawmakers have to say, 'we need more information' before we act. It's ugly, it's cynical. And it's transparent. And it's an age old tactic. Well, I know this:  plastic is in every gyre in the world, we've been there.  We have proof. And it's not right. Not one microfragment in the middle of nowhere is all right. Does it really matter how much? It's funny, to watch the same tactics that climate change deniers use to confuse and frustrate the truth by spending countless dollars on ensuring that we 'don't know enough.' Here's another tactic: challenging municipalities that require that environmental impact assessments must be done before environmental policy is adopted. Here's the rub--- often these assessments are cost prohibitive and will essentially yield the same results: Plastic is bad. Paper is bad. Paper has a larger carbon footprint to produce than plastic, but end of life analysis for plastic isn't attributable without surveying every sewer system and watershed in the country. Reusables are better. YES! We have a solution! But even there, the industry wants to put reusable bag manufacturers out of business: they're suing ChicoBag for god's sake for quoting NOAA and EPA statistics about plastic pollution on their website! But I digress, more on that in another post. Most municipalities in the country can't afford expensive environmental impact assessments, and it's also politically unpopular to spend money on them. The industry knows this, and that's why they're suing municipalities in California. They want city councils around the country to say, 'hey, we can't touch that issue, see what happened at X'.  ARGGHHH!!!!  But if you can't keep a sense of humor, then you have no business being an activist. So with grace, humor and undying energy we fight on. Thanks to The ONION for making me laugh, and using humor to get at the exact root of the problem. ]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 12 May 2011 13:36:02 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/12/bag_bans_industry_strong_arming_and_the_metaphorical_significance_of_sea_turtles Chaco's Waves For Change Contest Winner: Nastassja Is In Tahiti! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/10/chacos_waves_for_change_contest_winner_nastassja_is_in_tahiti Thanks to ChacoUsa for making Nastassja's dream come true to be a part of a 5 Gyres Expedition. Here is a blog Nastassja sent as she gets ready to set sail.Upon entering the Pink Coconut, a swanky, ocean front, restaurant atthe end of the dock in Marina Taina, Tahiti, several hundred yardsfrom where Sea Dragon is anchored, one might think they stepped intoan Apple Mac Computer commercial being filmed. But this is not acommercial, this real life for most these folks. That's right. The SeaDragon crew is made up of people that I think is safe to say, mostothers are jealous of. Sitting among palm trees, piña coladas and amillion dollar view of Moorea Island in the  middle of the SouthPacific 9 individuals, including Professional surfers, photographers,divers, journalists, videographers and travel writers, type away attheir shiny silver laptops reporting back to their respective sponsorsbefore we set sail for the Cook Islands.The select crew, while chosen for our varied expertise, all have onething in common: an affinity for the preservation and conservation ofthe worlds ocean. Our job on this journey in addition to actuallyworking on the boat as crew is also to help promote the work of5Gyres, raise awareness and educate others on the exponentiallyincreasing amount of plastics accumulating in the world oceans and theramifications of marine species consuming plastics accidentally and asfood.Tomorrow we plan to leave Tahiti aboard Sea Dragon, a 72 foot sailboatwith a crew of 14 people total. Like most islands however, time movesslowly here and the only two motors for the boat have not yet returnedfrom the mechanic, which was suppossed to happen several days ago.Fingers crossed, they'll show up midday tomorrow and we'll set sail!Along the five day  journey we plan to sail, snorkel, and swim in someof the deepest waters in the world. In addition to having a kick asstime, we also be trawling for plastic marine debris, taking fishsamples and cutting the open to see if plastic ingestion is takingplace, and removing the  livers and tissue samples to send to a lab inSweden called MTM Reasearch Institute to measure the levels ofpersistent organic pollutants accumulating in the species.We will be taking many photos and notes along the way, so stay tunedfor more updates when we arrive in the Lower Cook Islands!]]> Stiv Wilson Tue, 10 May 2011 14:42:32 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/10/chacos_waves_for_change_contest_winner_nastassja_is_in_tahiti 3rd annual Blue Visions Summit taking on Plastic Pollution in DC! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/04/3rd_annual_blue_visions_summit_taking_on_plastic_pollution_in_dc Our oceans are in trouble. And no amount of goodwill, public concern, beach cleanups or Seafood Watch Cards will "fix" our oceans without leadership from Washington DC - without setting achievable goals, drafting legislation,  and getting our municipalities on board with energy policies, pollution control, marine protected areas, and the like. The 3rd annual Blue Visions Summit, coming up in a few weeks in Washington, DC, is an opportunity to bring together a broad network of marine conservation groups to discuss collaboration, coordination, sharing resources, and developing national policies. Coordinated by the Blue Frontier Campaign, Blue Visions has assembled some 2,000 blue groups that founder David Helvarg calls "Seaweed Rebels" the "grassroots" of the ocean conservation world. This year, the Blue Visions Summit will be holding a Plastic Pollution Panel, to discuss some greatly needed collaborative solutions, and to hear the latest update on the science from key researchers and communicators in the field: Kara Lavender Law from SEA Education, our own Marcus Eriksen, Leslie Tamminen, a powerhouse on the policy/legislative front, and Daniella Russo from the PPC. I will be introducing the panel, and possibly joining to say a word about ecological impacts - what we know thus far, and where more research is still needed. One thing we do know, and agree on: though there are still many unknowns about plastic marine pollution, particularly on the human health implications, we have enough information to warrant immediate action. We simply don't have time to wait for irrefutable evidence that POPs are entering the food chain and impacting human health, or that the density of plastic particles is increasing (or not) by x factor in our oceans. We have now seen evidence of plastic pollution in all 5 subtropical gyres. We have seen beaches on remote islands trashed with plastic washed up from far away continents. And we have seen plastic in the stomachs of seabirds, sea turtles, and fish. No amount of public education and/or outreach will encourage 6.5 billion people to bring their own reusable bags, or dispose of plastic packaging correctly. We need legislation to require companies and municipalities to limit plastic pollution. We need achievable target reductions for plastic waste. We need industry to cooperate with designing more recyclable products, and taking responsibility for the end life of the products they create. These are the sorts of policy solutions that the Blue Visions Summit is designed to facilitate, by bringing together the major conservation players, and agreeing on next steps. If you haven't already registered for Blue Visions, now is the time - we look forward to seeing you in Washington DC!]]> Anna Cummins Wed, 04 May 2011 11:52:48 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/04/3rd_annual_blue_visions_summit_taking_on_plastic_pollution_in_dc 5 Gyres Thanks OceanCare! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/03/_5_gyres_thanks_oceancare (Blog post below from Leslie Moyer, at sea with 5 Gyres)We’re two to three days out from our final destination – Papeete, Tahiti. At the tail end of the last leg of the South Pacific gyre expedition, this spot in our journey marks a nearness to a terminus of sorts. While with the naked eye we haven’t been seeing as much plastic in our trawls in the South Pacific gyre as in the previous gyres we’ve visited, we have been seeing some – which means there is, in fact, plastic pollution in all 5 subtropical oceanic gyres. In total, we have 48 samples of the surface of this gyre. We’ve gotten a representative sample from the South Pacific gyre that we can use to publish. 5 Gyres is the first organization to conduct research on pelagic plastic pollution in the southern hemisphere, and we have completed transects of all 5 subtropical oceanic gyres; after 25,000 miles logged at sea, we consider this a major accomplishment. Were it not for our partner organizations and individuals who have contributed to our work, this research could not have been done. We want to thank OceanCare for their sponsorship of three trawls for our work in the South Pacific gyre. The Swiss organization is committed to the conservation of marine mammals and the marine environment. With research and protection projects, environmental campaigns and determined efforts at establishing regulatory legislation at international conferences, OceanCare contributes to improving the condition of the world’s oceans and increasing ocean awareness globally. With a close alignment to many of the core values of our organization, we are delighted that OceanCare has partnered with 5 Gyres for our work in bringing awareness to plastic marine pollution. This is not the ending point of our work by any means; now that we have baseline information from each of the gyres we have set out to study, we really have just begun...but it is cause for celebration once we reach landfall in Tahiti. ]]> Anna Cummins Tue, 03 May 2011 07:07:13 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/03/_5_gyres_thanks_oceancare PIRATES, POLLUTION, and PITCAIRN http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/02/pirates_pollution_and_pitcairn Anna Cummins Mon, 02 May 2011 08:56:27 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/02/pirates_pollution_and_pitcairn When the Road Ends, Go Further: 6 Word Memoirs from the Sea Dragon Crew http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/02/__when_the_road_ends_go_further_6_word_memoirs_from_the_sea_dragon_crew This blog post is dedicated to Ocean Care – thanks to your generous contributions for helping to make this research trip possible! At the end of every day aboard Sea Dragon, the crew sits down together for a meal and an evening presentation or group activity, led by any of the crew who volunteers to do so. Two nights ago we wrote our memoirs – that is, in 6 words. Some of them profound, most of them personal, and many of them very amusing, they’re all shared below. Enjoy! Risk is the food of dreams.Broken parts, made this man strong.Charge forward, but continually explore forks. Dream, contemplate, do, crash, rise, repeat.Short, but owns a big heart.My cottage in the forest rocks!The beautiful places can’t last forever.Restless soul seeks life long objective.What, where, why, when – not dull. Loud, quiet / close, distant / sweet, love.Wandering, wandering afar, never ending journey.What color is truth? Deep blue.Same same but different – interesting thought.Believe in dreams, they become real. My job does not define me.Island hopping, could do this forever.Scared to happy, life ain’t crappy.Far horizons, but what of shore?Alone with snorkel could be enough.Wanting fish left for grand children. Writing stories for the big blue.Hopefully we see loved ones again.When the road ends, go further. Thank you again to Ocean Care!! ]]> Anna Cummins Mon, 02 May 2011 08:54:21 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/02/__when_the_road_ends_go_further_6_word_memoirs_from_the_sea_dragon_crew Message Bottle #108 – South Pacific Gyre http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/01/message_bottle_108_–_south_pacific_gyre As we watched the full moon rise above clouds recently tinted pink by the setting sun, we launched our second 5 Gyres Institute/Jay Little message bottle into the big blue at latitude 26 11.24 (south), longitude 116 75.90 (west). The bottle landed behind the boat and we sailed off toward the Pitcairn Islands. We left the unmanned vessel in our wake to be caught in the current and crossed our fingers that it would find its resting place on friendly shores.  There has been good success in this location at one point in the history of his project; of the 21 message bottles found, one bottle was discovered on Oeno Island in the Pitcairns, which we sailed right past after the launch. Our first Jay Little message bottle was launched earlier this year on the second leg of the 5 Gyres Institute’s North Atlantic gyre expedition into the global conveyor belt, a system of oceanic currents in the northern hemisphere that has the potential to carry flotsam to the other side of the planet. We hope that bottle #108, which contains an instructional message to the finders and a description of Jay Little’s project, along with a personal message from 5 Gyres and a description of our work in the world’s oceans, will be able to add to the growing art project that Jay is creating. Jay asks finders to send him a map of where the bottle was discovered and an interesting object found near the bottle or an item relating to the history of the region—from these contributions, he creates sculptured works to encourage knowledge and understanding of our oceans and highlight the interconnectedness of us all. We are proud and honored to be part of the 17-year effort by Jay Little (from Marin County, Calfiornia) to raise awareness on marine issues. From the whole crew of the 5 Gyre Institute’s South Pacific gyre expedition aboard Sea Dragon, thank you, Jay! Keep up the good work. “The boat is the spaceship earth, a blue jewel glowing in the night of space, radiant and shining with the fluid of life—the all-encompassing sea.” ~Jacques-Yves Coustaeu ]]> Anna Cummins Sun, 01 May 2011 08:53:57 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/05/01/message_bottle_108_–_south_pacific_gyre Press Release: Plastic found in all 5 Gyres http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/28/press_release_plastic_found_in_all_5_gyres Global Expedition to Study Marine Plastic Pollution in the Five Subtropical Ocean Gyres Ends in the South Pacific (SANTA MONICA, CA) APRIL 25, 2011—Capping the most extensive study of marine plastic pollution ever undertaken, pioneering researchers with the 5 Gyres Institute have completed their fifth expedition through all five subtropical gyres, the massive oceanic current systems where plastic pollution accumulates. The most recent expedition through the South Pacific Gyre covered 2,300 miles, beginning in Valdivia, Chile on March 24th and ending on Easter Island April 9th. Scarce data existed previously on plastic pollution in this region. “We had no idea what to expect, though we knew that the South Pacific Gyre has a more dense accumulation zone than the other gyres,” explained Anna Cummins, who with Marcus Eriksen, PhD, co-founded The 5 Gyres Institute in 2009. “We found little plastic until we approached the center of the gyre, where we suddenly began seeing more large and small plastic fragments floating past the hull of our vessel.” This expedition completes the first global study of plastic pollution in all five subtropical oceanic gyres. Co-founders Dr. Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins began The 5 Gyres Institute after recognizing a tremendous gap in the current understanding of plastics’ global distribution, as well as unanswered questions about the chemical burden of ingested plastic on marine life, the ultimate fate of plastic pollution, and changes in the amount of plastic pollution in the ocean over time. Over the course of two years and an estimated 25,000 miles across the North Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian Ocean and now the South Pacific, The 5 Gyres Institute has observed plastic pollution in the majority of the hundreds of sea surface samples they’ve collected. Following laboratory analysis of the surface samples, 5 Gyres will release the results on plastics' density and global distribution in the marine environment. Plastic pollution is known to harm marine life, to be a navigational hazard, and is thought to impact human health. 5 Gyres’ goal is to document the problem and bring it to international attention, promoting effective solutions that focus on source reduction. “We want to show that this is a global problem and to inspire international cooperation,” says Dr. Marcus Eriksen. “Every country in the world contributes to the problem and thus needs to be actively involved in solutions that reduce the flow of plastic to our oceans." Much of this plastic marine pollution consists of minute plastic fragments resulting from degraded consumer products or derelict fishing gear. Sea turtles, marine mammals, birds and fish can become entangled by large pieces, or ingest microplastic particles. These particles are known to absorb other pollutants in the ocean, including DDT and other pesticides, PCBs, and other petroleum-based hydrocarbons. Some pollutants are known to transfer from ingested plastic into the tissues and organs of marine life, potentially becoming more concentrated as they travel up the food chain. The 5 Gyres Institute, in collaboration with other scientists, is working to determine if marine life and the fisheries we harvest to feed the world are impacted by plastic pollution. While the plastic pollution problem is typically misrepresented as a well defined “garbage patch,” a better analogy is a thin, diffuse soup of microplastic particles with a few large plastic objects and derelict fishing gear. It cannot be cleaned up at sea by any practical means. â€œIf we stop allowing plastic waste to leave land, the ocean will eventually regurgitate plastic pollution from the gyres onto the beaches of islands. Beach cleanup is gyre cleanup,” Eriksen explains. Efficient solutions, the researchers stress, must begin on land, stopping the problem at its source. They advocate reducing consumption of the most polluting plastic products, legislation requiring companies to take responsibility for recovery and reuse of plastic products, and better materials and design for single-use throwaway products. About 5 Gyres: the 5 Gyres Institute is a nonprofit organization committed to meaningful change through research and education. 5 Gyres disseminates its findings through lectures and traveling exhibits, and raises awareness of ocean plastic pollution through expeditions, including the JUNKraft, the boat built in 2008 of 15,000 plastic bottles. 5 Gyres collaborates with the Algalita Marine Research Foundation and Pangaea Explorations, providing it with a marine laboratory and research vessel, respectively, and works with the United Nations Safe Planet Campaign. After studying the five subtropical gyres, 5 Gyres will monitor these vortexes through continued expeditions, and the Traveling Trawl Program, which loans research equipment to volunteer “citizen scientists.” Photos and images from the South Pacific Expedition:The success of the 5 Gyres research and upcoming initiatives is due largely to the support of dedicated crewmembers, individual donors, like-minded organizations and commitment from our key sponsors, including Chaco Footwear, Quiksilver Foundation, Ecousable, Henri Lloyd, Color Services Inc., Ocean Care, and Patagonia. We extend deep thanks to the unique contributions of all of these advocates, and look forward to continuing these relationships in to the next phase of the 5 Gyres Institute’s programmatic, solutions-based development.For more information on 5 Gyres research, programs and partnership opportunities, contact: Marcus Eriksen                             Anna Cummins                      Sara Close Executive Director                         Co-Founder                           Development Director 323-395-1843                                310-998-8616                        443-285-1797                                                                  @font-face { font-family: "Arial"; }@font-face { font-family: "ï¼­ï¼³ 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }span.ecxmsoins { }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }@font-face { font-family: "Arial"; }@font-face { font-family: "Times"; }@font-face { font-family: "ï¼­ï¼³ 明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "ï¼­ï¼³ 明朝"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }span.ecxmsoins { }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; } ]]> Anna Cummins Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:59:59 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/28/press_release_plastic_found_in_all_5_gyres Swimming with sharks, Henderson Atoll and the diffuse edge of a gyre http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/28/swimming_with_sharks_henderson_atoll_and_the_diffuse_edge_of_a_gyre It's an amazing, if disturbing feeling to be the only human being on a stretch of beach on a small atoll in the middle of nowhere, walking a beach, and coming across a pile of plastic debris two feet tall and fifteen feet wide. This is the most remote place I've ever been in all my life. To get to the beach, I had to swim a quarter mile over White Tip and Gray Rock Reef Sharks, find a pass in the reef, get pummeled in the surf and scrape my way up the beach only to find grocery store familiar shapes akimbo and scattered, everywhere.  In the sand down the beach, the residue of one set of footprints still remains, no doubt a person before us here, doing a beach cleanup.  But how futile it is-- what is the reason someone would even pile it up in a place where there isn't even the possible illusion of an 'away'?  No, what lands on Hendersond stays here forever--  and there is plastic here as common as sea shells. Cleaning the uncleanable is an act of desperation, like sweeping a dirt floor.  Yes, good intentions is what inspired that person to act, but if action has no metric result, the panic is stored in the pile.  I kept saying softly to myself, 'Recycle This'. This story is played out on countless beaches everywhere, even in places where people live but lack infrastructure to deal with it.  Those places might even be worse for populations in subsistence coastal areas where people will use plastic flotsam for domestic purposes.  It's already established that plastic is full of chemicals absorbed in the ocean, and new research is demonstrating the potential danger to these populations eating or drinking from repurposed plastic found on the beach. How is beach plastic different than toxic waste at this point? Adrift synthetics reach equilibrum (the amount of chemicals they need to be chemically saturated) after only a few weeks in the ocean. And those toxins are incredibly well concentrated there.  If the world's a stage, the play is a synthetic tragic comedy and  the edges of it are plasticized. I'll be damned if I'm going to accept the first two acts of this drama without trying to be player finding resolution in the third act. But I've already become desensitized after so many trawl samples full of plastic fragments in the gyres.  But this experience is a new one for me, one that hurts like hell. I can see the concern redoubled in my crewmates faces as they approach. A solemn quiet reigns. Just to the right of the pile, mother Boobies are guarding their eggs as fathers stand out acting sentinal protecting the eggs from the pirate frigate birds who make their living stealing from other birds. Constantly harrassed, hatching a chick is tough business here, even without the challenge of potential entanglement in nets and box fasteners. I can see a curious fledgling exploring these piles of garbage. One wrong poke of a curios beak could prove fatal. Pictures say a thousands words, but being here, in space and time, three dimensions, is so many thoughts and emotions I find myself simply stunned. And that's just it-- what to do?  Well, I think about Lesley's commitment to using bar shampoo that requires no plastic packaging as I look at a shampoo bottle washed up.  I think about Toby's bamboo toothbrush as I look at so many toothbrushes washed up here. I think about my Zippo lighter. I thinjk about Colleen's Klean Kanteen as we look at hundreds of PET water bottles washed up.  I think about how easy it is to keep things off of these beaches if we just spend a little time looking for alternatives to the things we use most. Remember, every dollar you spend is a political statement. Exercise your power.]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 28 Apr 2011 09:10:50 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/28/swimming_with_sharks_henderson_atoll_and_the_diffuse_edge_of_a_gyre Rapa Nui to Tahiti: Chapter 3 Me and the Sea- Perfection in the South Pacific http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/26/rapa_nui_to_tahiti__chapter_3_me_and_the_sea_perfection_in_the_south_pacific (Blog post below from Jess Cramp, crew member of the South Pacific Gyre expedition and ambassador for Roxy)“My grandmother’s had a double mastectomy and she can move faster than you! C’mon you facking land lover!”  Meet Dale. He’s our fantastically witty, at times inaudible and never censored, forty something Kiwi expedition leader who is at present, yelling at me to unroll the yankee, which is a bit difficult because I can’t stop laughing. We’ve had about as much wind as plastic this past week so a little 11 knot burst got me excited enough to drag him onto the deck.  If there are no nurdles for me to dissect out of fish bellies then I am going to learn to sail dammit! I looked up and smiled as I saw three perfectly rounded sails, the yankee, the stay and the main all full with wind and gliding us (slowly) over a glassy Pacific to Ducie Atoll, our proposed next stop. Just as I had regained my breath, Clive peeked his head up on deck and said “Three minutes to trawl”.  I shrugged my shoulders and chuckled with Dale as he slowed the boat down to 3 knots so we could safely trawl for a few bits of plastic.  We had sailed for 5 minutes.  As much as I am excited to explore the reach of these plastic bits, we have found very little on our journey and since we are officially outside of the accumulation zone, I can’t help but feel like trawling every 50 miles is a bit futile.  It feels like we’re just multiplying the number of data points on a flat line. In other words, can’t we skip just this one? But my windless woes were fleeting.  I emerged from the galley to hear that we were stopping the boat for a swim.  The swell was manageable and the ocean was completely glassy.  It was now or never I thought.  I rushed downstairs, threw on a new Roxy bikini, scampered to the front of the boat and climbed unsteadily onto the railings.  With the help of a wave, I launched myself off the bow and into 13000 feet of the clearest and bluest water I’d ever seen.   I took the deepest breath I could manage and kicked down, down down.  All I could see was blue.  Clean water blue.]]> Anna Cummins Tue, 26 Apr 2011 01:19:41 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/26/rapa_nui_to_tahiti__chapter_3_me_and_the_sea_perfection_in_the_south_pacific Matter out of Place in the South Pacific Pitcairns http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/24/matter_out_of_place_in_the_south_pacific_pitcairns A pit stop on the way from Easter Island to Tahiti as we complete the second leg of the first-ever transect of the South Pacific gyre, Hendersen Island in the Pitcairns was a bolt from the blue this morning after daybreak. Sea Dragon picked her way over the fringing reef system and dropped anchor in sand on the north side of the tiny island. Over the course of the day, the crew made the swim to the island to check out the most remote place on this big blue watery planet most of us had ever visited. We walked along the the north side of the island which lays claim to a long stretch of coastline with sands made white and powdery by the ages-worn coral and parrot fish poop, as our on-board marine biologist Garen Baghdasarian edified us on later that evening. The tiny island, uninhabited, secluded, and fairly inaccessible, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site – we came across a grove of coconut palms under which a plaque instructed visitors to “not damage plants or wildlife” and “please leave no litter.” The irony lay in that along with blue lobster shells, sea urchin spines and sea turtle tracks, the long stretch of beach we walked all day was littered with plastic flotsam. Amongst our plunder were disposable lighters, plastic combs, water and detergent bottles and bottle caps, eroded toys like truck wheels, animal figurines and GI Joes, barnacle-encrusted flip-flops, all manner of derelict fishing gear and hundreds of the pre-production plastic pellets called nurdles that we collected to send in for POP analysis at International Pellet Watch. Before we swam back to the boat, we found a sun-bleached hard hat and a flat volley ball. At the end of the day, we pulled up anchor and bagan our sail towards Pitcairn Island and Tahiti; the island looked pristine and magical behind us, but the distance betrayed the sad truth – even in the far reaches of the South Pacific on an island uninhabited for 400 years, we cannot escape our human stain. Photo caption (photo at top) One of our crew members who has been making a slow transformation into Chuck Noland in Cast Away finally completed the picture when he found this volley ball washed ashore on Henderson Island. ]]> Anna Cummins Sun, 24 Apr 2011 16:31:28 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/24/matter_out_of_place_in_the_south_pacific_pitcairns JOIN AN EXPEDITION http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/24/join_an_expedition Have you ever sailed across the equator?  Here's your chance for an adventure, but also contribute to science along the way.  We'll be trawling for plastic in parts of the world where no one has trawled before.Sail from Rarotonga to Christmas Island from May 27th to June 14th.  Or you can sail from Christmas Island to Hawaii from June 15th to July 1st.  Both of these voyages are $4500, including all expenses aboard our ship "Sea Dragon".  Please contact us for details at marcus@5gyres.org or anna@5gyres.org.]]> Marcus Eriksen Sun, 24 Apr 2011 02:44:40 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/24/join_an_expedition Adios Easter Island, Bogus Moai, and Onto The Western South Pacific Gyre http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/20/adios_easter_island_bogus_moai_and_onto_the_western_south_pacific_gyre After a bit of a challenging embarking, where a strong southwesterly swell hammered the exposed volcanic coastline made for dangerous navigation in the runabouts, we're heading 276 degrees west by north, transecting the more disperse area of the South Pacific Gyre. Once the crew was settled aboard, several of the divers from our compliment explored a sunken Moai, which we learned was a fugazi. Apparently, the underwater Moai which serves as an attraction for many divers was a concrete facsimile placed by islanders to create a spectacle. While the divers dove, the surfers aboard, Jess, Kitt, Toby and myself, stood at the bow looking at macking, near perfect bomber waves from out the back as locals ripped it, hooting and hollering. We wished collectively we had one more day on land to ride. After supper, we left under cover of darkness, with a waxing moon illuminating our path. Anna, the Swedish chemist who 5 Gyres works with on The United Nations Safe Planet Campaign took the helm, steering with astonishing accuracy for a first time helms(wo)man. Stoic and steely, she looked like a pro from the first breath of air filling our sails.  Again, as in each leg of the South Atlantic, we had a tear in the mainsail that required immediate attention but thanks to Jeff and Jason and a couple of headlamps, the repair was swiftly made. It's a nice schedule. We have a mere 2,300 miles to cover in roughly 19 days to arrive at Tahiti on th 3rd, which makes for low pressure sailing; many of our expedition legs have required us to make upwards of 160 nautical miles a day, which made for less time to spend documenting the macro plastic marine pollution, turning our attention to ensuring that we get our transect microplastic samples. Though we don't study the large debris, what's essential about the 5 Gyres expeditions is to educate our crew, and then the larger stakeholder public on how plastic pollution in the ocean truly manifests. The number of people who have looked at plastic pollution in the ocean in an actual gyre remains painfully low, and thus, misinformation of how it proliferates is massive. Our crew is 14 of a total 27 (including the leggers from Valdevia to Easter) who have ever been to The South Pacific Gyre to look at plastic pollution firsthand. That's not much when we're talking about a global problem that affects 7.5 billion people. Always fighting the conception that plastic in the ocean appears like an island, we try very hard with both still photography, written word and film to portray what it really looks like out here, and then try to explain how big the ocean really is in the greater context. Finding even one bucket lid, toothbrush, laundry basket etc. in the size of a football field along with the mostly ever present microplastic plastic pollution may at first blush sound scarce. But when you start working through the mental pemutations of area of ocean surface (70% of the earth's surface) times widescale use of consumer plastic over the past five decades, where more plastic has been produced in the first ten years of this century then all of the last century, it starts to give the conscious human the cosmic heebie jeebies. And hopefully great pause.  I'm excited. The crew is top notch both on a personable and professional level and each represents a constituency and network crucial for fomenting global behavior with regard to this wondrous material that comprises nearly every thing we touch.  As the bio post indicated, we have quite an extraordinary mix of talents on this voyage, scientifc, journalistic, medical, activist, and educational. One of the scientists, Garen Baghdasarian, is looking at a possible corelation between global phytoplankton drops starting about the same time widescale plastic production began. It's interesting work, and I'd like to stress that it's in its very incipient stages, and no claims are yet being made. But it's an important research question he is asking about complex relationships in our shared ocean ecosystem, and the possible ramifications of global consumer culture. More on the crew's interest in joining the expedition in subsequent posts, now I have to start cooking chicken and dumplings. Ahoy, over and out. ]]> Anna Cummins Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:37:29 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/20/adios_easter_island_bogus_moai_and_onto_the_western_south_pacific_gyre Parallel Universe: words from Captain Clive on life at sea http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/20/parallel_universe_words_from_captain_clive_on_life_at_sea (Blog below from Clive Crosby, our intrepid skipper for 5 Gyres expeditions, and extraordinary sailor/adventurer/father/sustainability advocate)The intensity of life at sea is such that relative strangers living for weeks in the space of a small urban apartment, with lounge/ diner, kitchenette, two bathrooms, utility, office area, closet and bedroom, (with fourteen beds) and a roof top terrace with extensive panoramic views, get to know one another and themselves rather well. Mostly for the better, but occasionally the worse whether they want to or not. Already over two-thousand miles into the Pacific Ocean, and headed deeper for one of the most remote places on the planet and last remnant of the British Empire, the temperature is rising. Like an army with nothing to do, active minds plot activity. Channeled correctly it is all conquering. Beyond our simple daily routine of watches with duties around cooking, cleaning, maintaining and scientific work, we have little to conquer; we occupy ourselves proactively with exercise, reading and conversation, a simple but satisfying life. Bound for Pitcairn Island, Captain Bligh and his mutinous crew aboard the Bounty are referenced. Many things have changed in the centuries since then, but human nature is much the same, active minds and restless souls that took a ship striving for change and a better life. They found it on Pitcairn, an island oasis far from their homeland -  another world, new community, opportunities and a fresh start. At sea, solitude, simplicity and companionship replace high speed connections, on demand activities and time pressures. For most it is enlightening. However, once landfall is made this all evaporates, the bubble bursts, the desire to reconnect is overwhelming, normal, complex life returns, the view of a parallel universe and another way to live becomes a memory. But one from which we can learn. Stripped bare life is simple and our needs are few, less is more and yet so often we are duped into consuming. We could live as stronger communities, why not? Shared resources, bartered goods, a new sense of belonging. At sea, away from the social, norms, networks and pressures I know that it works and has done for centuries. Clive Cosby From aboard the former Global Challenge yacht Sea Dragon en-route from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) via Pitcairn Island to Tahiti. Owned by Pangaea Explorations working with the 5gyres institute, UN scientists, journalists and videographers the team are working to raise awareness on the plight of our oceans.]]> Anna Cummins Wed, 20 Apr 2011 09:37:07 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/20/parallel_universe_words_from_captain_clive_on_life_at_sea The New "PANTZ TRAWL" http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/15/the_new_pantz_trawl What if we could double our efficiency by trawling with two nets at the same time?  What if those two nets were attached in some way?  These questions caused us to take off our pants.  Introducing....the PANTS TRAWL!  Seriously, this trawl was a way that we kept ourselves in good spirits.  When you spend weeks at sea there is often very little to do.  It's important to maintain crew morale with a few jokes here and there.  Anna juggling oranges while wearing the Pants Trawl helped us to have fun with our time and have a good laugh.  But who knows, it could be a new and useful invention!]]> Marcus Eriksen Fri, 15 Apr 2011 22:53:51 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/15/the_new_pantz_trawl A Mystery in our Trawl http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/13/a_mystery_in_our_trawl This tiny crustacean appeared in our surface trawl while in the middle of the South Pacific Gyre, roughly 500 miles east of Easter Island.  Though the tail is segmented, the rest of the carapace is one piece, including the two downward projecting horns beneath the eyes.  Can someone identify it?]]> Marcus Eriksen Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:30:11 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/13/a_mystery_in_our_trawl Completing the South Pacific Gyre, with Quiksilver Foundation http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/11/completing_the_south_pacific_gyre_with_quiksilver_foundation We woke this morning to see the faint, dark outline of Rapa Nui, “Easter Island” barely visible against the pre-dawn horizon. After 2 ½ weeks at sea, it’s difficult to describe the pure joy of seeing land for the first time, knowing that a fresh salad, warm waves, cold drinks, and island exploration are just within reach. With this arrival, The 5 Gyres Institute completes the first leg of the world’s first expedition to study plastic pollution in the South Pacific Gyre. We set out not knowing what we would find - an ocean relatively free of plastic pollution, or one covered with a thin, confetti of plastic particles? Though it will take some time to analyze our ocean samples, we have seen enough to know that plastic pollution is definitely present in this part of the world.For the first 10 days, the samples we collected by skimming the ocean’s surface with a fine meshed plankton net yielded only a few plastic fragments here and there. But as we approached the center of the gyre, they looked more like this: more plastic than living organisms. Our goal with these expeditions is to document this environmental plague – increasing amounts of plastic debris floating in our ocean waters, threatening marine wildlife, trashing shorelines of remote islands around the world, and potentially posing a health threat for humans. Quiksilver Foundation has been with us every step of the way, first supporting our voyage across the North Atlantic Gyre last winter, continuing on as we launched another first – the first plastic pollution research expedition across the South Atlantic Gyre last fall, and seeing us through this final gyre in the Southern Hemisphere - the South Pacific. Now that we’re back on land, having documented plastic pollution in the world’s 5 subtropical gyres, we’re eager to get more involved in land-based solutions: this is where the problem starts. And this is why were proud of our partnerships with companies like Quiksilver, who are open to examining their own plastic footprint, and finding new ways to refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle. The journey continues with the arrival yesterday of Jess Cramp, our newest crew member and representative of Roxy, Quiksilver’s female line. Jess will be documenting the second stage of the South Pacific Expedition, from Easter Island to Tahiti, where she’ll orchestrate a few beach cleanups, and connect with local NGOs to share what she’s learned. Stay tuned for her updates from the western edge of the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre!]]> Anna Cummins Mon, 11 Apr 2011 06:31:56 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/11/completing_the_south_pacific_gyre_with_quiksilver_foundation OCEAN CARE: Making Research Happen http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/09/ocean_care_making_research_happen The Sea Dragon is a 72ft mono-hulled sailboat designed for racing around the world, but in the gyre we slow her down to 2 knots to deploy our trawls.  We have two that are towed from spinnaker poles on either side of the boat.  One is collecting samples for research, and the other to share.  We give samples to educators and legislators, and every once and a while an organization, like Ocean Care, steps up to sponsor a trawl.  For a small donation to our research, we will do some research for you, and send you a sample of what we find.  Ocean Care has sponsored three trawls. They will use them in their own programs to educate the public about the plastic pollution issue.The first trawl for Ocean Care was conducted as we entered the accumulation zone of the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre.  The second was collected in the center. Each produced half a teaspoon of plastic after trawling cumulatively an area smaller than a football field.  The third will be collected in the weeks ahead as we sail from Easter Island to Tahiti, leaving the accumulation zone.  We'll see what that trawl produces.While we collect trawl samples for Ocean Care, we are collecting our research samples at the same time.  By doing both, research and education, we have the best chance to reach a solution to the problem of plastic pollution.  Any one can help.  To find out  about the "Sponsor a Trawl" or "Sponsor a Crew" programs, just click "Get Involved" to learn more.]]> Anna Cummins Sat, 09 Apr 2011 14:45:20 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/09/ocean_care_making_research_happen Cockpit Yoga, Plastic on the UP, and The Mighty Green Flash http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/08/cockpit_yoga_plastic_on_the_up_and_the_mighty_green_flash Just a week ago, we’d come to the hasty conclusion that the South Pacific Gyre was relatively free from plastic pollution. We’ve now changed our tune - the last 3-4 days of trawls filled with plastic particles, microfilament line, and bits of plastic packaging suggest otherwise.We woke yesterday morning to glassy, slick seas – perfect for spotting macro debris. No sooner did we begin scanning the horizon than we spotted the first 2 pieces – a foam float and a huge plastic barrel. Both have now joined our growing collection of barnacle-encrusted trash, which our Captain Clive will be none to sorry to see leave the boat.With conditions like these – warm, windless, and calm, Clive decided on a “pool day”. We’d drop the sails and spend the afternoon swimming, underwater filming, and taking the dingy out for some shots of the trawl in action from afar.Swimming in the open ocean is a wild, exhilarating sensation – looking down to see your feet engulfed in an endless blue abyss opening up for miles beneath you. It’s unnerving and indescribably wonderful. Marcus climbs into the barrel we spotted earlier. A small tangled mass of synthetic line floats by – we nab it just in time. As clean and pristine as the water appears, we see a different story – a sea surface peppered with plastic debris.After several hours of sun and salt, we raise the sails to continue on, and gather on deck for our afternoon workout – a tradition we’ll keep as long as the weather holds. We’re developing a new branch of one handed “cockpit yoga” – with one hand clutching the nearest sheet, winch, or rope for balance.As we finally sit together for ravioli and chocolate cake, the sun drops the horizon, for the first time completely unobstructed by clouds.“Ideal conditions for spotting the green flash!” yells Charlie, and scampers up to the bow to gaze at the horizon. I look at Marcus, to see him roll his eyes yet again. For years, we’ve been hearing about the infamous “green flash” that people claim to see just as the sun disappears over the horizon. We’ve watched countless sunsets across 4 oceans now, and never seen a glimpse of it. Marcus is sure it doesn’t exist. I want to believe its true, but have yet to see it.We all stare out to sea, sun burned faces bathed in orange light, and watch the sun’s blazing orb melt into the Pacific. Going, going….gone. And then -“OH MY GOD!!!!!!!” we all shout in unison.An unmistakable green light flashes on the horizon. Not a subtle light you could miss, a bona fide GREEN FLASH!!! Marcus is stunned. We all yell again. I can’t believe we’ve finally seen it! This leaves no doubt in our minds that green flash is not urban legend, but a real phenomenon.Just 2 days to go until we hit Easter Island. Already the winds have picked up, from flat calm, to 25 knots. We’re flying, heaving, rocking and rolling. Eager to touch land again, and particularly eager to see what the coastlines of Rapa Nui hold in store for us….]]> Anna Cummins Fri, 08 Apr 2011 10:14:07 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/08/cockpit_yoga_plastic_on_the_up_and_the_mighty_green_flash A Heavy Sea Churns Debris: Monofilament Line, Storms, and More Plastic http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/07/a_heavy_sea_churns_debris_monofilament_line_storms_and_more_plastic

28.13S,106.18W

The wind begins to howl and the seas follow.  I left my hatch open and awoke to a splash of cold seawater on my back.   Outside the mainsail was reefed and the yankee and head sail were stowed.    30 knot gusts while crew are clipped in is a stark contrast to the balmy motionless sea we swam in two days ago.  The samples from the trawls are fascinating, and very different. 

Yesterday, before the waves rose, we pulled in the hi-speed trawl and found dozens of monofilament fibers inside.  Also, small multi-colored particles peppered the inside of the net, much smaller than the usual fragments.  This is what calm seas bring to the surface.  The nylon fibers are much closer to the density of seawater than the typical polyethylene fragments we find, so given enough time those fibers will slowly rise to the surface. 

We've just pulled in the hi-speed trawl after a turbulent night of sailing.  There are no fibers, and few of the smaller particles.  Heavy seas churn plastic pollution beneath the surface. The big question here is, “What is the effect of sea state on the vertical distribution of plastic pollution in the water column?”  Without this answer, we cannot know for sure if what’s on the surface represents what hovers a few meters below.

]]> Marcus Eriksen Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:31:03 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/07/a_heavy_sea_churns_debris_monofilament_line_storms_and_more_plastic The Center Of The South Pacific Gyre: Scooping Plastic Trash http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/06/the_center_of_the_south_pacific_gyre_scooping_plastic_trash Noontime position: 29 27.36 South, 99 09.04 WestYesterday we hit the center mark on our map, the “center” of the roughly 700 square mile accumulation zone. Perhaps coincidence, as the center mark in a fluid, shifting system is somewhat arbitrary, but yesterday was also our busiest day yet pulling plastic trash from the South Pacific Gyre. And both our manta and our high-speed trawls visibly contain more plastic – the most dense of this entire trip.Our trash sightings began after the morning’s “circuit training”, a new daily workout routine that Captain Clive started up to combat the inevitable sloth of life on a boat without oexercise. For half an hour, we run around the boat doing pushups, squats, bicycle situps, shadow boxing, and dips, while doing our best to maintain balance. Highly entertaining…..catching our breath, we saw the first yellow bucket. Followed by a red crate, a massive green ghost net, a white bottle cap, aquamarine bucket, and several smaller ropes that floated just beyond reach. A veritable rainbow of plastic debris.The crew now has the trash-fishing routine down: pull up the trawl, pull in the main sail, grab the boat hook and dip nets, and assign a designated “spotter” to keep an eye and a pointed finger on the plastic offender at all times. Maintaining eye contact on a small item in a vast ocean churning with powerful currents gives new meaning to a “needle in a haystack”.We’re now 4 days from Easter Island, motor-sailing through the accumulation zone. For the past few weeks, crew have all been pleasantly surprised to witness, anecdotally for now, less plastic in this gyre than in the others. The last few days however remind us that this ocean is not, unfortunately free of plastic. It’s definitely out here. It’s everywhere. And no amount of trawling, skimming, or sieving will remove it.  Solutions begin on land, with legislation that reduces our single use plastic habits and sets meaningful target reductions for municipal waste, with enlightened companies that embrace cradle to cradle design and extended producer responsibility, and with each and every of us, demanding these changes and taking responsibility in our own lives. Are you part of the solution?]]> Anna Cummins Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:53:15 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/06/the_center_of_the_south_pacific_gyre_scooping_plastic_trash No Where To Go. Nothing To do. http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/03/no_where_to_go_nothing_to_do

(By Anna Cummins) 

The boat moans eerily as is rocks side to side in the doldrums. There’s very little wind as we enter the accumulation zone of the South Pacific Gyre.  We’re finding little plastic in our trawls, which is fantastic news!  But we’re still finding some, which is not.  The manta trawl is out right now, having just pulled in the hi-speed trawl.  Those are the highlights of the day, the rest is self-induced entertainment for 13 people on the 72ft Sea Dragon.  Charlie is playing his bagpipes again.  A few are somehow able to sleep through it.  Some are reading or typing away on their macs.  Clive just finished his exercise routine.  I just finished mapping the perimeter of the South Pacific Gyre on the ships computer.  Garen and Sara are prepping for taking water samples as soon as the manta trawl comes in. 

The manta trawl is the one we deploy every 50 nautical miles.  We’ll drop it in the sea and tow it for 1 hour at 2 knots, therefore covering 2 nautical miles.  The trawl is 60 centimeters wide, so we’re covering an area of approximately 2,400 square meters.  It’s similar to half a soccer field.  Our last trawl had more than 15 particles of plastic pollution the size of grains of rice, which might not seem like much, but there are millions of soccer fields that fit on the surface of the South Pacific Ocean.

If you look at the map you’ll see an outer and inner circle.  These represent the outer dimensions of the South Pacific Gyre and the inner dimensions of the accumulation zone where floating debris collects, including plastic pollution.  We expect to pass through the center of the gyre in the next few days, then emerging out of the accumulation zone in a week. We’ll have more photos and reports to share as our expedition transects the gyre, studying plastic pollution in the region for the first time.

]]> Stiv Wilson Sun, 03 Apr 2011 10:05:59 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/03/no_where_to_go_nothing_to_do High Times and Clean(ish) Seas In The South Pacific Gyre http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/01/high_times_and_cleanish_seas_in_the_south_pacific_gyre Another glassy morning, water slick and still, with an almost oily sheen indicative of these ocean dynamics. We’re in a high pressure system, about 600 miles from the center of the accumulation zone of The South Pacific Gyre. Light, variable winds force us to motor along, occasionally we grab ahold of opportune gusts and sail. Today’s research was a repeat of yesterday – trawls mostly filled with tiny Portuguese Man O War, VelellaVelella, juvenile Myctophids, and translucent crabs. We’re running the high speed trawl continuously, stopping twice a day to deploy the manta trawl, and for Garen to conduct his research – more about that tomorrow.Along with our barometer, spirits are also sky high. After tonight’s dinner – vegetable wraps with handmade tortillas, roasted onions and garlic, and a peach cobbler – we capped the evening with a round of recited poems, songs, a hilarious Scottish eulogy by Charlie (not a word of which was intelligible) and a sunset bagpipe serenade on the Sea Dragon’s bow. 6 or 7 cameras were immediately on hand to capture the moment. Its difficult to find words to describe how wonderfully incongruous both the sight and sound of this are….I’m fairly certain having a skilled bagpipe player on board a research expedition to the South Pacific Gyre is a first.]]> Stiv Wilson Fri, 01 Apr 2011 10:55:47 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/04/01/high_times_and_cleanish_seas_in_the_south_pacific_gyre Drifters: Trapped in The South Pacific Gyre http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/31/drifters_trapped_in_the_south_pacific_gyre Day 5, and we’ve all settled into the rhythm of a life at sea – cooking, cleaning, sharing meals, waking up at all hours, sleeping, trawling, and starting all over again. The worst of seasickness has passed, as formerly ashen-faced crewmembers are now able to laugh, read, and cook – 3 tell tale signs that life is back to relative “normal”. Tonight’s dinner on deck: crab and vegetable lasagna – with fresh crab from Robinson Crusoe Island and our last green salad, accompanied by a Technicolor sunset. Life is good.We’ve collected 4 samples so far –all remarkably free from plastic pollution, save for a few small fragments here and there. A good sign, however it’s far too early to celebrate, as we’re still a few days away from the predicted accumulation zone. The South Pacific gyre is also distinct from the other gyres we’ve surveyed - debris in the center of the gyre will remain trapped here, whereas in other ocean basis, debris is able to leave. And is even “spit out”, drifting beyond the gyres’ centers to wash up on shorelines as the current systems wobble and shift.This model here shows the paths of drifters following the ocean currents of the South Pacific:(a) Trajectories of 57 drifters before entering the white circle in the centre of the gyre. (b) Dark grey are parts of trajectories after leaving from the circle and grey are parts of trajectories leaving from the circle and returning back into the circle again (courtesy to Maximenko (2006)).So the fact that our trawls outside the gyre’s center are relatively clean could mean that this ocean is in fact “plastic lite”, which would be fantastic, or a sign that we just haven’t entered the predicted accumulation zone. A few days time should tell.Aside from the science work, we’re keeping ourselves entertained. Last night, we watched an incredible film “Big in Bollywood” made by Bill Bowles, one of our filmmakers and a highly entertaining storyteller. Tonight we played a chaotic, hilarious Argentine card game called “Chancho” taught to us by Paula, our resident journalist and blogger for Treehugger – much screaming and laughter involved. Ben Lear is seldom far from his guitar, and has been playing bits and pieces of his rock opera “Lillian”, which he will soon arrange for bagpipe, violin, harmonica, and a chorus of pots and pans. This is what we love about inviting a broad cross section of people to join our expeditions. Never a dull moment.]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:36:14 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/31/drifters_trapped_in_the_south_pacific_gyre Robinson Crusoe Island and The Scottish Lure of The Bag Monster! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/31/robinson_crusoe_island_and_the_scottish_lure_of_the_bag_monster 502 miles and 4 days from Valdivia, Chile, we arrive on Robinson Crusoe Island, a volcanic pinnacle rising over 500 meters above the sea, and only 7 miles long from its furthest points.  6:00am the Sea Dragon idles into the protected harbor, "It's looks larger than I imagined," Clive says, as we all peer at the illuminated village in the deepest pocket of the bay.  We imagine there might be a trail to the top of the crest, a jagged skyline, illuminated by the first glow of the rising sun. "Let's go there," I say. We all agree. It's our last chance for land till Easter Island.The first thing recognizable is the open space and evacuated concrete slabs that define the first 20 meters elevation into town.  In February 2010 an earthquate rocked the island, followed by a tsunami that obliterated the nearsore neighborhood, killing 18 of the less than 500 residents that live here. Leaping onto the dock, we enjoy terra firma and the sweet smell of morning mist lifting from the forest above and rushing offshore over our heads.  The Bag Monster sets out first.Andy Keller, founder of Chico Bag, and inventer of the Bag Monster, sports attire consisting of 500 single-use throwaway plastic bags.  He's more akin to a walking landfill, now strutting his way through a gauntlet of chuckling Chilean fishermen and dock workers. I've known about the Bag Monster for years, having watched Andy and many comrades use this spectacle to bring attention to the wasteful consumption and loss of plastic to the environment.  I now see the power of the intended humor.  He's the pied piper of plastic, entertaining and explaining this life's mission to save the planet from plastic bags, one island at a time.We hike up the hill into the eucalyptus forest, with a trail of dogs in our wake.  Like Santiago and Valdivia, the Chilean perception of street dogs is that they belong to the neighborhood, everyone collectively owns and takes care of them.  They are everywhere.  Andy stands too long and one pees on his Bag Monster outfit.  At the base of the trail only two dogs follow.  We take the switchback trail to the edge of mid-island ridge.  We get to the top and peer over the sheer cliff and howling wind on the other side.  Charlie breaks out his bagpipes.Charlie Bradford, our Scotish sailor, has brought his bagpipes to sea.  Now, atop the highest point on the planet for 500 miles in any direction, he whines, wails and whistles to the wind.  He wants to be, and likely is, the only person to play bagpipes here.  It's our first time hearing him play.  We are all in awe.  The Sea Dragon looks small in the bay below him.  In a few hours we will all be at sea again, but for now we are lured by this amusing and surreal moment, lured to this tiny island for the simple reason that it is here, and lured to the sea because of the true monster we seek.This is the 5th of the 5 subtropical gyres yet to be explored.  In less than a week we will have the first scientific samples of the sea surface extracted from this region with the intention to look for plastic pollution.  Soon, we are aboard the Sea Dragon preparing dinner in the calm of the bay, anticipating the westerly journey into theSouth Pacific Gyre.]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:30:42 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/31/robinson_crusoe_island_and_the_scottish_lure_of_the_bag_monster Planet Green, Treehugger Video Explaining Plastic Pollution From Source To Sea. http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/30/planet_green_treehugger_video_explaining_plastic_pollution_from_source_to_sea A great little vid by Planet Green with 5 Gyres directors, Marcus and Anna.]]> Stiv Wilson Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:18:48 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/30/planet_green_treehugger_video_explaining_plastic_pollution_from_source_to_sea Chaco's Waves For Change Contest Winner: Welcome Aboard Nastassja! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/29/chacos_waves_for_change_contest_winner_welcome_aboard_nastassja It's been two weeks of voting, and ten weeks of submissions and finally, the winner is announced. Congrats to Nastassja Pace who's piece received the most votes from The Chaco Waves For Change Art Contest.  Thanks to Wend Media and Chacos for sponsoring the contest to get yet another change agent out to see to witness plastic pollution firsthand. Nastassja will join our team from Tahiti to Cook Islands on a eco-adventure of a lifetime.  And to all our readers, stay tuned, another contest will be coming up soon! Ahoy!]]> Stiv Wilson Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:23:07 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/29/chacos_waves_for_change_contest_winner_welcome_aboard_nastassja And We're OFF! Charging Into The South Pacific Gyre For Plastic http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/27/and_were_off_charging_into_the_south_pacific_gyre_for_plastic Noontime position: 37 54.7 South, 74 04.3 WestWe’re underway! 11 of us stand on deck, soaking in the stunning view as we navigate our way through the gorgeous channels that wend lazily from Valdivia to the sea. Picturesque little villages break up the thick, green forests bordering us on all sides. A perfect day for setting sail --- and for a helicopter flyover!For the last 2 days, Friedemann has been hustling to track down a helicopter, to shoot some aerial footage of the Sea Dragon making its way to open water. We all encourage him, somewhat skeptical but hoping that it will work out. This would be ubercool...“Listen, it’s coming! Everyone take your places on deck!”We quickly raise the sails as the tell tale chopper sounds ricochetthrough the air. A tiny, black dot swoops its way towards us, hovering low over the water, circling our boat, and then disappearing into the bright sun. We try to look busy for the cameras,pulling on random ropes while Friedemann and Bill – our two filmmakers - shoot blissfully from above.By far, this has been our most dramatic departure yet, and the results are spectacular! Jeff fetches the filmmakers in the dingy, elated with excitement. Viewed from 300 meters up, the Sea Dragon was merely an elegant white speck against a sparkling backdrop. This will be our home for the next few weeks.12 hours into the voyage, things take a temporary turn for the worse. Sea sickness sends a third of the crew either to their bunks, or heaved over the side of the boat, ashen faced and miserable. And a critical piece on the watermaker blows. Our Skipper Clive wakes us with the news, holding the part between two fingers – a small fitting the size of a thumbnail. We’d have to head back to Chile for repairs. Without water, we wont make it to Easter Island, much less Tahiti, the next leg of the voyage.Incredulous, we look at the tiny culprit, heads spinning with the implications. Going back now means another delay of at least 24 hours, and we’re already behind schedule. Marcus heads out to investigate with Dale. If these two MacGyvers can’t fix it, we will doubtless have to turn back.Success!! Marcus finds a roughly matching part, and an hour of tinkering later, Dale finesses the piece into place. A narrow miss, thanks to our resourceful handymen.We’re now roughly 30 hours from Robinson Crusoe, a small, remote island where we’ll do a bit of exploring before getting back on our route to Rapa Nui. And soon, we’ll begin our research – which is what brings us to this far away part of the world, studying plastic marine pollution in an area that has yet to be explored. We truly have no idea what we will find.]]> Stiv Wilson Sun, 27 Mar 2011 15:41:28 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/27/and_were_off_charging_into_the_south_pacific_gyre_for_plastic PepsiCo announces all-plant-based plastic bottle (From Dr. Marcus Eriksen) http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/23/pepsico_announces_allplantbased_plastic_bottle_from_dr_marcus_eriksen It's a new Pepsi soda bottle, made from new PET plastic, that's derived from plants, such as switch grass, pine bark and corn husks rather than petroleum.  The benefit is clear: no more fossil fuels.  But what is the cost?We had a recent conversation about the new 100% plant-based PET soda bottles with a representative from the Container Recycling Institute (CRI).  It's a noteworthy step in the right direction to introduce fully plant-based, fossil fuel-free packaging.  We had a similar conversation with Proctor & Gamble executives last month - another large company that is also switching to plant-based plastic for some packaging.  One principal reason that accounts for the shift in resources is the economics of plants vs. petroleum to produce polyethylene or PET.  With the cost of petroleum rising, plants become a cheaper alternative.  P & G is working with a company in Brazil to convert sugar cane fiber into polyethylene.  But does plant-based mean "biodegradable"?  No.  There is some clarification needed here, in that these plant-based plastics are not biodegradable, and may still contribute to the polluting of marine environment if lost.  Chemically, they are the same as petroleum-based PE and PET.  It is important to understand that plant-based plastic does not mean they will biodegrade like your yard clippings will.  But there are such plastics in production. PLA is a common bioplastic used for many products today, and PHA, produced by Metabolix, is a marine degradable bioplastic alternative to plant or petroleum derived PE or PET.  The ASTM standards for PHA show that a cup lost at sea will lose 50% of its volume in 18 months.  But what we don't want is for any plastic, regardless of its content, to enter the marine environment.The difficult issue to address for all plastic is recovery.  How do you get back what the customer consumes?  Recycling programs fail by comparison to redemption programs - and this is where the greater challenge lies.  What was interesting to hear from the CRI folks was how difficult it is to get redemption values to stick for plastic containers, which is shown to be the most effective method of recovery for post-consumer plastic.  Do you remember turning in a glass CocaCola or Pepsi bottle for a dime?  The ability for the public to redeem plastic or glass container for a monetary deposit works very well in Canada, Europe and much of the developing world that still reuses glass bottles.  The argument from beverage companies is simple: we would rather have your city waste management (which is billed to taxpayers) deal with post-consumer plastic, than buy back bottles for a redemption value, which beverage companies pay for.  This is the Extended Producer Responsibility that PepsiCo and CocaCola resist, even though it is what works best.That's the bottom line.  The battle of plant vs. petroleum, or recycle vs. redemption, always falls on economics.  The greenwashing of introducing a plant-based bottle is secondary.]]> Stiv Wilson Wed, 23 Mar 2011 10:01:59 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/23/pepsico_announces_allplantbased_plastic_bottle_from_dr_marcus_eriksen Beach activism... Uruguayan Style. (by Sara Close) http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/22/beach_activism_uruguayan_style__by_sara_close

Uh-oh… Now what?

Like a scene out of West Side Story.  The Jets meet the Sharks, Latin American style.  From up over the crumbling cement of an eroding pier on Playa Los Angeles, they move toward us with intensity, with purpose.  There must be forty, even fifty in the gang… they far outweigh our crew. Intent all the while, each step brings them closer to where our group holds our ground.  Both groups charged with an energy and a cause – a reason to be right here, right in this moment. 

I turn to look at my comrades… their faces reflect similar splashes of purple, green orange and yellow paint to that splattered across my own – but through the holes in the face painted masks I can see the same look in their eyes as dances through my head… “What’s the protocol for a Uruguayan brawl?”

*****

On the list of things I wasn’t expecting to do a day after landing in Uruguay, getting my face painted with a bunch of the town locals wasn’t on it.  That said, I’ve never had an aversion to dressing up and making a bit of a scene, so trustingly I stepped in to a cultural experience directed by some new friends.

Not 24 hours earlier were we greeted by our loved ones, families and (surprisingly) a whole slew of locals hoisting signs above their heads and cheering.  Who were these folks?  During the press conference that followed moments after landing, 5 Gyres was introduced to these welcoming supporters and their local nonprofit.  Called Ecopolis, the group manages many facets of the environmental sustainability movement in Piriapolis, Uruguay. 

In addition to general education around resource management, sustainability and energy alternatives, Ecopolis has carved a niche in the coastal and beach activism arena. One of the most effective ways they see to educate and inspire activism from the community is through “skits.”  What I gleaned through the translators was that they’re not so much mini-plays as a display more akin to a parade.

“Can we do one?” I hear Leslie next to me inquire.  I wasn’t surprised she asked, and held my fingers crossed under the table that they would say yes.

“Si…” they said with surprise in their voices and faces.  “When?"

“How about tomorrow?”

And so it was that at 6:00pm on a Sunday – prime beach time in the city – we gathered at Los Angeles beach to begin preparations.  About 20 individuals showed up – local supporters, comrades from the Sea Dragon and volunteers with Ecopolis.  We were instantly splashed with face paint, doused with glitter, strewn with toy whistles and noise makers, and were taught the words of a chant:

Cuidemos nuestras playas

Tachin!

Juntemos la basura

Tachin!

Sumate y se uno mas

Tachin, Tachin, Tachin!

Roughly, this translates in to a catchy cheer about caring for our beaches and throwing away our trash.  “Tachin” is the Spanish version of “woop”, “hoorah” or “holler” as far as I can tell.  To the beat of a drummer and led by a flag dancer, the group of us began the chant and walked down on to the beach, yelling loudly, dancing and parading our signs for all the beach dwellers to see.

Insert for a moment some American mentality: a bit of nervousness on my part that what we were about to do would be a miserable flop.  That people don’t parade down beaches like this in the States.  What if people didn’t listen to us?  What if they laughed?  What if they threw their trash at us?

The reality of the situation couldn’t have been further from this imagined scenario.   To the contrary, the reception was uniquely Uruguayan, as far as I can tell – open, receptive and engaged all the time. 

There’s a massive 6-court beach volleyball tournament going on?  No problem.  They handed us the microphone and stopped the games to do our cheer for the audience and speak about our work. 

A family is quietly dining on empanadas, cobbed corn and mate?  No worries… they encouraged their little girls to bring the family’s trash to the bags we carried and deposit it. 

Oops, sorry, we just walked through your game of paddle ball by mistake – clapping and yelling and dancing?  Apparently not an issue here – they banged their paddles together and joined in on the cheer, lending strength to the message we carried.

The entire length of the beach we paraded, yelled, and carried on… feeding off the energy that the crowd in front of us was giving back.  It seemed like everything had gone perfectly.

And then we ran in to another group doing the same thing as us.  The Jets.

They had many more people than us.  They had bigger signs.  Music.  Costumes.  But surprisingly enough, they stepped back and quietly waited to cross our path on the beach until we were done with our chant.  When we were done, they applauded and yelled, and then swapped spots with us, taking formation in several long, spaced out lines.

Then something amazing happened.  Music started.  They looked at us and motioned for us to join them.  And we all started dancing.

I’ve never been involved in a flash mob before, and I don’t know if I’d count this one since we hadn’t rehearsed, but the moves were easy enough to follow that none of us made fools of ourselves.  We just boogied and danced our hearts out, laughing, on the beach.

When the music was done, they held up signs that spelled out, “No Violence.” We all shook hands, kissed cheeks, and went on our merry ways along the beach.

As we walked away, the realization of what a unique and powerful experience we’d just had hit me.  Not just standing up for something you believe in, but yelling, cheering, engaging others and ultimately shaking your booty for it in front of hundreds of other people.  I have the deepest gratitude for everyone with Ecopolis for opening our eyes to another way – different, but effective and engaging all the more – to bringing education and change to the community around us.

]]> Stiv Wilson Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:18:56 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/22/beach_activism_uruguayan_style__by_sara_close Yvon, 180 degrees and a blue marble http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/21/yvon_180_degrees_and_a_blue_marble_ At last weeks International Youth Summit on Plastic Pollution, Keynote speaker Dr. J. Nichols gave everyone a Blue Marble - a symbol to pass along in support of clean oceans.  I never imagined that one week later, in Santiago, Chile, I'd pass mine onto Yvon Chouinard! Meeting Yvon is way better than meeting any Hollywood celeb I can think of. Understated, humble, and radiating goodness, this man is a giant in the world of conservation. We got to chat with Yvon and his wife Malinda a bit at the Adventure Film Festival in Santiago, thanks to our amazing new Development Director and friend Sara Close. The Chouinards kept tabs on our last expedition across the South Atlantic Gyre, as one of our crew members Mary Osborne, is one of Patagonia's Surf Ambassadors, and their family friend. We're hoping this next voyage wont be nearly as rough as that one....but Mary, being the tough good sport she is, is already planning her next expedition with 5 Gyres!Also got a chance to meet Makohe, Easter Island's surf goddess and lone female star of 180 Degrees South. If you haven't yet seen this film, see it now! Though be warned, you might just quit what you're doing, load up a van with friends and adventure gear, and take off. We gave Makohe a 5 Gyres bottle, chatted Rapa Nui (Easter Island) a bit - and talked about meeting up on the Island when we land in April. Our plan is to walk the entire coastline, collecting plastic trash as we circumnavigate, and constructing a modern day "Moai", the mysterious Easter Island  figureheads, entirely out of plastic waste. A symbol of the direction humanity is heading if we don't clean up our acts....]]> Anna Cummins Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:39:54 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/21/yvon_180_degrees_and_a_blue_marble_ 100 International students rock solutions at the Youth Summit! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/19/100_international_students_rock_solutions_at_the_youth_summit It’s hard to be an environmentalist and not have moments of “ecofunk”. The world’s going to pieces, the powers that be don’t seem to care, and we’re all playing the same old records of Armageddon and disaster. But then there are even more powerful moments that fuel our spirits. Last weekend’s Plastics Are Forever International Youth Summit was one of these moments, watching 100 stellar, charged students from around the world gather to trade ideas, share solutions, and form a global network of change makers. All the previous months of planning and stress instantly melted away seeing students arrive from Kenya, Zambia, India, Indonesia, England, Guam, the Bahamas, Canada, Chile, Colombia, and the US. Each group came as a team of 2-4 students plus a teacher/mentor, bringing a solutions-oriented project to reduce plastic pollution in their community. And somehow, this kaleidoscope of different cultures and backgrounds came together with a chemistry I can only describe as magic. Friday’s festivities kicked off with the “around the gyres in 60 minutes” scavenger hunt, in which students completed a range of fun activities – silkscreening produce bags made from old tshirts, visiting the JUNKraft to snap a photo with Dr. Marcus Eriksen, boarding the ORV Alguita to chat gyre samples with Captain Moore, and making a statement on camera about their projects – to name a few.  After a few introductory welcomes and remarks, the evening’s talent show “stole the show”. I can safely say I have NEVER seen anything quite like this – students brought traditional costumes, songs and dance from their home countries, they rapped, break danced, strutted the catwalk in styley plastic outfits, did comedy improv skits - one duo even played the accordion and sang a Lady Gaga number. Each act was more incredible than the next, and the room was full of cheering, screaming, and laughter.  A perfect intro to Saturdays full day of workshops. Saturday morning began bright and early with an energizer from Jordan Howard, our phenom youth MC - 18 going on 35. Jordan shared some top public speaking tips, and introduced our Keynote speaker Dr. J Nichols. Who took her comments to heart and started his talk by lying on the floor. Tremendously inspiring as always, J’s talk titled “Twelve” encouraged students to simplify their ideas, to come up with projects that are attainable and achievable. Too many grand ideas are never realized, whereas sometimes the most effective projects started with a budget of $12. Students broke their projects into fundable milestones, which they then presented to the group – in 12 seconds. The next few hours took students through a number of hands on exercises geared towards refining their projects, honing communication skills, and coming up with a solid plan. First, determining plastic “facts from fiction” – every activist needs to have their facts straight….then listening to a Rise Above Plastics presentation by two students from the Environmental Charter High School, followed by learning the most recent science from PhD candidate Chelsea Rochman, mapping out an action plan with Kyle Thierman and Lindsey Jurca, and learning how to deliver a captivating “pitch” with scientist/filmmaker Dr. Randy Olson. Each team had a chance to practice their 60-second pitch with Randy, to prep for the real deal on Sunday. The afternoon concluded with two inspiring talks by actor/activist Ed Begley Jr., who shared his stories on treading lightly and empowering others to do the same, and our own hero Captain Charles Moore, the man who set this plastics revolution in motion. An incredible day - now time to play! A intense days work transitioned into a full blown dinner and dance party at the Long Beach Aquarium, with a stunning aquatic backdrop and a rockin’ DJ. This is where the real bonding takes place – on the dance floor! Some of us adults even joined in the festivities for a bit…  Sunday came around too quickly. We wrapped up with some final remarks from Jordan Howard, a work session for teams to perfect their pitches, and then the real deal – each team presented their incredible solutions-based projects in 60 seconds, showing their grasp of the beauty of brevity, the importance of storytelling, and capturing ones audience with emotion and a hook.And for the grand finale: a boat race! Students from Team Marine, with expert guidance from our resident trash boat builder Marcus Eriksen, built the “Lighter Glider”, “The Last Straw”, and the “Cola Kayak” – three boats built from trash. With the entire Summit in tow, we marched on down to the Marina, and raced the boats to the dock and back. As plastic tends to do, all 3 floated…. Already sad to say goodbye, students formed a long “hug chain”, hugging each and every participant, including those of us still in our wetsuits, covered with LA River funk, and talking about “the next one”. In the afterglow of what was truly an incredible gathering, we’re already talking about the next Summit. Knowing there is such unbelievably positive young energy in the world will certainly keep our momentum going. Stayed tuned for the video highlights and students everywhere, start working on your solutions!]]> Anna Cummins Sat, 19 Mar 2011 11:13:53 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/19/100_international_students_rock_solutions_at_the_youth_summit What can you do with 2000 disposable lighters? http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/19/what_can_you_do_with_2000_disposable_lighters (photo: Chris Jordan - www.chrisjordan.com)When we see this we can either point a finger to a problem and/or imagine a better way of doing things.  Students at Santa Monica High School have done both. Working with 5 Gyre's Marcus Eriksen, they asked John Klavitter, ecologist working for the @font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }@font-face { }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who manages Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, for 2,000 disposable lighters found in the bodies of Laysan Albatross.  Within a couple of months, two boxes arrived.  A month later, those lighters, along with 5 broken surfboards, became the "Lighter Glider".  The alternative to a plastic throwaway cigarette lighter is simple, use a match.  Paper or wooden matches are the easiest alternative, require less energy to produce, and the afterlife of a used match is a biodegradable material.  The benefit outweighs the cost.  Plastic has an afterlife that makes the cost far outweigh the benefit of short-term convenience.  This board will continue to carry this message, as it makes a fully functional paddleboard!]]> Marcus Eriksen Sat, 19 Mar 2011 11:01:24 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/19/what_can_you_do_with_2000_disposable_lighters Never Explored Gyres, Movie Stars, and Plastic Pollution Conferences. http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/17/never_explored_gyres_movie_stars_and_plastic_pollution_conferences My my, it's busy times here at 5 Gyres HQ.  Half the team has descended on Chile to embark on the first ever research expedition to the South Pacific and I'm packing bags to head for the marine debris (aka plastic pollution) conference in Hawaii.  So, the blog is pretty much going to be on fire for the next foreseeable future with reports from Anna and Marcus from the deep blue, and me on the ground in Hawaii.  Pictured above is one of our posters we'll be presenting at the conference. These are Marcus's babies. He's done a lot of work on trawl design (the devices by which we sample oceanic plastic) pushing the envelope for global data collection.  It's our mission to create several trawl designs for different applications/scenarios. What's important to remember about how plastic as pollution manifests in the ocean is that the data is still very, very limited. Though oceanic plastic pollution has received a lot of press lately, we still don't know very much. We know it's out there, we know we find it everywhere we look, and we know how much plastic we consume.   The scientific contributions to this issue are limited, too.  In total, there are probably only a couple dozen peer reviewed papers on the subject, and because data collection is very expensive, Marcus has made it his mission to get data from vessels of opportunity, creating trawls that citizen scientists and scientists alike can utilize to contribute to the picture. Beyond our own expeditions, our Travel Trawlprogram aims to put simple, compact trawls in the hands of sailors already going places that have never been explored.  As part of the program, sailors will be trained to execute an accepted protocol, giving us the best baseline picture of this problem yet.  Globally. Marcus's model will drastically reduce the cost of procuring good data.  And thus, beyond our own flagship expeditions, 5 Gyres will always have a presence at sea. To battle a global problem, we need global data.  On this voyage we have a few firsts, too.  We'll have a full time presence on Treehugger which is exciting. A writer from Latin America is aboard and will be sending updates several times a week. We also have activist/actress Q'orianka Kilcher aboard as part of a larger PR/Outreach campaign. Stayed tuned! Lots happening, and as always, we can always use your help.]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:02:55 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/17/never_explored_gyres_movie_stars_and_plastic_pollution_conferences I Believe The Children Are Our Future: Sara Close On The Importance Of Youth In A Grassroots Movement. http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/16/i_believe_the_children_are_our_future_sara_close_on_the_importance_of_youth_in_a_grassroots_movement

BOULDER, Colorado. Special Agent Close Call, aka, Sara Close, 5 Gyres's Development Director Reporting in From The Field. 

A HUGE thank you is in order for Mandy Stepanovsky’s brilliant class of 5th grade students at the Friend’s School.  Based in Boulder, Colorado, I had the opportunity to visit on Monday morning – and I can’t think of a better way to have started my week.

 

Prior to leaving for the South Atlantic expedition in late-December, Ms. Stepanovsky and I corresponded about introducing the topic of plastic pollution and the gyres in to the science curriculum for her class.  After introducing them to the subject via a ‘mini-unit’, we decided to test some new waters – a virtual teaching classroom via Skype.  For about ten minutes, I spoke to them about my work with 5 Gyres and the trip I was about to embark on, and then each of the kids took turns coming up to the computer camera and asking me questions.

 

Not only did it work incredibly well, but it gave the students an opportunity to personally meet with someone who is connected with the issue – even though I was entirely across the country in Virginia.   I was amazed at the level of enthusiasm, intellect and concern for this issue demonstrated by the class – and considered myself lucky to have had the opportunity to ‘meet’ them via Skype.

 

Well, then I got to meet them in person.  I am blown away by this class.

Not only did they follow the 5 Gyres blog during the expedition and continue to study this issue, but they were encouraged as a class to run with their ideas of how to contribute to a solution.  Thus, not only did they initiate and conduct their own outreach and education campaign in the school, giving presentations to all of the classes from K-5, but they also got crafty.  Gathering plastic trash from other classrooms in the school, the students designed and constructed planters into which they planted an array of herbs and vegetables. 

 

The beautiful array of colorful, repurposed plastic planters sit on the windowsill in their classroom, where they are attended to and watered daily.  Once fully grown, the class intends to sell them as a means to raise funds, and donate the proceeds to 5 Gyres.

 

The level of understanding, compassion and sincere desire to help evident in this class makes me reminded – as I thankfully am, quite often – of why I love my job, and why I’ll never question my belief of investing in and educating kids for a brighter, plastic-free tomorrow.

]]> Stiv Wilson Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:08:29 PDT http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/16/i_believe_the_children_are_our_future_sara_close_on_the_importance_of_youth_in_a_grassroots_movement Bird Barf Becomes Bitchin Board http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/11/bird_barf_becomes_bitchin_board clicking here.A few weeks later two boxes arrived on my doorstep, and that day I brought them to the students of Team Marine at Santa Monica High School.  We decided to build a giant surfboard.  First we collected 5 broken surfboards.Fiberglassed the boards together and began gluing lighters on top.Then finished the word "RE-THINK" on the board as a mosaic of the lighters.Thanks to John Klavitter 4,000 miles away on Midway Atoll, and Ben Kay's students at Team Marine, for amazing work and passion to keep plastic from impacting wildlife in the world's oceans.]]> Marcus Eriksen Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:36:15 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/11/bird_barf_becomes_bitchin_board Mardi Gras In NOLA = Below Sea Level Plastic Garbage http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/10/mardi_gras_in_nola__below_sea_level_plastic_garbage (Photo by Patrick Semansky, NOLA)Wow. This is one of those times when you think about celebration, you think about consequence, you think about excess, you think about consumerism, you think about the fact that there are fewer than 500 people in the world working on oceanic plastic issues full time and you kind of freak out.  We have a long way to go in this movement.  For all the inspiration, good work and good people sometimes the monster we fight shows his face and we're all taken aback.  But never say die. Support us. Please.]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 10 Mar 2011 09:50:26 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/10/mardi_gras_in_nola__below_sea_level_plastic_garbage Electrolux Blogger aboard the Sea Dragon! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/06/electrolux_blogger_aboard_the_sea_dragon educate the public about plastic pollution by creating a special, custom Vacuum cleaner using gyre plastic, we immediately took notice. Many conversations later,  Electrolux launched a contest to put a crew member/blogger on a 5 Gyres expedition, and we're thrilled to see her first reports from Southern Chile! The contest was fantastic, with top notch video entries from all over the world. We loved winner Brit Ligget's entry - creative, smart and adorable - and can't wait to hear more of her observations - "sea" for yourself here", and check back for more reports from Brit! One of our goals with 5 Gyres is to bring people out to witness plastic marine pollution first hand - journalists, scientists, artists, filmmakers, photographers, bloggers, and everyday concerned citizens. There is simply no more powerful motivator than seeing that our planet's last frontier, the ocean, is covered with a thin confetti of plastic garbage. Interested in joining a voyage? Give us a shout.....you just might be our next crew member. ]]> Anna Cummins Sun, 06 Mar 2011 07:53:48 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/06/electrolux_blogger_aboard_the_sea_dragon RECYCLE/RAVE - LA Event on March 12th to benefit 5 Gyres http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/05/recyclerave__la_event_on_march_12th_to_benefit_5_gyres Check it out.  March 12th come have a good time and benefit 5 Gyres while you're at it.]]> Marcus Eriksen Sat, 05 Mar 2011 10:20:56 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/05/recyclerave__la_event_on_march_12th_to_benefit_5_gyres The Cost of Throwaway Plastics Outweigh the Benefit http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/04/the_cost_of_throwaway_plastics_outweigh_the_benefit (photo:China Photos, Getty Images)One thing we've done effectively with audiences is to have a conversation about the cost and benefit of plastics.  We first talk about all of the benefits, like industrial and technological applications, medical uses, and consumer durable goods and single-use throwaways.  They all have benefits to society.  We communicate better, transport goods easily, keep things sanitary, and save lives.  But the costs vary widely.  The pre-consumer costs are the same: petroleum extraction, polymerization, fabrication into goods, then transportation.  The post-consumer cost is where we see differences.  Medical applications of plastic have tremendous benefit, and because much of the waste is considered a bio-hazard, it is handled carefully, even incinerated on-site in many hospitals.   Industrial/technological applications of plastic often make their way through society to the eventual landfill, recycle center or incinerator, with little opportunity to see the sea.  Only when the industrial application is for the maritime industry do we see loss of nets, buoys and fishing crates.  In fact, on our first crossing of the South Atlantic from Rio to Cape Town, the largest pieces of plastic pollution we encountered were primarily these three types of objects.  So the post consumer cost of medical plastics and industrial/technological plastics, which include ingestion and entanglement by marine life, navigational hazards, and blighted coasts and communities, may or may not outweigh the benefits to society.  When we look at single-use throwaways, like plastic bags, bottles, bottle caps, utensils, cups and lids, stir sticks, plastic film and other packaging, many hygiene products, cigarette butts, and thousands of others, we begin to see the cost is a greater burden to society than the benefit.  Although most of this is recovered through municipal waste management, and some through voluntary recycling, there is still a significant amount that becomes litter.  Throwaway plastics in the marine environment quickly break into microplastic particles, which we have found in our trawls around the world, washed up in heaps on remote beaches, and in the stomachs of countless marine organisms.  Throwaway plastics cost municipalities, and taxpayers, millions through waste management, from pulling plastic bags out of trees, digging them out of sewer pipes, netting them from rivers, sweeping them from streets, hand-removing them from beaches and roadsides, and then burying or burning them in landfills or incinerators.  These cost arguably outweigh the short-term benefit.  We must stop using plastic for single-use, throwaway consumer products and packaging.  Sure, we could improve recycling strategies, but this will not stop the trickle of intentional and unintentional litter that leaves the land. Cities is developed nations do the best they can to mitigate plastic waste from the environment, and tax citizens to pay for it.  In developing nations there is no infrastructure, so we see mountains of plastic pollution choking waterways and flowing out to sea.  Many companies see these difficulties, and have made the changes on their own.  Many have not.  Extended Producer Responsibility and bans or fees on specific single-use throwaway products, are the pieces of legislation that are working around the world.]]> Marcus Eriksen Fri, 04 Mar 2011 06:40:21 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/04/the_cost_of_throwaway_plastics_outweigh_the_benefit New study finds plastic pollution in marine catfish http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/03/new_study_finds_plastic_pollution_in_marine_catfish Fascinating. Check out this new study from Brazil, an "unexpected fisheries impact", finding plastic pollution in 3 different marine species of catfish, in all three phases of development - juveniles, sub-adults, and adults. Abstract here for those who want the quick overview. The last line resonates with our mission: "Conservation actions will need to from now on to take plastics pollution into consideration."Abstract

Plastic marine debris is a pervasive type of pollution. River basins and estuaries are a source of plastics pollution for coastal waters and oceans. Estuarine fauna is therefore exposed to chronic plastic pollution. Three important catfish species [Cathorops spixii (N = 60), Cathorops agassizii (N = 60) and Sciades herzbergii (N = 62)] from South Western Atlantic estuaries were investigated in a tropical estuary of the Brazilian Northeast in relation to their accidental ingestion of plastic marine debris. Individuals from all three species had ingested plastics. In C. spixii and C. agassizii, 18% and 33% of individuals had plastic debris in their stomachs, respectively. S. herzbergii showed 18% of individuals were contaminated. All ontogenetic phases (juveniles, sub-adults and adults) were contaminated. Nylon fragments from cables used in fishery activities (subsistence, artisanal and commercial) played a major role in this contamination. These catfish spend their entire life cycles within the estuary and are an important feeding resource for larger, economically important, species. It is not yet possible to quantify the scale and depth of the consequences of this type of pollution. However, plastics are a well known threat to living resources in this and other estuaries. Conservation actions will need to from now on to take plastics pollution into consideration.

]]> Anna Cummins Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:32:20 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/03/new_study_finds_plastic_pollution_in_marine_catfish Media Hits From The South Atlantic Gyre: Simon and Willemien Make Headlines. http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/03/media_hits_from_the_south_atlantic_gyre_simon_and_willemien_make_headlines As we often say here at 5 Gyres HQ 'A Global Problem Requires a Global Solution.'  This mantra is burned into each of us, realizing that though the United States is responsible for a lot of marine plastic pollution, it's not the only offender.  Sailing around the earth studying plastic pollution in the most remote places on the planet teaches us some very practical lessons. Not the least of which is: if you're going to engage in a foreign community, you will need foreigners to serve as ambassadors for your issue to ring authentic. To foment change.  This is precisely why we enlisted Willemien Calitz and Simon Max Bannister to join our expedition to The South Atlantic Gyre.  It was our hope that the experience would impress on them the urgency of the problem and give them the motivation to act.  On their home turf.  We're exceptionally impressed by these two South African agents of change and are honored to have them serving as 5 Gyres ambassadors at large.  Willemien, a journalist for the The Green Times reported daily from the expedition, providing the first ever accounts by a South African of plastic in the gyres. Willemien has a desire to spark a green journalism movement in her country as much of the news reporting to date is often concerned with humanitarian issues.  But as she noted on the ship, a healthy environment is at the root of every human's basic needs and pollution is often an indicator of poverty.  Thanks Willemien, we're lucky to have you in the army.Simon Max Bannister is a South African artist who manipulates found beach plastic into works of art. But his work isn't meant for just the artistic elite. To the contrary,  Max prefers to showcase his work in public venues as a means of confronting the viewer with the product and consequences of modernity as portrayed in the 'monsters' he creates.  Plastic, to his aesthetic, is something that we as a society have lost respect for, and thus, we don't value it.  The 5 Gyres Institute plans global exhibitions with Max's work in the future.  Simon, we loved having you aboard and we're happy to have your talent as an agent of change.  Take a moment to read an article on the two in The Cape Argus.]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:45:03 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/03/media_hits_from_the_south_atlantic_gyre_simon_and_willemien_make_headlines 5 Gyres to cross the the South Pacific http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/01/5_gyres_to_cross_the_the_south_pacific_ RESEARCHERS CONCLUDE MOST EXTENSIVE STUDY OF OCEAN PLASTIC POLLUTION EVER UNDERTAKEN Goal of Voyage Through Fifth of Five Gyres is to Bring Attention to Global Problem Researchers Recently Profiled on Voice Of America FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Zan Dubin Scott: (310) 383-0956 SANTA MONICA, CALIF., Feb 28, 2011—Capping the most extensive study of ocean plastic pollution ever undertaken, pioneering researchers with the 5 Gyres Institute will launch a voyage on March 19 through the fifth of five global subtropical gyres, the massive swirling areas of the ocean where plastic debris accumulates. The crew, lead by Dr. Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins of Santa Monica, CA will sail over 2,000 miles from Valdivia, Chile, zig-zagging through the South Pacific Gyre to arrive at Easter Island on April 7. Little data on plastic in this region exists. The researchers however expect to find the same kind of plastic pollution - known to harm marine life, fisheries, and possibly threaten human health - that they appear to have have found in every sample they've taken while sailing through 20,000 miles in the North Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Indian Ocean Gyres. No other such researchers have sailed through all of the world's five subtropical gyres. 5 Gyres goal is to document the problem, bring it to the world's attention and foster solutions. "We want to show that this is a global problem, and to inspire international cooperation," says Cummins, who co-founded 5 Gyres with Eriksen. "Every country in the world is contributing to the problem and thus needs to be involved actively in solutions that reduce the flow of plastic to our oceans." Most ocean plastic pollution takes the form of tiny plastic bits resulting from degraded fishing gear or plastic waste flowing out to sea from land. Sea turtles, marine mammals, birds and fish ingest these plastic particles, potentially causing internal blockages and an increased accumulation of synthetic chemicals in their bodies. The debris may also kill seabirds and marine animals that can die of starvation, their bellies full of plastic mistaken for food. 5 Gyres is also studying whether humans are being harmed by eating fish that have ingested debris contaminated with PCBs, DDT, and other toxins. The non-profit organization is collaborating with the Algalita Marine Research Foundation and Pangaea Explorations, and working the the United Nations' Safe Planet campaign. "Scientists are concerned that plastic debris in the ocean can transport toxic substances which may end up in the food chain, causing potential harm to ecosystems and human health," says Michael Stanley-Jones, public information officer for Safe Planet: the United Nations Campaign for Responsibility on Hazardous Chemicals and Wastes. While the plastic marine debris problem is typically described as a well defined "garbage patch," plastic pollution at sea takes the form of a thin, diffuse soup. Either way, it cannot be cleaned up by any practical means, so society must stop the problem at its source, the researchers stress. They advocate improving the recyclability of plastics, legislation requiring companies to take responsibility for recovery and reuse of their products, and curbs on single-use disposable products. 5 Gyres' voyage coincides with the 5th International Marine Debris Conference, March 20-25 in Honolulu, organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) About the 5 Gyres Institute: The 5 Gyres Institute is a nonprofit organization committed to meaningful change through research and education. 5 Gyres disseminates its findings through lectures and traveling exhibits, and raises awareness of ocean plastic pollution through expeditions, including that aboard JUNKraft, the boat built in 2008 of 15,000 plastic bottles. It collaborates with Algalita Marine Research Foundation and Pangaea Explorations, which provide it with a marine laboratory and research vessel, respectively. After studying the five subtropical gyres, 5 Gyres will monitor these vortexes through continued expeditions and Traveling Trawl Program voyages, which loan research equipment to volunteer “citizen scientists." MEDIA: HERE ARE PHOTOS OF 5 GYRES, ANNA CUMMINS, MARCUS ERKISEN AND PLASTIC OCEAN POLLUTION ]]> Anna Cummins Tue, 01 Mar 2011 11:48:09 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/03/01/5_gyres_to_cross_the_the_south_pacific_ The Myth Of Recycling: Unraveling The Industry's Rhetoric. http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/25/the_myth_of_recycling_unraveling_the_industrys_rhetoric_ We just need more recycling!  This is the cry of industry repeated everywhere across the country when towns, cities or states look to implement common sense policies to eliminate plastic bags from the waste stream. Let's run some numbers and start unraveling this a bit- 60,000 plastic bags are consumed every five seconds. That's the supply side of the economics.  The demand is for less than 3-5% of all plastics worldwide, especially in the United States.  Recently, a newspaper in my home state of Oregon printed a piece talking about the need for curbside recycling to help curb the marine-eco disaster that plastic pollution causes in our watersheds and shared ocean. At first blush, it seems to make sense. The article stated that right now, citizens of the county where the paper serves must bring their bags to The Marion County Transfer Station for recycling which is an inconvenience.  But what's important to note is that 'able to be recycled' and 'is recycled' are two very different things.  After contacting the Marion County transfer station, they told me that all the plastic bags they collect go to Agri-Plas, Inc.  So I called Agri-Plas to ask what they do with them.  The answer: nothing.  As Jennifer Sanders, a worker there said, and I quote, "There is absolutely no market for PE in the United States.  Everything we've collected in the past two years, at least, is still sitting here. Sometimes MAYBE China will take them, maybe." How many citizens of Marion County who in good faith drive their bags to the transfer station know that their bags are not being recycled? Or the grocery store? Or anywhere in the US? And why?  Because nobody in the market can afford to recycle them because the economics don't pencil out.The largest plastic bag recycling center in the world is in Indiana, called Hilex Poly.  Here's what I want to know- at $.10/a pound, bound and delivered for HDPE, are they turning a profit? That doesn't even cover delivery costs.  Has anyone looked at the company's finances to determine if this is actually a market based solution? Probably not, because you can't.  They're a private LLC held by HPC which manufactures plastic products. Hilex, at times, appears to be the PR front for the argument of industry lobby. They give no recycling rates of bags for the United States on their website, and they employ about a 1,000 people nationally. California's taxpayers spend 25 million dollars a year to collect and bury 19 billion plastic bags a year. 19 BILLION!  If the market was THAT good for recycling, venture capital would be opening plastic bag recycling plants in every area where they're consumed, yesterday. But instead, millions of dollars are spent on lobbyists to defeat bag bans.  It's simple: supply WAY exceeds demand.  Recycling is a band-aid on an ocean-sized wound.  The industry continually talks about more recycling as a solution but the problem is, supply will always exceed demand, because consumption outpaces recycling-- this is what the lobby is protecting-- that consumers keep consuming.  Even if recycling rates go up, albeit slowly, consumption rates go up way faster--  which means the problem is getting worse, not better-- even with improved recycling.  Every year, more bags are consumed and more virgin plastic is produced.  If recycling was truly a solution, wouldn't the market for virgin plastics be declining?  Across the board?  Here's the problem with that--  You can't make a bag out of a bag.  You still need virgin content because the the polymer chains that hold a bag together are weakened by the recycling process.  You can only, downcycle, meaning--make products of less structural integrity than the one it's born from.  So simple math says this-- no matter how much you recycle, there will still be a net higher amount of plastic bags on the planet.  In the ocean.  In the river.  In the landfill.  In the sewer.  What's doubly insidious is that the industry is very well aware of this fact as well as the economics regarding their products in the waste stream. Cynically, they prop up recycling as a way of passing the buck to the taxpayer and government to deal with their waste.  This is calculated.  This is on purpose.  Millions of dollars are spent lobbying, creating misleading ads, rainbow and flower advertising, and oh, yes, in campaign contributions to policy-makers.  Wouldn't this money be better spent actually trying to fix the problem? Why is this money not going into venture capital to create bag recycling infrastructure if the market is that good? WHY!Personally, I've sailed 15,000 miles with our team looking at plastic pollution in every ocean in or outside of the gyres. Plastic in the ocean increases in density in the gyres, but not in frequency.  It's not a lie, nor a stretch, to say plastic exists everywhere in the ocean and the ocean comprises 70% of the earth's surface-- it doesn't manifest like a trash island, but more like a giant synthetic soup of fragmented plastic-- in fact, from our research, HDPE is the second most common type of plastic in the ocean.  Plastic is on every beach in the world.  Perhaps the most startling thing members or our team have witnessed in our global campaign is this: plastic bags, weighted by sediment sink and cover the ocean floor in Recife, Brazil, so vastly that our ship could not set anchor.  COULD NOT SET ANCHOR! No, just plastic, plastic, plastic replacing the seafloor.  And as a citizen concerned by this madness, who has traveled the world bearing witness to the effect plastic has on our environment and global economy, I can't listen to industry tell me that this material is valuable when everywhere you look it's treated like garbage, worldwide. And why is it treated like garbage? Because it is.  Non-biodegradble garbage.]]> Stiv Wilson Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:21:49 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/25/the_myth_of_recycling_unraveling_the_industrys_rhetoric_ 5 Gyres joins Teens Turning Green - join us Saturday! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/23/5_gyres_joins_teens_turning_green__join_us_saturday Angelenos, come out this coming Saturday to Teens Turning Green Environmental Summit in LA! This super inspiring group of teen sustainability leaders and partner organizations is doing tremendous work to inspire local change and empower youth in a refreshingly positive way. 5 Gyres will join a panel of speakers - California Assemblymember Mike Davis, Physicians for Social Responsibility ED Martha Arguello, and Ecostilleto Founder Rachel Sarnoff - moderated by Jordan Howard and Rudy Sanchez, two of LA's greatest youth assets from the Environmental Charter High School. The event is free to the public - only requirements are a positive 'tude. ]]> Anna Cummins Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:25:10 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/23/5_gyres_joins_teens_turning_green__join_us_saturday TEAM MARINE and 5 GYRES to turn 2000 Lighters into a Paddleboard http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/21/team_marine_and_5_gyres_to_turn_2000_lighters_into_a_paddleboard Once again, Team Marine, made up of students from Santa Monica High School, are lending their creative minds and motivation to 5 Gyres to turn 2000 disposable plastic lighters into a functional paddleboard.  The lighters were donated by John Klavitter, M.S., of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.  "The disposable plastic lighters either washed ashore or were carried here in the stomachs of Laysan Albatross," John said.  After learning about this project, John eagerly took the time to send them to 5 Gyres and Team Marine for this project.  Using a broken paddleboard, the Team Marine students, led by their teacher Benjamin Kay and 5 Gyres co-founder Marcus Eriksen, will use the lighters to repair and decorate the board so it can once again surf the California waves.  The finished board will premier at the first International Youth Summit on Plastics, held by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation on March 11th,12th, and 13th.  Stay tuned to see the finished work in the coming weeks!  You can also read the student's blog about the project, here.]]> Stiv Wilson Mon, 21 Feb 2011 12:27:58 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/21/team_marine_and_5_gyres_to_turn_2000_lighters_into_a_paddleboard Lipstick on a Fred Meyer Pig: The Ban The Bag Chronicles. http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/20/lipstick_on_a_fred_meyer_pig_the_ban_the_bag_chronicles_ (thanks to Charlie Plybon of The Surfrider Foundation for this image that he appropriately entitled, 'OMG')How do you responsibly respond to this picture with being really sarcastic? Here lies a flimsy plastic bag, probably twice as thick as a regular plastic bag and is selling for 10 cents.  In Oregon, we've championed some preemptive efforts by Fred Meyer, a regional grocery store chain, who have voluntarily eliminated single-use plastic bags from some of their stores as part of their sustainability campaign and help buoy our statewide efforts to ban the bag.  On the company's website, they straight up are asking their shoppers to eliminate plastic bags as part of what they call, 'responsible shopping.'  That's good. So Fred, what the heck are you doing here?  Whose idea was this and why does he or she still have a job?  Don't your realize you're contradicting yourself?  The point behind a bag ban, even though bags only amount to about 2% of litter is to confront a consumer at the moment of purchase with the idea that single-use plastic, in any form, is not a sustainable choice.  Making a single-use bag 2mm thicker and claiming that it's meant for reuse isn't the kind of proactive, responsible corporate behavior we're looking for to battle the marine eco-disaster that is plastic pollution.  Nor is it combatting the incredible cost to taxpayers each year for pulling plastic bags out of our sewer systems.  Nor is it helping the recycling industry that spends a lot of time and money on plastic bags that have gummed up their machines.  Ask yourself, Fred, can you imagine someone throwing this bag in the garbage and another person standing by saying, 'whoa, whoa, there bub-- you can't chuck that bag, I paid ten cents for it!'  Or someone picnicking on the beach and a sudden burst of wind picks up the bag and blows it towards the ocean and the reaction of that picnicker is to run after it screaming, 'I paid 10 cents for that! Somebody help!'  Ah, no. And readers of this blog, take action, tell Melinda Merrill at Fred Meyer exactly what you think of this picture.  ]]> Stiv Wilson Sun, 20 Feb 2011 07:40:49 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/20/lipstick_on_a_fred_meyer_pig_the_ban_the_bag_chronicles_ The True Cost of Plastic: Ondoy Floods = A Synthetic Philippines http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/17/the_true_cost_of_plastic_ondoy_floods__a_synthetic_philippines (photos by FRANCIS R. MALASIG)I just read an argument against plastic bag bans from an industry wonk who claimed, "Only 2% of plastic waste is bags." Okay, well, after looking at this picture, let's just go ahead and say in response: we have a long way to go after we ban the bag.  Especially in places that simply can't deal with imported 'soon to be garbage' like the Philippines.  Marcus Eriksen, our Executive Director, sent along these photos to me yesterday along with a few words. His meditation encapsulates the spirit of 5 Gyres exceptionally well and hints toward the direction we're moving in the future. 

The people at the end of the road, that we sometimes forget exist, bear the burden of civilization's excess.  The developing world wants the affluence and convenience of the west, but the infrastructure for waste management does not exist.  Our collective conscience cannot tolerate the synthetic chemistry of our industrial and technological advances to become the burden of our poorest communities or reside in the bodies of our children, yet today everyone carries this chemical legacy.  The producers of plastics have an obligation to plan for the post-consumer life of their product, all the way to the end.  If you want to clean the 5 gyres in the ocean of plastic waste, then give your time and funds to those that clean up these watersheds, where plastic hurts people.  And more importantly, to those legislative advocates that prevent the proliferation of plastic pollution throughout society.  To reach the people at the end of the road, we have to begin our work there and work backwards to ourselves.

So how much garbage inundates the Philippines during the Ondoy floods?  Check a snippit from this blog:Giant consumer goods manufacturer Unilever claims that every day, it sells 160 million products. Assuming that the sales volume of the other manufacturing giants, Procter & Gamble and Nestle is in the vicinity of Unilever’s, that would be some 500 million products sold daily. Let’s peg a conservative estimate that 10 percent of all products sold are in plastic sachets, then that’s 50 million. That’s 50 million plastic sachets and pouches that will eventually find its way to our oceans, waterways, landfills and drainage systems ready to clog the free flow of water and trigger floods or kill marine wildlife. But it is really reasonable to think that of the 500 million products sold daily by the three giants, only 10 percent of are in tiny plastic sachets?]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 17 Feb 2011 08:27:03 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/17/the_true_cost_of_plastic_ondoy_floods__a_synthetic_philippines Ban The Bag: Acting Local, Working Global http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/16/ban_the_bag_acting_local_working_global Back on land, back in the US of A and there is no rest for the wicked. Expeditions are marvelous, and The 5 Gyres Institute plans maintain a constant presence at sea for two reasons---one, it's important for us that plastic pollution is constantly monitored in all parts of the world because seeing is believing and someone has to do it. Two, because we take people from all over the world out into the plastic wilderness to see firsthand what this plastic pollution really looks like. There is a lot of myth dispelling about how plastic in the gyres manifest and we need legions of advocates to set the story straight. That's why we will always be on expedition.But at home, on terra-firma, my mind shifts a bit from discovery to community engagement.  Oregon, my home state, is currently considering a bag ban in the state legislature and we're facing a vociferous plastic lobby trying to stop it.  I've heard reports that in Salem, Oregon's capital, that there are no fewer than 21 lobbyists working to stop a ban. That's an incredible amount for the size of our government.  But thanks to countless selfless and passionate people, we've got a good chance at making a historic policy make it on the books.  And we've also got Boulder, Colorado on the radar now, too.  And we're tracking countless others. (Gordan MIllar on his way to raise hell in Edinburgh. photo via Telegraph UK) 5 Gyres thinks global, all the time, because the ocean knows no boundaries. A bag ban in Australia is good for the ocean in Uruguay. But focusing, I'm excited for Thursday in Edinburgh, where our pal and comrade in arms, Gordon Millar, will be making his case for a bag ban there. Good luck Gordo. We're with you!Yesterday, I was interviewed for a story on 5 Gyres by a local paper and one of the questions was, "What's so bad about the plastic bag?" I love this question.  I'm not going to go into every talking point that wants to come whizzing out of my head right now but I'll close with a story from one of our expeditions--In Recife, Brazil, our captains were trying to set the anchor at night in a fairly dodgy situation. The anchor wouldn't grab.  This is very rare for Sea Dragon.  The captains pulled the anchor up to investigate the problem.  Bags.  Plastic bags--1,000s of them sitting on the floor of the ocean in such quantity that they had become the floor of the ocean.  The anchor was full of them. And so they cleaned it off, and tried again.  And again, the same result.  Finally after a handful of attempts the hook held.  This is what the plastic lobby is protecting.  Why?  Sure, there is some short term money to be lost, but when are we going to start thinking about long term economic security?  Why not put some of that money into research in development for a cradle to cradle strategy for your products?  Or develop waste management infrastructure to deal with it in the places where the products are imported?  Or both?People often ask me how I emotionally deal with traveling the globe and seeing the same thing everywhere-- 63 days at sea seeing plastic in every sample. And big stuff floating by.  Here's what I can say.  Sometimes it's tough.  But I also see good work being done. Cynically, I believe that no matter what, the truth will come to light because it will become undeniable soon enough.  Everyone likes the beach, and every beach has plastic on it.  There ain't no hiding that for much longer.  And that's precisely why as an NGO, 5 Gyres is lean, mobile, and out in the world. Because the story is out there.  We're working to narrate it.  Help us on our journey. 5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. ]]> Stiv Wilson Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:07:06 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/16/ban_the_bag_acting_local_working_global Dragones Del Mar Contra El Plastico! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/08/dragones_del_mar_contra_el_plastico We're here. We've arrived in Piriapolis, Uruguay after a wonderful, if not challenging at times, month at sea. From a research perspective, we couldn't have had better weather. Almost all of our surface sampling in the South Atlantic Gyre was in flat calm seas. From a sailing standpoint, we certainly could have used a little more wind, especially with our motor being broken. After days of drifting, we finally got some air to fill the sails and we arrived only three days later than expected. Big thanks to the Pangaea Exploration Skippers, Clive and Dale who kept us moving forward. Clive is a sailboat racer at heart and in the last few weeks he was constantly working to get just a few more knots of speed out of Sea Dragon. Lots of sail changes, but in the end, he managed to sail us within two hundred feet of the opening to the harbor as fast as the wind would allow. We did it, we did two successful transects of a never before explored subtropical oceanic gyre over the course of three months. Anecdotally, I can say this: there's lots of plastic out there, moving from the borders of the gyre to center saw a significant increase in surface sample density. We observed macro plastic pollution on both voyages as well. Tomorrow, I will ship our second set of samples to the United States for analysis. We're excited. The Uruguayan people are amazing and we've met with beach cleanup groups and have received a ton of press here. The photo above is the front page of El Pais, the largest newspaper in Uruguay. Big thanks to crew member Carolyn Box and her sister Heather Box who did incredible work organizing press events and meetings with local NGOs working on the plastic pollution issue. You two are amazing. Now, we're getting down to some serious development work. We've achieved a lot on very limited resources already, but we're working hard with passion and humility to make The 5 Gyres Institute a global leader for change. 5 Gyres never stops. We maintain a constant expedition presence at sea and we're working hard to bring the issue of plastic pollution and solutions to every corner of the globe.  As we've seen for ourselves exploring uncharted gyres in parts of the world never explored for plastic pollution, we need a worldwide response to a worldwide problem. It's our desire to work with every organization and government interested in the cause and keep pushing the outreach, science and education boundaries that have largely kept the public perception of this problem limited to one part of the world. We're out here on the frontier, using every resource we gain to go into discovery missions as we sail the world. Thanks for all of the support from our sponsors, Chaco, EcoUsable, Quiksilver Foundation, Electrolux, Patagonia, and all the individuals who have so generously given to us. Without your help, we couldn't do this. Thanks to our media partners for the is voyage Red Reel Media and Wend Media too. Thanks to our expedition partner Pangaea Exploration for all their hard work keeping Sea Dragon moving fast and efficient. And big thanks to Under Solen Media for handling our press and digital presence during this incredible journey. Get onboard. Donate today. South Pacific, here we come! 5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Stiv Wilson Tue, 08 Feb 2011 10:06:28 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/08/dragones_del_mar_contra_el_plastico Thank You Electrolux http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/07/thank_you_electrolux_ By Sara CloseFebruary 2, 2011We’ve traveled nearly 4,000 nautical miles from our origin of Walvis Bay, Namibia across the majority of the South Atlantic Ocean, and in a few days time, the Sea Dragon – our research sailing vessel turned home – will be docking in Uruguay. This will mark the completion of the second-ever transect studying plastics in the South Atlantic Gyre. Luckily for the crew aboard, there has been no shortage of beautiful weather, bringing not only an abundance of time in the sun, but also calm waters for conducting research. The 5 Gyres transoceanic surveys are completed through a process called “trawling,” whereby a customized device – designed and handmade by 5 Gyres co-founder, Dr. Marcus Eriksen – is dragged alongside the boat to collect surface debris every 60 nautical miles. Calm sea states might not be the best indicator for a quick moving sailboat (as we’ve learned the hard way), but the sampling from each of the trawls has been amazingly accurate and, as we set out to discover, plastic positive. The samples we collect from this voyage and others goes back to our labs in Redondo Beach, California where it is lovingly, yet painstakingly, analyzed for density and surface abundance. Each and every piece of plastic is picked through and separated from the original sample, then analyzed under a microscope – hardly a glamorous job. Regardless, this is the most important – and the hardest to fund – step of the research frontier that 5 Gyres is leading. This is why we’re thankful for trawl sponsors, like Electrolux, who support 5 Gyres in this endeavor. Through the Sponsor a Trawl program, companies, individuals and foundations can support a single surface trawl, from the physical collection at sea to lab analysis on land. We were thrilled when Electrolux approached us this past fall with the desire to get involved with 5 Gyres – and the sponsorship of a unique trawl in the South Atlantic that ended up being quite a surprise for us all! The photo here is of the first piece of macro-debris that we caught in the 5 Gyres Manta Trawl – a trawl that is designed to collect smaller, micro-debris at lower speeds. However, on this particular day, we managed to snag a larger piece of plastic – an entirely intact plastic water bottle. With only a few written characters on top to indicate its origin, this is a reminder that plastic trash in our ocean is indiscriminate and resilient, with the ability to travel thousands of miles to reach the center of an accumulation zone, like that of the South Atlantic Gyre. We would like to extend a warm thank you to Electrolux for their support of this trawl, and for their continued dedication to 5 Gyres above and beyond this program. We are looking forward to hosting an Electrolux video contest winner on an upcoming expedition this spring, who will be aiding in the collection of plastic debris to create a “sprinkle vacuum” similar to the one you can see here. We encourage all of our readers and supporters to visit their website to check out this and other innovative designs and products from Electrolux. Thank you, Electrolux! For more information on the Sponsor A Trawl program or other opportunities to support 5 Gyres, please email Sara Close (sara[at]5gyres[dot]org), Development Director. 5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Stiv Wilson Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:25:27 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/07/thank_you_electrolux_ Plastic Monster http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/03/plastic_monster By Leslie MoyerFebruary 1, 2011What is the “plastic monster?” Artist Simon MAX Bannister introduced to us his notions of the monster he is seeking on our South Atlantic gyre expedition. In an exercise that crewmember Carolynn Box of the Bay Area initiated, the 5 Gyres crew were individually asked what the “plastic monster” meant to them. The question, of course, can be taken literally, or can represent a query into the nature of the bigger problems associated with plastic consumption. Here is how each of the 5 Gyres Crew described the “plastic monster:” Simon MAX Bannister, Artist -- South Africa “The monster is many monsters, ignorance fear and greed being the major culprits. Plastic is the projection for these human attributes, this indifferent material takes all shapes and sizes, colours and textures, from the fragmented micro pieces to the giant twisted gnarly ghost nets…” Clive Cosby, Skipper -- England “Man’s insatiable desire to produce, consume and discard a synthetic product … without thinking of the consequences.” Sara Close, 5 Gyres Development Director -- USA “Elusive. Mysterious. A ‘creature’ perhaps not of our imaginations, but just deceptive enough to make us second-guess our motives for seeking him out. That is, until we see evidence of his path in each and every trawl we drag through the ocean. It’s a monster that knows no specific origin, is not confined by modern day boundaries, and can manifest in an ocean, in a river and on a coastline all at the same time. It’s a monster that will require the cooperation of all humanity in order to find and understand.” Dale Selvam, Skipper -- New Zealand “Lattes and wi-fi.” Leslie Moyer, 5 Gyres Activist and Public Relations Specialist -- USA “I liken the plastic monster to the unglamorous, manifested result of uneducated disposal of “waste” products. Like the flushed goldfish and baby turtles of our childhood that are rumored to grow huge and enigmatic under our streets and city sewers, returning through our waterways to wreak havoc on humanity, the plastic monster is coming back to haunt us in our seas long after we have forgotten the piecemeal wastefulness that contributed to its creation. While plastic is the new ‘marquis villain,’ it is one of a great many pollutants (many of them petrol-based, as is plastic) that pour into our watershed, the amalgamation of which has created a silent, slowly building monstrosity.” Megan Ponder, Solid Waste and Recycling Specialist -- USA “I was introduced to the concept of the plastic monster on this voyage, although I believe that the monster takes many forms. I think that many of us battle the inner plastic monster in our daily lives. We are constantly presented with single-use plastic options as an option of convenience, but many of us are developing new habits based on practicality, function and balance.” Carolynn Box, San Francisco Surfrider Activist -- USA “The plastic monster lives in each of us and secretly wants to overuse plastic. It is convenient and easy and everywhere. But we need to focus and recognize that there are many negative outcomes associated with the use of plastic, especially single-use plastic. Therefore we each need to control the plastic monster.” Stiv Wilson, 5 Gyres Communication Director -- USA “The plastic monster is a being that we know is there, large, breathing, but we can only see little bits of him. He reminds us of everyone, everything, and he reminds us of the shame we feel for being us. And he grows.” Willemien Calitz, Journalist -- South Africa “Mmm, this is a hard one. After talking to Simon a lot I have come to see plastic in a different light. A few weeks ago I might have said the plastic monster is what we find on our beaches and in our oceans, corrupting our planet’s beauty. But now I think the plastic monster is similar to the one we see in Simon’s artwork. A creature created by humans and I therefore think the plastic monster is the consumer and careless evil that lives inside each one of us.” Sarah Menzies, Photographer -- USA “The plastic monster is something that our eyes cannot see. It’s the kind of monster that lurks between swells, and occasionally shows itself in the form of vaguely familiar debris. It’s the scariest kind of monster, because combating it will require stopping it at its source, which means getting everyone else to see the invisible monster that it is.” ]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 03 Feb 2011 11:47:28 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/03/plastic_monster American Recycler http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/02/american_recycler The American Recycler recently published an article titled "Plastic Found Polluting the Atlantic Ocean".  The American Recycler is where the rubber meets the road, with regard to what plastic products and resin types are recycled.  The triangular-shaped 1-7 resin code DOES NOT tell you what is recyclable, but your local recycler will.  I strongly suggest you go visit your local recycle center to discover the tail end of plastic's life cycle.  You'll be amazed to learn that PET has the highest post-consumer market value, whereas plastic bags are difficult to recover, clog equipment, and require large amounts of storage space before bundling, so many recyclers don't handle them.  Check out your local recycler for "recycling facts".]]> Marcus Eriksen Wed, 02 Feb 2011 08:39:30 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/02/american_recycler Meet the Crew: Megan Ponder http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/01/meet_the_crew_megan_ponder_ By Leslie Moyer January 29, 2011 It is in no small part thanks to crewmember Megan Ponder that Portland, Oregon has resolved to ban plastic bags and set a minimum 5-cent charge on recycled paper bags. The resolution, adopted by Portland City Council in July 2010, urges passage of a similar statewide policy in the 2011 Legislative session and commits the city to pursuing an ordinance in 2011 if the state bill fails. Since early February 2007, when Megan began working with then Commissioner, now Portland Mayor, Sam Adams on public policy and sustainability issues, the two worked tirelessly to reduce single use bag consumption in Portland. Between 2007-2010, the office researched and evaluated policies and programs worldwide, convened numerous stakeholder meetings, held a community forum, facilitated a task force, and developed policy recommendations and alternatives. In July 2010, Mayor Adams released a draft ordinance for public comment. With the help of marine affairs activist groups like Surfrider (through which Megan met Stiv Wilson, working with him closely throughout the process), Megan and Sam Adams engaged the Portland community on the issue. Community buy-in, essential to the beginning stages of any changes in legislature, was hard-won. They needed to illustrate that the policy was not intended to be a hardship, but would in fact be an improvement to Portlanders’ quality of life and connection to their city. The process was long and arduous, but ultimately, she’s grateful for the opportunities for discussion that were provided by the length of time it took to get the policy on the books. “The process was really important for the broader policy objective because it provided for a robust community conversation about the issue,” Megan says. When asked about barriers to getting the ban passed, Megan cited issues of: increasing awareness of the issue with the public, heavy opposition from the plastics industry, and a lack of baseline data from which to establish agreed-upon facts and statistics. Of particular note is the time spent addressing what has been taken to be the “contradictory” nature of the policy – why pick on bags? What about plastic coffee cup lids, water and soda bottles, polystyrene “clamshell” takeout containers, plastic utensils, and the myriad other examples of single use disposable plastic we see cluttering our landfills, our roads and our waterways? To this, Megan acknowledges that plastic carryout bags are only the tip of the iceberg but is optimistic that the policy can lead to more progressive policies and greater individual changes. “Once people start thinking about the bag they carry their groceries and goods in, perhaps they’ll start thinking about what’s going into the bag. This policy is intended to raise awareness and eliminate an unnecessary source of single use plastic pollution.” When asked if she had any words of guidance for others who want to start a bag ban campaign in their communities, Megan said, “find a champion – get support from one of your local officials.” She emphasized that once plastic pollution is on the radar in local politics and someone in office is sympathetic to the issue, the process starts itself. She also advocated building a broad base of support – reaching out to various community sectors and stakeholders to get backing. From here, Megan wants to see the issue move beyond the bag. She sees the plastic bag as a symbol of our throwaway culture, but not by any means the main culprit. We need to become more mindful of how we use our resources, and put pressure on industry to adopt a greater responsibility for the materials used in the manufacturing process; she would like to see extended producer responsibility in reclaiming materials once products are used. Ultimately, she hopes to see a larger system change on how we manage resources, gradually making a shift to more renewable materials and streamlining the process by which materials are reclaimed from the waste stream. 5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Stiv Wilson Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:16:15 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/02/01/meet_the_crew_megan_ponder_ Up The Gyre Without A Donkey http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/31/up_the_gyre_without_a_donkey_ January 26, 2011Where we sail to conduct our research is a place that sailors typically avoid. Why? Not because it’s dangerous, but because a gyre’s eye is typically a place with very little wind. And here, on the southwest border of the South Atlantic Gyre we’re utterly becalmed. Not so much as a wind ripple on the water. And hot. For landfall in Uruguay we’re dependent on our engine (aka The Donkey) to take us through the windless areas on the open sea. But while chasing a windrow (an area where currents converge to form a line on the surface that often aggregates larger bits of plastic pollution) pulling out milk crates, buckets, and other various plastic garbage we heard the engine seize. After Skipper Dale ‘squinted the donk’ (believe it or not this isn’t a euphemism for something untoward, but rather a phrase that means, ‘had a look at the engine’) he determined that the gearbox had broken, rendering it useless. The gearbox shaft extends to the propeller. When the propeller doesn’t spin, the boat doesn’t move forward. End of story. Every once in awhile you’re reminded just how in the middle of nowhere one can actually be.  So here we are, spinning slowly with sails hanging, adrift in the South Atlantic. Hopefully the wind will pick up soon. Until then, we wait. To the moms out there, don’t worry! We’re a sailing vessel packed with food, water, and the ability to generate our own power! But to the press and friends meeting us in Uruguay, we might be a little late to the party. Until wind, we sweat and we swim. The sea is so placid that we can watch small fragments of plastic on the surface floating by. As Skip Dale donned scuba gear to sort out the propeller shaft below Sea Dragon, I filmed from the water the interaction between sea life and a fairly substantial ghost net (net bolus) we had happened upon just before the gearbox broke. Still under power when we discovered it, we had nearly missed it, and would have if it not for Simon’s spear. Yes, our South African artist friend Simon had brought a handcrafted, hand-fabricated spear on the expedition, the purpose for which had eluded me until now. Seeing it on the dock in Cape Town, I simply thought, "it’s okay he’s an artist; this object is useless at sea, but he’s an artist, so it’s cool for photos, useless, but cool." I could not have been more wrong.  Simon’s art isn’t just in the product, it’s in the capture of the piece itself. As I watched the bolus drift pass, Simon reared up, and like a Zulu warrior took a short running start and launched the spear from the stern. As if he’d done this a million times before, he hooked the net straight away (the design featured a barb so that it stickswhatever it speared), and he pulls it to the boat with a retrieval line, ties a line to it and then let it drifts behind us. MARK MY WORDS, 5 Gyres' own co-director and future-primitive-poet-warrior archetype, Dr. Marcus Eriksen, is thinking upon reading this: I need to make a spear. For those of you who don’t know what a ghost net (net bolus, net ball) is, it’s a tangle of ropes and fishing nets that floats on the surface kind of like an iceberg. From surface observations it appears small, but under water it’s a massive ball that extends downward. Rope and fishing tackle is no longer made of natural fibers, having been replaced within the past 30 years by its non-biodegradable counterpart, polypropylene. As I swam with the bolus, about 50-100 small fish took shelter under it. Almost any drifting object in the ocean works like a fish aggregation device (or FAD). I apologize for the crappy resolution but this will give you and idea of how big it is (screenshot from video sent via satellite). Three large Dorado orbited the smaller fish under the bolus and at one point I was able to get within a couple feet of them. Beautiful. What’s bizarre about ghost nets is how many different kinds of ropes and netting types of which they’re composed. The ropes don’t necessarily come from the same source vessel, harbor, or watershed, but still somehow, in a great cosmic-drift-grind they find each other out here, in the open ocean. Drifting through time and space they conspire only to tangle together, tangle marine life, and slowly disintegrate in the sun sending pollutant infused plastic fragments adrift in the ocean. Simply touching this net-ball made a cloud of polypropylene dust explode into the water. I watched as the little fish just breathed right through it, unaware. As I hovered there, with Sea Dragon’s belly in the azure distance, I began to shudder to think about where I was, what I was doing and what I was seeing. With a chill, I realized I was the first person on earth to shoot underwater video footage of a naturally occurring net bolus in the middle of the South Atlantic Gyre. It’s not a realization that fuels the ego, but one that stirs the senses as they rub up against the definitions of the words: massive, horrific, unseen, random and sublime. With modern technology: computers, iPods, waterproof HD video cameras the size of two matchboxes, SAT phones, Kindles, etc. it’s often easy to forget you’re in the middle of the ocean—indeed a blue desert that encompasses 70% of the earth’s surface (only 5% of which has been explored). Yet here I was, having no idea that when I woke up this morning what awaited me in 15,000 feet of water. Here I swam, untethered to anything, alone, observing bits of manufactured goods that once started out as oil in the ground. That oil was extruded from different sources, then refined at different refineries and shipped to different rope factories all over the world, sold, bought, lost only to one day collect here and be happened upon, quite by accident by our crew. And at this strange moment, in this nondescript patch of pure blue I observe this entanglement as a sinister, toxic shelter for sea life drifting in a cerulean nether land. It’s like, as our crewmate Megan Ponder said of our samples, like "finding a Twinkie in outer space."  Unfortunately what we’ve confirmed now, in two separate expeditions, is that the Twinkies are everywhere out here. 5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more.  ]]> Stiv Wilson Mon, 31 Jan 2011 07:50:15 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/31/up_the_gyre_without_a_donkey_ Ocean Haikus http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/27/ocean_haikus By Sara Close January 23, 2011 Every day around 6:00pm, our skipper puts down his bowl and spoon, and edges himself to the top of a winch or the top of the stairs so that his voice is heard over the rest of us still chattering away. “Well, it’s Groundhog Day,” he says. The humor doesn’t escape us… looking out over the rolling blue backdrop to our “Clive at 5” news segment (the fact that it’s really at 6 is largely irrelevant), we can all give a knowing smile to that analogy. It’s been well over a week since we’ve seen another ship, and as we’re well past the half-way point of the voyage, the daily rigmarole is just that – a smooth (most of the time) motion of sail up, sail down, trawl in, trawl out, etc. The days, the shifts, the meals roll one in to the next, marked with the passing of each pastel sunrise and neon sunset. The other piece that doesn’t escape my purview is the fact that – to be honest – I hate that movie. I think I really felt sick after watching it. I can understand the final moral to the movie, but watching the repetition and feeling Billy Murray’s dismay as he woke up to the same day, over and over again, was truly excruciating. What happens on a boat, however, is anything but mundane. I’m learning that the longer you spend at sea, the more you start to find the beauty in the things that you would otherwise pass by. Time to think breeds clarity in the waves, magic in the stars, awareness of process, and appreciation of the little things – like dancing on the spinnaker pole, laughing till your sore in the side, or staring with disbelief at the large heap of plastic that you just pulled up out of the trawl… artificial, yet teaming with colonized life. Lucky for us, once a day, we all get together to have “family time.” It’s a bit like Kindergarten Show-And-Tell, where one crewmember takes the time to talk about whatever they want to the rest of the crew. Some are serious, some inspirational, and some just for fun… but the diversity of this crew shines through in these moments, and we have time to push our minds in ways outside the daily routine. Last night, I led the boat in a haiku writing exercise. Not because I’m particularly addicted to haikus, but because I feel like their simplicity has the capacity to hold so much more – much like the structure of this boat filled with the potential of so many amazing people. We each took 5 minutes to write as many haikus as we could, and then took an additional 5 minutes to write just one. With so many innovative people on the boat with end projects in mind, it’s important for us to keep in mind the dynamic between forcing creative space and giving it room to flow. From our crew to you, here is a snapshot of what’s going on in our heads. Enjoy! Ebb and flow bouncy Come on wind, blow your hardest Give a gentle push Check out the sunset I’m sorry friends and family I ain’tcomin’ home. Check out the sunset Salt and sun run through my veins This is my new life. Waves bring clarity Hope and smiles inspire Over the engine. Land ho horizon Our last water dreams quicken Angst now for land found Little monsters drift In the waves they cannot hide To the gyre, they conspire. Looking yonder far Bits of people dreams so dear Wasted nature gone. Clive and Dale captains Rest of us plastic hunters Together we sail. Where are we going? Let’s go back to Africa, Back to the big dunes. In the confusion We will always find the light And choose to ignore. Steak, shroom sauce, red wine… Homemade bread and apple pie. Sometimes we eat well. Die littering scum. Ocean suffers so bad. Fish and birds die, too. We are here now, We were there before. Where do we go? Plastic riddles us. Floating monuments of waste… Must change. Let’s start now. Manta Manta Trawl – You fly in the blue water Eating plastic. Yum. 5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:57:27 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/27/ocean_haikus A Message From the Gyre of Desire http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/27/a_message_from_the_gyre_of_desire By Simon Max BannisterJanuary 22, 2011Image: Max Plasticological Monster gyre sampleReporting from the center of nowhere, far away from civilization, a flip-flop drifts quietly passed the boat. It is too small and too fast for my reflexes as I hold my harpoon at the ready. You have to be fast when hunting macro debris on the bow of the Sea Dragon. 10 days from Uruguay, we are 2540 nautical miles off the coast of South Africa, cruising on a calm sun drenched desert of water. The trawls today have heralded many plastic fragments, filaments and a couple of mermaid’s tears (pellets). Shocked by the amount caught by such a small net, the tiny pieces represent a colossal cumulating issue that reaches deep into our consumer carbon culture. In the quiet moments, I have had time to sketch the samples from my imagination… More of Simon's art here.5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:44:11 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/27/a_message_from_the_gyre_of_desire Another Beautiful Day in the Middle of Nowhere http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/26/another_beautiful_day_in_the_middle_of_nowhere By Leslie MoyerJanuary 21, 2011As we find ourselves, on day 16, smack in the middle of the gyre (and in the center of the high-pressure system that creates it, and thus in a state of an almost-windlessness), we have definitely noticed a jump in the amount of plastic we are finding in the trawls. As we entered the expected accumulation zone, we’re seeing a bit more macros debris (such as bucket lids and net boluses) floating by, but not nearly as much as we saw in the North Atlantic. I assume this is because we don't have the abundance of pelagic seaweed we had in the North Atlantic (called sargassum, the namesake of the Sargasso Sea where the North Atlantic gyre is located). This afternoon, we’ve spotted a series of nets, a water bottle, zip ties, a jerry can, and fishing crates. Approximately every 10 to 15 minutes we spot something off the bow, sometimes quite close to the boat. In addition to the recognizable debris, we are seeing larger plastic items far off, incongruous after days and days of gleaming watery blue far as eyes can see.  The crew is getting along great. This is probably partly due to the good weather we've had, but overall, the crew is just a wonderful group of people, each pulling their weight and contributing fully. Having everyone participate in the science work gets folks involved on a different level, and everyone seems both interested and invested in the work. It’s normal to have personal challenges from time to time; it is no easy feat to be on a sailboat for 30 days in the middle of an ocean faced with sea sickness, living in very close quarters, combating boredom followed by periods of intense, frenetic activity, doing work that, for the most part, crew members who haven’t experienced this before are unaccustomed to. However, overall, everyone is happy, grateful to be here seeing the problem firsthand and on the forefront of this research. We are keeping a steady conversation going about the relevance of this work, why we are all here, and how we will take it home with us.  And Dale continues to bring out chocolate every night, so we're good on that front. Thank god.  5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Stiv Wilson Wed, 26 Jan 2011 11:06:02 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/26/another_beautiful_day_in_the_middle_of_nowhere Plastic Zombies http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/23/plastic_zombies 5 Gyres attended the Sea Pulse Film Festival today, organized by Bill Macdonald, a respected filmmaker in the field of marine science.  Capt. Charles Moore was there to answer questions about the science of plastic pollution, while groups like Team Marine and Los Cerritos Wetlands Steward discussed their solutions in action.  The day came to a close with the Plastic Zombies.  Watch the video here.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCNv0FZmT04]]> Marcus Eriksen Sun, 23 Jan 2011 02:40:35 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/23/plastic_zombies Movers and Shakers Inspiring Changemakers http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/22/movers_and_shakers_inspiring_changemakers By Sarah MenziesJanuary 19, 2011I'm sitting on the bow of a 72 foot sailboat wondering how I got to be so lucky. The ocean is a magnificent shade of blue, so powerful that it actually evokes an emotional response from within me. It is so inviting, yet it takes everything inside of me to not swan dive from the spreaders. For if I did, I'd surely be swallowed up by the vastness. Nothing is in sight. Nothing, and everything. A few weeks ago, I would have seen the endless sea as nothingness, but now I see it as everything. Anything. All things, thoughts, beings, wrapped up in this one constant - a dark, deep, clear shade of blue. For the past ten days, each wave, ripple, and splash has represented things of the past. I've thought about my family, reminiscing over both the good aspects and the bad. The dividing line is pretty thin these days, as both seem to have equally shaped me into the woman I am right now. I thought about my friends. Their support and encouragement is what got me to this point. I thought about the environment, the whole purpose of this trip. How can people be so reckless with what we have here? How can people be so selfish to put ourselves and our needs before the very thing that gives us life? It makes me think of The Giving Tree. I've always hated that book. The man kept taking, taking, taking from that poor tree. The tree never stopped sacrificing. What a terrible lesson for children. Perhaps that's why I'm here, to witness what I and my species has done to our oceans... to shake me so hard that I'll stop taking without giving a little back in return. Today is different. Today I look out at the vastness and I see the future. I see everything that could be. A strange feeling to have before even reaching the gyre's epicenter, I realize this. I suppose it's my way of preparing for what we're expecting to see there - humans' negative impact and disregard for Earth. So enough about the past, at least for now. It will always be there for my thoughts to return to. Today is about tomorrow. What will I do with what I learn our here? How will I tell this story so we can stop this cycle of take, take, take? The answers are not there yet, but that's alright, because I know they will come. Today the waves represent the comraderie that is forming amongst the crew. I have never been so inspired, or learned so much from a group of strangers as I have from this one. Perhaps that's the difference. We're not strangers. We are cut from similar cloths, and perhaps even danced with one another in lives gone by. And now we are here, each bringing something unique and special to the experience. Artists, activists, writers, changemakers alike... each here to learn, to open our hearts and worlds up to the unknown. I am letting them in, and today my intention and resolution is to never stop letting them in. The weather ahead is unpredictable. Social turbulence is bound to ensue as the conversation and discovery of oceanic pollution continues to unfold. But this group, these movers and shakers, inspiring changemakers, will be my rock. With this as my mantra, the vastness is everything, and the waves are those of change.]]> Stiv Wilson Sat, 22 Jan 2011 09:43:37 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/22/movers_and_shakers_inspiring_changemakers These are the Sands of our Future http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/20/these_are_the_sands_of_our_future By Leslie Moyer January 18, 2011 It never ceases to amaze, dismay, disillusion and challenge me to visit a vacant coastline on a remote corner of the earth and see this. From the beaches of eastern Sumatra to Danang, Vietnam, from the islands in the Andaman Coast in Thailand to Swakopmund, Namibia, from Elbow Beach, Bermuda to Carrapaiteira, Portugal, from the beaches of Santa Cruz, California to Tofino, British Columbia, from Faial in the Azores to most recently, Sandy Bay in Saint Helena, wherever I go, I find I have already been. In the form of tiny pieces of brightly-colored plastic bits, once part of my shampoo, detergent or mustard bottle, my yogurt carton or drinking straw, I find our human stain impossible to overlook. Walk down a once-pristine shoreline of a remote mid-Atlantic island as I just did and dig your toes in. Pull up a handful of sand and look what you have between your fingers. To varying degrees, it will be a composite of synthetics and geology.The sad truth, if you choose to acknowledge it, is that these are the sands of our future, unless we choose to do something about turning uninformed consumption into awareness, responsible consumerism and activism. The hourglass has been tipped, and I, for one, will not sit idly by while the tiny brightly-colored grains of sand slip away from us.5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 20 Jan 2011 09:19:37 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/20/these_are_the_sands_of_our_future Turning and Turning In The Widening Gyre http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/18/turning_and_turning_in_the_widening_gyre Such are the first lines in Yates’s poem ‘The Second Coming.’ At risk of sounding pedantic, I dare say that no other mediation is as apt for describing the range of emotions one feels traveling towards the middle of the South Atlantic. What will we find? What will we see? How will we explain it to landlubbers? Will the media get it right? Hell, will we get it right? And ultimately, is the evidence enough to change the hearts and minds of a society that has slouched towards a Bethlehem of convenience that is plasticizing the planet? We’re now about 500 miles south of St. Helena and we’ve hung a right, bearing 238° true towards Uruguay at an almost exact 45° angle from the NE tip of the South Atlantic Gyre (SAG) to the SW tip. Thus far, we have five samples from the Manta Trawl in the can. Each are progressively more dense with plastic pollution (though still pretty light). Last night’s sample had the usual micro-plastics and a bit of a serious nurdle party going on. Very little biomass is coming up, even at night. Now, too, we’re observing bits of macro plastic floating by. We expect that everyday will be more intense, but as always, the ocean has a million vectors that make quantification and hypothesis an ever more educated guess. The screen shot pictured in the lead photo above depicts our present course and the red ship is our position, the course and sampling completed on the first transect on the leg from Brazil to Cape Town (the little stars indicate sampling sites), the sampling sites south of St. Helena, the theorized borders of the SAG as well as another, smaller accumulation zone southwest of the SAG proper, and the arc we’ll follow moving forward. According to Dr. Eriksen’s protocol for this expedition, our mission is to sample every 100 nautical until we have turned the corner into the heart of the gyre and then every 60 nautical thereafter, all the way until our anchor is dropped in Uruguayan waters. In between Manta samples, we’ll also be running the high speed trawls for plastic for chemical analysis (looking at pollutants present in it) and 5 Gyres education samples. I almost feel guilty writing what follows, as I’m sure members of the previous crew on the leg over will be reading this post, but the weather could not be better (just knocked like hell on wood). We could use a little bit more wind, but so far our only issue is that we might run out of sunblock. All the way, it’s been favorable wind direction, calm seas, pure cerulean blue all around. Bonnie, Rich, Mary M., Mary O., Mike, Chelsea, Marcus, Anna, James, and Jody, I love you all, but this leg is a weather dream. Sure, all can go to hell in a moment’s notice, but the high-pressure system seems quite stable at the moment and the barometer is steadily rising which indicates we’re moving toward the gyre’s center. We’re still at about 1016, and expect to be up in the 1030s in a few days. Good weather is making for elaborate, if not celebratory meal times, and last night I busted out some pulled-pork, twice-baked butter mash, and a ginger sesame cabbage salad that blew Sea Dragon a few feet out of the water. Skipper Dale however isn’t baking as many cookies on this leg as the need for sugar escape from the weather isn’t quite prevalent. Put it this way, I’m not really getting any T-shirts dirty because there is no need to wear one. Daily life is pretty easy on us, and because conditions have been favorable for sleeping when off watch, almost all the crew is awake during the day and philosophical as well as silly conversations abound. During the trawl today, I watched Willemien, Skipper Clive, Sara C., and C-BOX (Carolynn Box’s official boat name) do ‘boat camp’ which looked a lot like 80’s era aerobics. And my camera has got lots of incriminating photos of goofy crew. For now the mood is light, but as we move to the center to see what lies ahead, that is bound to change a bit. Until then.5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Stiv Wilson Tue, 18 Jan 2011 13:40:28 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/18/turning_and_turning_in_the_widening_gyre Plastic Beaches and Driving With Saints http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/17/plastic_beaches_and_driving_with_saints "We want to go to the dump, and we want to go to a south east facing beach" we tell our guide Robert. Robert waits at the key on the lee side of the bay where boats anchor looking for customers to support his tour business on St. Helena. Saints, as the inhabitants call themselves here exist and thrive on one of the remotest islands in the world. Remote I say because though it represented a very important stopping ground for resupply for The East India Trading Company of yore, it's hardly visited now. There is no airport and St. Helena is one of only a few inhabited islands in the entire South Atlantic. It's perhaps most famous for being the place where, after his capture at the battle of Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte was talken, to live out his life under house arrest, where he died at age 51. Speculation suggest arsenic poisioning but the guides here are adamant that it was stomach cancer. Touring the house, the tour guide basically said at every corner, 'we didn't kill him.' Robert, our guide, is short jovial man whose family is third generation Saint. Short and friendly, the mostly woman crew found him extremely endearing in the 'everybody's favorite grandfather' kind of way. We told Robert about or mission and he was extremely keen to help us find the places we needed to go. So essentially we mixed a history tour of Napoleon's house, Boer cemetaries, flax fields, garbage dumnps and plastic covered beaches. The island has a population of no more than 5,000 people and looking at an isolated group of people of that size's waste footprint can tell you scores about how larger populations might function. If a good model for managing waste is built at its inception, in a place with limited land for landfills, chances are the waste managaement infrastructure will improve as a society grows. In a sense, looking at small island communities and their attitude towards waste is akin to geneticists looking at remote indigenious population for mapping the genome. It's fascinating. Every culture in the world has waste, it's what binds us. St. Helena sits about 500 nautical miles north of the NE border of the South Atlantic Gyre. Looking at how the Atlantic conveyor works with regard to current, and its place inside of it, the island would most likely be a collection point for plastic spun out of the gyre. What's missing in a lot of reporting about oceanic plastic pollution is the concept of gyre memory which Curtis Ebbesmeyer outlines in his seminal book, Flotsametrics. With each full rotation of a gyre, the gyre will kick out roughly half its contents (this varies on the size of the gyre, its orbit, and other vectors) and that plastic will either enter another gyre, or get washed up on land. This is why The 5 Gyres Institute maintains that beach cleanup IS gyre cleanup. If you get that which is spun out and washed up at low tide before it can go out to sea again, you've just cleaned the sea.  Because the South Atlantic Gyre spins counter clockwise, St. Helena is situated right in line with the dominant southeast wind that spins out of the high-pressure feature that comprises the gyre. This creates current and, sure enough, after looking at one of the only beaches on the island (it's mostly cliffed in all the way around), we found an incredible amount of micro plastic particles as well as macro plastic pollution. And Nurdles. Nurdles like I've never seen before. Wherever we go in the world we try to collect at least 100 nurdles for Takada's International Pellet Watch project, where he maps the pollutant content of nurdles on various beaches all around the world. Typically, gathering 100 nurdles might take someone twenty minutes or so on most beaches. Two of us did it in a minute. Both Leslie and I are used to seeing this stuff everywhere we go and plastic on the beach has become an expected thing. In a sense, we're a bit number to it than most -- we've walked a lot of beaches all over the world together. But our crew, a mixture of artists, fillmamkers, waste management experts, journalists, and activists were visibly disturbed. Even emotional. Some tears were shed. I'm not saying this to be dramatic but sailing 1,100 nautical miles to a remote, sparsely populated island in the middle of nowhere and finding such an incredible amount of plastic on a beach where one can't see anything human-built (with the exception of an old fortification from colonial British times) is hard on the heart. And then seeing watersheds that empty there full of plastic entering, too -- ouch. Flax grows like crazy on the island and when processed makes incredibly good fiber for rope. St. Helena used to have a booming rope business but cheap mass marketing polypropelene came along and a good biodegradble, pro local economy flax made rope industry quickly died. Fisherman still talk about the rope industry with pride though none of them use local rope anymore.  The island has no recycling so all plastic is thrown away. Industry often sites recycling as a solution to the problem, but once you start looking at how much plastic packaging is exported globally to maritime communities that have no recycling infrastructure and poor waste management infrastructure, that argument rings hollow. Sure, we can live in exceptionally green communities in the first world and recycle ourselves crazy, but there are 7.5 billion people in the world all of which are consuming single-use plastic daily and most of them have zero ability to deal with it. Zero. This is what industry needs to acknowledge. Several of the grocers on the island have instituted plastic bag policies that either don't give them out or charge a fee for them. Seeing pro conservation business models is something we love to see. No law, no policy, no big fight, just companies doing the right thing. Bravo.  The dump on St. Helena seems fairly well managed. Though situated near the sea up a large hill, I could gather by the lay of the treeline what the dominant wind pattern was: onshore and that's good news. The area was fenced in and we did find some evidence of plastic on the fence and beyond, but it looked fairly well under control. Tilled often, it shouldn't have much blow debris. But what we couldn't gather, this being the dry season, was how much would wash out down the valley drainage. The dump was sloped, and rain would empty through into a slot canyon that went out to the sea. But compared to places like the island of Fael, The Azores, St. Helena wasn't a worst case scenario. Building and documenting how these kinds of landfills operate and showing small governments the various techniques can go a long way to preventing oceanic plastic pollution. Think of it this way, it's not always an expensive answer to an environmental problem, but often just a tweak in how waste management operates with existing space, labor and equipment. The wheel need not be reinvented. Best practices are out there for the taking. Let's grab them. Special thanks to Elizabeth who directs marine affairs for the island. She's agreed to use our beach transect protocol and share data for years to come on what St. Helena is experiencing. And we might even get gut plastic content data from local fish and pelagic birds. Cheers Elizabeth. 5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Stiv Wilson Mon, 17 Jan 2011 07:01:18 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/17/plastic_beaches_and_driving_with_saints Message in a Bottle with Artist Jay Little: Bottle Release #191 http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/13/message_in_a_bottle_with_artist_jay_little_bottle_release_191 By Leslie Moyer January 9, 2011 This evening, after a shared dinner on the deck of the boat as the sun set over what looks to the naked eye like pristine waters of the South Atlantic, the Sea Dragon crew launched a message in a bottle into the big blue. We hope that at some point in the relative future, someone, somewhere, will find our message on a far corner of the earth and will be inspired by what they find inside. We partnered with artist Jay Little of Marin County, California with his global art project “Message in a Bottle.” Jay’s goal is to deploy 300 bottles, each with a unique message based on every participant’s contribution. The aim of this project is to draw worldwide attention to the threats to our oceans, and as a symbol for the cooperative effort needed to solve the environmental issues of our time. We pegged the release to our current location in hopes that the bottle will be picked up by the global conveyor belt of oceanic currents. Within bottle #191 Jay placed information on the work of 5 Gyres and personal notes from several of our crew, along with his own message. So far, 21 bottles have been discovered, from such far-flung places as Vanuatu, Nova Scotia, Kauai, Midway Island, Oeno Island in the Pitcairns, Murilo Atoll in Micronesia, Elbe Island in Italy, California, Egypt, Australia, Nicaragua, Japan and New Guinea. Of the project, Jay says “I have some mixed feelings as I collect beached debris for my sculptures as the sheer quantity of discarded waste saddens me. A particularly distressing form of litter is the plastics that may never reach the shore, but instead are entangled upon and ingested by ocean mammals, seabirds and fish. After long exposure to the sun, the plastic littler breaks into microscopic sized particles. These plastic particles attract toxic chemicals like DDT and PCBs that end up working their way up the food chain into the largest fish that people frequently consume.” Jay is aware of the potential irony in the project – to draw attention to discarded waste by tossing a re-purposed glass bottle into the sea (especially from a research vessel examining marine pollution) – and says that as an awareness-building tool, his message bottles are creating a net benefit far greater than any conceivable harm done. I’d like to add that as an inert, non-synthetic material, glass does not pose the environmental hazards that discarded plastic does. Jay likens his bottles to “unmanned vessels that have limitless destinations and [he hopes] to raise consciousness about the… problem within the outreach of the project.” We hope the discoverer of bottle #191 will take this opportunity as a call to action, as we each have felt, to help preserve and bring new vision to our fragile oceanic ecosystem. 5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Stiv Wilson Thu, 13 Jan 2011 11:50:07 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/13/message_in_a_bottle_with_artist_jay_little_bottle_release_191 Where O Where Has All The Plastic Gone? http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/12/where_o_where_has_all_the_plastic_gone 13:40 GMT 17° 08.13 S 3° 48.70 W Photo: Sara Close, looking Jackie O on deck With the wind at our back, Sea Dragon is bearing down on St. Helena. St. Helena is in the middle of the Atlantic conveyor, a system of currents that skirts the continents from North to South, above and below the equator. Our surface trawls, on about a 400 nautical mile transect outside the NE border of the South Atlantic Gyre have been nearly empty. Just a few plastic particles in each, but thus far, the lowest density I’ve ever witnessed in some 120 samples I’ve seen from two different transatlantic gyre transects. This is good news -- curious news, but good nonetheless. We’re only about 500 nautical miles from the edge of the gyre and I’m hypothesizing on why this area is so devoid of plastic. It could be a number of reasons, and most likely, is. One, it’s just not here—there simply isn’t much plastic here, but that’s a bit counter intuitive given the samples from the first transect in November. Two, we’re in the most stable month for the dominant South Atlantic high-pressure system (the actual feature that forms the gyre) and thus, almost all the plastic pollution in the area will be contained in the gyre itself. On our way over, serious storms and shifting systems would conceivably disperse the plastic and rewrite the borders of the gyre’s normal position to some degree. If this is the case, our sampling would reflect a more diffused plastic concentration, but plastic would be more constant wherever we sampled. Even at the edges of the gyre. According to recent weather (during the last month and a half), the area where the gyre exists has been very stable, so it stands to reason that the center of the gyre is going to be much more dense than what we experienced on the voyage from Brazil to South Africa. The thought of this has me anxious to get there. As far as we can see into the crystal meteorological ball, it looks as though the stability should persist. If it does, I’m excited to see how this might ultimately affect density. We might be in for a serious plastic kick in the teeth. Unlike the Pacific, The Atlantic is by nature a more nuanced ocean than the Pacific because of the geographic relativity to adjacent land masses. The Pacific is more open, and thus, the North Pacific Gyre, for example, tends to be more stable than gyres in the Atlantic. I’ve never been to a subtropical oceanic gyre during its most stable month and according to navigational weather charts for the month of January, this is most stable this gyre gets. So this could be quite interesting. Stay tuned. We should be there in a week’s time. For an ocean dork like myself, this has me on pins and needles. Having already completed one transect based on interpretation of Maximenko’s drift buoy model, Dr. Eriksen has given our team coordinates and protocol for the second transect which starts rigorously sampling about 600 nautical miles south of St. Helena. We’ll start our quantifying samples straight out of the gate once we leave St. Helena, trawling every 100 nautical miles as we head due south. Once we hit the 600 mile mark, we’ll take a right towards Uruguay, and then we will sample about every 60 nautical miles all the way to land. For those of you following our progress think of this transect as the crossing of an X over the entire South Atlantic. Stoked to be out here. St. Helena, we’ll see you in about 13 hours.5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Stiv Wilson Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:44:34 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/12/where_o_where_has_all_the_plastic_gone Serendipity So Far, Dolphins On The Bow http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/10/serendipity_so_far_dolphins_on_the_bow Photo: Crew members Megan Ponder and Willemien Calitz keeping watch on the High Speed Manta We’re now about 320 miles offshore, enroute to Saint Helena. We’ve deployed our first set of nurdles for the chemical uptake work, and with fair to light winds and calm seas the new crew is adjusting to life at sea. So far, the journey bodes auspicious. Though we certainly could use another ten knots of wind which would allow us to kill the donkey (the affectionate name for the engine) we’re going along just fine. The goal is to do an opposite transect of the South Atlantic Gyre, essentially creating another slash to make a giant X out of the sampling completed from Rio to Cape Town. Though our position is NE of the gyre proper, I’ve deployed the High Speed Manta in order to see what’s out here. As always, the message we need to understand as world citizens is that plastic doesn’t just exist in the garbage patches or gyres, it simply accumulates there. I’m excited to see what we’ll find when we pull it up in an hour’s time. Seasickness is a pretty serious issue for the new crew and the exhaustion of adjusting to a 24 hour schedule is omnipresent. Still, everyone is excited and the chemistry of the crew is as best as it’s ever been. Everyone onboard represents a different skill set and beyond the intermittent vomiting, we’ve got hard working crew eager to learn and prone to fits of laughter. So far, it’s an awesome bunch and 5 Gyres team Sara Close, Leslie Moyer and myself are honored to be in such good and smart company. We’re about 750 nautical miles from St. Helena and making good time. St. Helena doesn’t have an airstrip and all their supplies come from Cape Town about every six weeks. Just outside of the NE quadrant of the gyre, we’re all keen to look at their beaches for plastic pollution. Islands tend be the largest aggregator’s of industry’s packaging waste. We’re also planning to look at the island waste management infrastructure to see how this small society deals with waste. As the 5 Gyres Institute evolves, we’re looking to engage some of the places around the globe where we’ve traveled and observed poor waste stream management practices and problem solve. Both from a policy and market based solution standpoint, we’re looking to help global society stop the influx of plastic into the ocean. The future for 5 Gyres will continue to be monitoring, outreach and education but also problem solving. We can’t recycle our way out of this mess according to the global data on recycling and consumption, so let’s at least figure out a way to keep it from being littered in the ocean. We’re on the path there.5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Stiv Wilson Mon, 10 Jan 2011 09:42:42 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/10/serendipity_so_far_dolphins_on_the_bow Beyond the absurdity of a "Texas-sized Garbage Patch" lies a larger menace of plastic pollution in the world's oceans http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/08/beyond_the_absurdity_of_a_texassized_garbage_patch_lies_a_larger_menace_of_plastic_pollution_in_the_worlds_oceans Media is sometimes the tail that wags the dog of science.  One oceanographer described finding plastic in his relatively tiny Texas-size study area of the North Pacific Ocean, while another began describing these areas of concentration as “garbage patches”.  A mis-information frenzie birthed a mis-conception of an island of trash.  Hurry, someone plant a flag - sell real estate!  Disappointing to the entrepreneurial spirit that aimed to fix it for a fee, there are no such islands.  They do not exist.  Having traveled 20,000 miles across 4 of the 5 subtropical gyres, returning from crossing the South Atlantic Gyre in December 2010, I assure you that reality is much worse.   It’s a patchy patch.  In 1999 Captain Charles Moore, founder of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation based in Long Beach, CA, published an observed 6:1 weight ratio of plastic to plankton in the swirling center of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre.  I joined him in 2005 and 2008 to the same region.  In this decade of research, the foundation was heavily criticized by other oceanographers for quantifying plastic this way.  What was hidden in this criticism was the fact that the science of Oceanography was caught off guard.  No one knew of this plastic plague on the world’s oceans, until a Long Beach surfer/sailor turned scientist made it known.  It is true that plankton is extremely variable, and can bloom and dissipate with the season, temperature, moonlight, and a dozen other variables, therefore the margin of error is huge.  But the plastic/plankton ratio serves a good anecdote for relative abundance of plastic to available food for scavenging fish and filter feeders, like from jellies to baleen whales.  So, it’s important to describe plastic to plankton ratios as an anecdote, but not worth quantifying.    1999 was not the first time scientist studied plastic pollution in the ocean.  Thor Heyerdal observed plastic in 1969 crossing the North Atlantic on Ra I.  Two years later Edward Carpenter, from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, netted pellets and fragments of plastic pollution between the east coast and Bermuda. Plastic pollution in the North Pacific Gyre was first described by Robert Day in 1989 near the coast of Japan, and in the South Atlantic Gyre near Cape Town, South Africa in 1980 by Robert Morris of the Institute of Oceanographic Science in the UK.  It was a quiet, poorly-understood menace that palled in significance and interest to oceanographers.  Then the story broke about an island of plastic, with sensationalized accounts beyond science, mythological masses of synthetic detritus, an illusive terra aqua.   “Somebody do something,” cried the ocean advocates, artists, celebrities and politicians.  And the scientists followed.  Media called them to action.  But not before the industrialists.  A problem precedes a solution ready to sell.  Groups with little or no experience at sea rose to the occasion with fanciful technofixes, contraptions of grandeur, robotic vagabonds to sieve the sea in solitude and bring the trash back to land, or parachutes that spin sickle-shaped islands that net plastic pollution in their path.  All have failed, realizing that going to the ocean to remove floating plastic particles is like standing on the top of a skyscraper with a vacuum cleaner to remove air pollution.  It’s not impossible, just impractical.  There is no island to retrieve.  We have run expeditions across the North Pacific Gyre, North Atlantic Gyre, Indian Ocean Gyre, and in December 2010 we crossed the South Atlantic Gyre.  We found plastic in every surface trawl, in varying concentrations.  Imagine a handful of degraded plastic confetti spread across a football field of the ocean surface. That’s as thick as it gets, but it’s everywhere.  It’s a think plastic soup over 2/3rds of the earth’s surface.  So far the 5 Gyres Institute has traveled to 4 of the 5 subtropical gyres in the world, conducting over 400 surface trawls, with plastic in every one.   That is the menace of plastic pollution.  It’s everywhere, thinly distributed, and extremely impractical to clean up at sea.   But if no one cleans it up, will the garbage patches keep growing?  No.  Studies in the North Atlantic Gyre and North Pacific Gyre have been repeated with interesting results.  There’s no massive trend in plastic accumulation over time. Kara Lavender Law, of Sea Education, compiled data from 22 years of data from the North Atlantic Gyre, the same area that Carpenter studied 3 ½ decades earlier.   “We observed no strong temporal trends in plastic concentration…”  Last week we returned from 31 days crossing the South Atlantic Gyre.  As we sailed into Cape Town we revisited half of the locations that Morris studied 3 decades ago and repeated his exact methods.  Though our samples have not been analyzed yet, I can anecdotally report that the samples do not appear to show a tremendous trend in plastic accumulation over this time.  Sure, there’s more, but the increase does not parallel the rapid increase in plastic production and consumption on land.  So where does it go?  We believe some sinks as absorbed chemicals, like PCBs, PAHs and other persistent pollutants, and biofouling make smaller and smaller particles more dense than seawater.  Much of it washes ashore on islands in the gyres, like Hawaii and Bermuda, or is kicked out of the gyres onto mainland beaches as the gyre’s center wobbles east and west.  Then there’s still room for unknown answers.  What we now know is that if we stop adding more plastic to the ocean, in time the gyres will kick out the plastic pollution they currently hold.  If you want to clean the gyre, clean your beach.    We want to know a few things.  How much plastic is out there, what is the fate of plastic in the ocean, what is the impact of plastic pollution on fish, including fisheries we harvest to feed the world, and how do we end the plague of plastic in the ocean?  The 5 Gyres Institute will sail across the South Pacific Gyre in the Spring of 2011 from Valdivia, Chile to Easter Island.  You can follow this expedition on 5gyres.org.  In January and February 2011, at the moment I’m writing this paper, we are crossing the South Atlantic Gyre again.  The South Pacific will be our 5th gyre, and provide a snapshot of the global distribution of plastic pollution.  We will also be freezing fish to look for toxins in tissues, which we are currently doing with fish collected from South Atlantic Expedition.  Other expeditions conducted by SCRIPPS, NOAA and Sea Education, are contributing answers to these questions with rigorous science.  All of this will be shared by colleagues in March 2011 in Hawaii during the 5th International Marine Debris Conference.   In the recent decade of rogue-science, media spun mis-information, a new revitalized science of synthetic pollution at sea has emerged, replacing confusion with clarity and commitment by many to solve the problem.  The idea of cleanup at sea is no longer a sensible option, knowing that an island twice the size of Texas is actually a thin soup 2/3rds the surface of the planet.  Sensible solutions now focus on preventing the flow of waste to waves in the first place. ]]> Marcus Eriksen Sat, 08 Jan 2011 09:24:30 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/08/beyond_the_absurdity_of_a_texassized_garbage_patch_lies_a_larger_menace_of_plastic_pollution_in_the_worlds_oceans Make Plastic Art, Get the Chance to Be on Our Next Expedition! http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/04/make_plastic_art_get_the_chance_to_be_on_our_next_expedition Want the chance to join us on our next expedition from Tahiti to the Cook Islands? All you have to do is get creative and enter our Chaco Waves for Change Contest!We're looking for creative submissions that demonstrate our world's addiction to single-use plastic. That means anything from fine art to photography to video to sculpture and anything in between. Between now and March 13th, just submit a digital file of your plastic-inspired artwork here and each week, a winning plastic-purposed artistic contribution will be chosen. You can submit a new contribution each week–as long as it differs from prior submissions.  Each week’s winner will receive a Klean Kanteen water bottle, a $95 Chaco gift card, a two-year subscription to Wend magazine AND will be entered to win the grand prize of joining one of the final 5 Gyres discovery voyages: 10 days sailing from Tahiti to the Cook Islands. The grand prize winner will be chosen from the ten weekly winners of the contest’s duration. From March 14th through March 28th, voters will be able to choose and vote for their favorite artistic depiction–the grand prize winner will be announced on the last day of the contest. Hop on over to the contest page and get to entering!]]> Stiv Wilson Tue, 04 Jan 2011 11:44:44 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2011/01/04/make_plastic_art_get_the_chance_to_be_on_our_next_expedition Land Ho! http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/13/land_ho After 31 days, 4100 nautical miles, 67 plastic positive samples from The South Atlantic Gyre, The 5 Gyres Team has arrived in Cape Town, South Africa safely.  Currently, we're participating in outreach, education and press events in partnership with The Two Oceans Aquarium.  It's been a harrowing journey, but the crew is well and extremely grateful to all of followers on the blog and supporters.  Stay tuned for reports from land over the next few weeks as well and our return expedition from Walvis Bay, Namibia to Montevideo, Uruguay where we'll research another transect of The South Atlantic Gyre and a smaller accumulation zone off the coast of Argentina. Thanks to Chaco, Ecousable, Quiksilver Foundation, Patagonia, Maui Jim, and O'Neill for their support. ]]> Stiv Wilson Mon, 13 Dec 2010 11:09:14 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/13/land_ho Learning, Refining, Improving: 5 Gyres Thanks Quiksilver Foundation http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/08/learning_refining_improving_5_gyres_thanks_quiksilver_foundation In this relatively new field of plastic marine pollution, we’re constantly learning, coming up with new questions, and seeking new ways to answer them. We’ve seen plastic in the stomachs of fish – now we hope to uncover the potential human health impacts. We’ve wondered if fish have a tendency to ingest plastics when forced into the end of our net during our sampling, so we’ve added a second net to eliminate this possible bias. We see that as plastic particles become increasingly smaller, they begin to disappear – bringing up the question of the ultimate fate of microplastics. It’s a constant process of learning, improving, and being open to new approaches. So we appreciate the same from the companies we work with.  When 5 Gyres gave a presentation last year to staff from the Quiksilver Foundation, both Jeff Wilson and Ryan Ashton immediately followed up with a sincere desire to reduce the company’s plastic footprint. It’s an interesting challenge, one that many companies wrestle with: how to replace plastic packaging with an affordable, truly sustainable alternative – one that isn’t mere “greenwashing”. While we haven’t yet found the answer, we’ve been impressed with the dialogue, and the tenacity with which their team continues the quest.  From the beginning of this project, Quiksilver Foundation was on board, lending key support for last years 5 Gyres expedition – the first trans North Atlantic voyage studying plastic. The foundation will continue supporting next years South Pacific expedition – completing our goal of studying plastic in all 5 subtropical gyres. They also kept me warm during this quick dip in the middle of the Atlantic with pro surfer James Pribram – posing amidst a plethora of plastic trash we collected at sea! 5 Gyres shares several key goals with Quiksilver Foundation – sustainability, education, youth, and community involvement. We’re thrilled to continue working together on our common mission – leaving a lighter footprint for future generations to enjoy the oceans as we do. It will take a village....but were off to a great start.5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more.]]> Anna Cummins Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:08:48 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/08/learning_refining_improving_5_gyres_thanks_quiksilver_foundation 5 Gyres Q http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/07/5_gyres_qa_thinking_about_solutions We like to interact with our fans, even while we're out on expedition, so we've been taking questions from Facebook and Twitter to help you better understand the issues that we're working on. Got your own question? Ask away! We can't answer all of them, but we'll try to get to as many as we can.What brought you here and how can we inspire future generations to move in a different, non disposal direction? -Catharine Vargas A “non-disposal direction” is exactly what we envision as we usher in the “Age of Rationality”. There’s no room for the concept of “Waste”, philosophically and literally. With 6.5 billion customers in a globalized economy, any manufacture of the smallest widget can turn into a mountain of waste if there is no post-consumer plan. The Age of Rationality means we plan for the lifecycle of what we create. Producers take responsibility for the post-consumer life of their products, including better design for recycling, efficient systems of recovery, and subsidized value for post-consumer plastic.  In a literal sense, there is no more room for waste in the world. Today we are exactly halfway between Rio de Janiero and Cape Town, as far from land as we could possibly be. Yet there’s confetti of plastic pollution across the ocean surface in all directions. What consumes your thoughts most of the time while you are at sea? Do you feel more positive or more negative out there? Are there any feasible solutions to the problems that you've thought of while at sea? -Kate Kelsch Esaia I think about solutions often. One that I’ve thought through is the issue of cleaning up the sea by going to the sea. The instant reaction most of us have is, “Well, just get a big net and scoop it up!” It’s not that simple. Imagine a teaspoon of plastic confetti spread over a football field. Now imagine 9 million football fields in the North Pacific alone. Clean up is not impossible, just impractical. Netting the gyre to clean up plastic is like standing on a skyscraper with a vacuum cleaner to suck up smog. Though, it would be cost effective to let plastic wash ashore on islands, then clean it up.  The subtropical gyres that collect plastic pollution spit it out to islands, those natural nets, like Hawaii, Bermuda, Azores, Mauritius, Easter Island. The ocean will take care of itself, but we MUST STOP ADDING MORE! Here’s where land-based solutions are essential. Better design for recyclability, subsidized value for post-consumer plastic, bioplastics, and efficient systems of recovery, Extended Producer Responsibility, these together can turn off the tap of plastic flowing down our streets and streams to the sea.5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more.]]> Marcus Eriksen Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:53:44 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/07/5_gyres_qa_thinking_about_solutions Minke in our midst! http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/06/minke_in_our_midst 450 miles from Cape Town, and our thoughts begin to turn towards home. Gone are the glassy seas and sunny skies characteristic of the gyre, where winds die and plastic lives. Building swells and gray skies hint at some final weather to come. We’re back to walking around at a permanent 45 degree angle. The sickness meds resurface. As one of our parting gifts, tonight the ocean graced us with one of the more spectacular sights of this voyage. We were all sitting in the galley, working on computers before another pasta dinner (we’re down to an all carb diet – pasta, bread, pasta, rice, and more bread) when excited shouts above sent us racing on deck. “WHALE! Starboard side, right by the boat!” About 100 feet from the boat, a dark, glistening back traced a half moon over the water, close enough that we could practically feel its spray. After weeks of seeing little other life than a few Yellow Albatross and Storm Petrels, the sight of a whale – a Minke - was high excitement. For 15 minutes, we all stood transfixed, waiting for the next appearance. She emerged a few more times – sleek, black, awe-inspiring – before diving back down out of sight. Seeing a whale in the context of this voyage, I can’t help but think about how we’ve transformed their feeding grounds into a sea of plastic. These whales filter for food, sieving great mouthfuls of water just as we sieve surface water for plastic. I think about the amount of plastic we find in a hour long tow, using our relatively tiny manta trawl, and imagine what a whale might ingest, sieving the oceans daily.... On the brighter side, we’ve definitely noticed a drop in plastic, now that we’re outside the predicted accumulation zone. Our manta trawls now fill to overflowing with planktonic goo, with far fewer plastic fragments than just 3-4 days ago. This fits our expectations, based on Nikolai Maximenko’s computer models – nice when reality matches expectations. 5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more.]]> Anna Cummins Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:06:51 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/06/minke_in_our_midst Revisiting Cape Basin plastic, 31 years later http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/06/revisiting_cape_basin_plastic_31_years_later 3 days to go, and racing to make our Dec. 8th arrival. On the weather charts, a nasty, foreboding red patch awaits us, signifying more 30-40 knot winds. Ah well, by now the crew are used to it... With our final 7 trawls, we have an extremely cool opportunity to repeat one of the only other studies done on surface plastics in the South Atlantic. In 1979, Robert Morris (Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, UK) conducted a study on floating plastics in the surface waters of Cape Basin, aboard the R.R.S Discovery. Using a neuston tow, just like like our Manta Trawl, Morris gathered 9 samples, finding HDPE and PP plastic pellets in 7, and tarballs in every one. Starting at 4:50 am this morning, we’re revisiting Morris’s sample sites, trawling at the same coordinates to see how things changed in a few decades. Any guesses? The first of these trawls we are dedicating to Nature Safe, one of our sponsors supporting this particular tow. With their support, we're able to collect, process, and publish the results of this sample - the crux of our work. Philisophically, Nature Safe is a perfect fit - this Australian company provides EcoTanka stainless steel waterbottles, an alternative to throwaway plastics. Two weeks ago, near the center of the South Atlantic Gyre, we found a plastic water bottle bobbing on the ocean's surface. An unfortunate example of the darker side of our disposable addiction. Any readers who haven't yet made the switch - now is the time. Flipping through Morris’s original study “Plastic Debris in the Surface Waters of the South Atlantic,” I’m intrigued to note that several questions he poses remain unanswered today, 31 years later: 1) The potential impacts of plastic on marine wildlife. “Those plastics containing PCBs and phthalates as plasticizers could well be a source of these compounds which are known contaminants of ocean waters and organisms... The possible dangers to marine life of these floating particles has received considerable attention, but the data are conflicting.” 2) Morris notes that his results overall will likely be underestimated, as gathering surface samples with 100% accuracy is near impossible. What’s interesting: he notes that at the time of his work, “sampling efficiency is estimated to range from 25 – 50% depending on sea state.”  This unresolved question of how sea state impacts plastics’ buoyancy is something we’ve wondered about in the last few weeks. On this expedition we’ve sampled in some less than ideal conditions – i.e. raging storms – and still found plastic in our trawls. Though we may have to exclude some of these samples from our publishable results, its still valuable to note that plastic still remains at the surface despite churning waves and gale force winds. Marcus is already dreaming up a multi-layered manta that will sample at different depths, to see how sea state impacts plastics location in the water column. Perhaps a study for the South Pacific. Finally, Morris’s suggestion for international cooperation is, we hope, coming true. In his 1980 paper, Morris calls for attention from UNEP: “Clearly a strong lead is required from an international environmental organization such as the United Nations Environment Programme if this problem is to be seriously tackled. Only in this way can satisfactory pollution control measures for plastic waste become the norm and be effective.” 5 Gyres is now working actively with UNEP’s Safe Planet Campaign on Hazardous Chemicals and Waste, and will be holding an international press conference in Cape Town with UNEP to share our findings. We’re hopeful that as more international bodies learn that plastic pollution is a global issue, stemming from every continent in the world, more partnerships like this will emerge. This is why we're here.5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Anna Cummins Mon, 06 Dec 2010 09:04:46 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/06/revisiting_cape_basin_plastic_31_years_later My Ecousable Waterbottle http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/06/my_ecousable_waterbottle Halfway between South America and Africa, as far from land as we could be in the southern hemisphere, the 5 Gyres team found a plastic water bottle. We’re in the middle of the South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, where we’ve discovered a new garbage patch of plastic pollution. Single-use plastic products, though convenient for the consumer and profitable for the producer, have long-term consequences to the land, sea and human health. To do our part, we’ve got a dozen Ecousable stainless-steel water bottles aboard. The 5 Gyres team has traveled across the N. Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and N. Pacific before this expedition. Ecousable has been with us all the while, even when we launched the JUNK RAFT project in 2008. We approached Joey Mendelson, founder of Ecouasble, with our idea to tie 15,000 used plastic water bottles under a derelict Cessina airplane and float it from Los Angeles to Hawaii. Ecousable helped us to store clean water for the 88-day voyage through the North Pacific Garbage Patch, and bring awareness of the plastic marine pollution issue to millions of people. Today we’re at sea again, doing research aboard the 72 ft. sailboat “Sea Dragon”. We’ll share our findings with the world, thanks to our loyal sponsor, Ecousable.5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Marcus Eriksen Mon, 06 Dec 2010 08:46:18 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/06/my_ecousable_waterbottle Rising from the Deep: Plastic! http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/04/rising_from_the_deep_plastic We’re now on the southeastern edge of the South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, on the home stretch to Cape Town, South Africa. We’ve had the joy of a week of spectacular weather, and even a Minke whale traveled alongside our boat for a while today, breaching the surface to show its pointy dorsal fin. The sea surface is calm, relative to the storms we had a week ago. It almost looks glassy at times. We’re still trawling. Every sample contains plastic, but it’s different. “What’s all that string in there?” a crewmember chimes in, as the hi-speed trawl comes in over the rail. The end of the net is heavy with slimy salps. Hovering in the net between them are dozens of plastic fragments, like confetti. But also there long pieces of colored nylon and monofilament fishing line. It is unusual. This has happened before, the way plastic in the trawl changes with the weather. But why? When the wind and waves become calm, the plastic rises. In higher sea states plastic is churned below the surface. Larger fragments stay on top. In our trawls conducted during 8-10 foot seas, we only found large, pea-sized fragments. There was no line, and no small fragments. Now, this has changed. Monofilament line and nylon are relatively close to the density of seawater, so it doesn’t take much to drag them down. But after a few days of calm, these types of plastic slowly migrate to the surface. One big question yet to be answered is, “What is the effect of sea state on the vertical distribution of plastic pollution?” Our experience sailing 4000 miles across the South Atlantic Ocean is giving us a glimpse at the answer.5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Marcus Eriksen Sat, 04 Dec 2010 08:48:14 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/04/rising_from_the_deep_plastic Gyre Sample #35: Life Without Plastic http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/03/gyre_sample_35_life_without_plastic It’s hard to believe just a week ago, we were bucking wildly across a boiling seascape, clutching handholds for balance as we staggered around in our wet foul weather gear. We’re now enjoying sunny days on the deck, looking out over bathtub-calm, indigo waters, glassy and pristine as far as the eye can sea. This unspoiled view of the infinite blue changes dramatically when we pull up our surface samples, finding day after day for 3 weeks now that these waters are stained with a synthetic coating of plastic waste. The brutal weather we sailed through to get here was simply one of many challenges one encounters in any project – a humbling reminder of the teamwork it takes to accomplish ones goals in life. Now that were here, in ideal trawling conditions, collecting the world’s first scientific samples on plastic pollution in the South Atlantic, were particularly thankful for the sponsors that supported us to get here – Chaco, Quiksilver, Ecousable, Patagonia, Henri Lloyd, and our trawl sponsors. Today, we’re recognizing Life Without Plastic for sponsoring trawl #35, pictured here.  This image represents one, single surface tow from the South Atlantic, roughly halfway between Brazil and South Africa, covering roughly 2 miles of ocean strained through a 60 by 25 centimeter opening. 2 Portuguese Man O War, 3 pelagic crabs, a tangled ball of synthetic fishing line, and dozens of broken down plastic fragments. This is what we see every single day. Each sample that we collect will go back to our lab in Redondo Beach, CA for a laborious week of processing. This is one of the most important steps of our research, yet the hardest to fund – lab work is not sexy or glamorous. Its laborious, painstaking work, literally picking through every single piece of plastic under a microscope, and calculating density and surface abundance. But without this work, our efforts here are meaningless. This is where trawl sponsors come in. Our Sponsor A Trawl program invites companies or individuals to support a single surface tow, from collection at sea to lab analysis. Life Less Plastic was the first sponsor to step up to the plate. The husband and wife team who started Life Less Plastic are passionate about finding solutions to the issue of plastic pollution, and began this company as a way to offer easy alternatives to disposable plastics. I’ve had my eye on their plastic-free baby goods – with a 16-month old niece, I’m more attuned than ever to the copious amounts of plastic that the “baby industry” generates.... 5 Gyres sends a special thank you from the mid Atlantic to Life Without Plastic! We encourage our readers to check out their site -  many fantastic green goods for the approaching holiday season....this year, we'll be giving everyone gyre samples and wishes for a waste - free 2011. 5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Anna Cummins Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:20:28 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/03/gyre_sample_35_life_without_plastic An Open Letter To Chaco USA http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/03/an_open_letter_to_chaco_usa As part of our sponsorship deal with Chaco, we talked about dedicating a few blogs to the company for supporting our work to research plastic pollution in an as yet unstudied ocean gyre: The South Atlantic. As the Communications Director for The 5 Gyres Institute I could do that. After all, I do have background in journalism and writing marketing copy. But to adequately portray our relationship that would seem to saccharine. Too forced. So how about this: 12.2.10 Attention: Chaco USA From: The 5 Gyres Crew (somewhere just east of the Prime Meridian in The South Atlantic) Dear Chaco, straight up, if you hadn’t supported us, we would not be here. Our ship would not have left port in Rio De Janeiro and we wouldn’t have made a crucial scientific discovery that affects every person on this earth. We simply would not have had the resources to organize this month-long expedition to an area of earth rarely visited, even by commercial ships. If you hadn’t supported us, we wouldn’t have been so much further along in our mission to educate the world that oceanic plastic pollution isn’t simply an issue that affects the North Pacific in a so called, ‘Texas Sized Garbage Patch.’ If you hadn’t supported us, we wouldn’t be able to tell this global story of tragedy and hope. Yes, dearest Chaco, I like your sandals, your shoes and your flip flops. And so does the whole crew onboard. And yes, they’re going to show up in photos and films. But not because we had to pose people wearing them thinking that we need to make your higher brass happy, but rather, because from a utilitarian, comfort and stylistic standpoint, they just plain kick ass (I can’t say it more plainly). I don’t know if your product test list includes that criteria, but check the ‘kick ass’ box. They work, well. Period. And yes dearest Chaco, we like that you approach sustainability from a durability standpoint (though unfortunately not always the sexiest green buzz word) and also repair and replace your product for your consumers to make them last and stay out of landfills and stay out of the ocean. I can’t tell you how often we see cheap, crappy flip flops out here. Pat yourself on the back, and check the ‘kick ass’ box again. So, dear Chaco, what you’re going to get in terms of photo assets from us is going to be as organic as the community of folks that already wear them. Those folks are going to see us wearing them and they’re not going to think, ‘hey look at the cheesy marketing photo shoot.’ No, they’re going to be witness to a story of the sea that isn’t in the limelight. They’re going to be witness to our body of work as it unfolds, 24/7 as this expedition continues. They’re going to be witness to us documenting a modern marine eco-disaster that covers 70% of the planet’s surface. What’s best, (and what we’re grateful for beyond the financial help), is that we have access to your community. We get to speak directly to them about the issue of single use plastics and the havoc it’s wreaking on our oceans. We get to speak to an entire legion of conservation minded, educated people with an undying spirit of adventure who live to love the wilderness where your footwear takes them. That’s gold to us. Dearest Chaco, we’re delighted to let your community see us as we truly are after 31 days at sea: happy, sad, battered, dirty, shaven, unshaven, sunburnt, cut-up, beautiful, ugly, passionate, funny, tired, really wanting a beer, strong, but ultimately, always, inspired. And who is walking the walk in your shoes? Well, we take all sorts of people with us: scientists, filmmakers, photographers, pro surfers, activists, educators, actors, journalists, professional sailors, artists -- in short, people who give a crap about this planet and will come back to terra firma as ambassadors for our cause. For THE cause. And thanks to you, we have a little oceanic activist factory happening out her in this vast liquid wilderness. And thanks to you, we will see Africa in a few days time having discovered a story that we will have the resources to share with the world. What have we seen? Well, in every sample, some 41 already, we’ve found fragmented plastic particles over a 4,000 mile transect, every time. We’ve also watched bleach bottles, refrigerator trays, fish chewed plastic sheeting, buckets, bottle caps, water bottles, and countless other unrecognizable plastic trash. We've also collected fish samples to look at how plastic which concentrates persistent organic pollutants in the ambient sea waterand biomagnifies up the food chain and ultimately may affect human health. All of this floating by as we pass through as but a needle in a cosmically large haystack. Yes, what we thought would be here, is, undeniably, here. So Thank You. We actually, really, look forward to working with you in the future on our upcoming expeditions and all our other outreach tours and education events. Oh and hey, seriously, get one of your folks onboard and out here with us. You have an open invitation. Personally, we’re going to bat for Whitney Conner because she believed in our project straight away and without her faith and grit, this wouldn’t have happened. So cheers Whitney and salute to all of you at Chaco who helped us realize a dream that we’re a few days away from completing the first leg of. Oh yeah, we’ll be coming back across in a month’s time with a whole other crew. In short, because of you, we’ve almost made it across our 4th Gyre. From a crew of very passionate and dedicated people to another, Thank You, The 5 Gyres Institute Expedition Team Anna Cummins Dr. Marcus Eriksen Stiv J. Wilson Leslie Moyer Sara Close]]> Stiv Wilson Fri, 03 Dec 2010 08:40:53 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/03/an_open_letter_to_chaco_usa 5 Gyres Q http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/01/5_gyres_qa_engaging_globally_and_outreaching_to_youth We like to interact with our fans, even while we're out on expedition, so we've been taking questions from Facebook and Twitter to help you better understand the issues that we're working on. Got your own question? Ask away! We can't answer all of them, but we'll try to get to as many as we can.Are world political resources being explored to bring these issues to the attention of the worlds different economic powers, i.e., USA, China, India, Russia, etc.? -Terry RidgeOne of our primary goals with the 5 Gyres project is to bring the issue of plastic marine pollution to an international audience. Our partnership with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) is one vehicle for reaching the international sector with this issue. When we land in Cape Town for example, UNEP’s Safe Planet Campaign is organizing an international press conference during which we will conduct a “body burden” analysis on one of our pro surfers, as well as a celebrity musician in South Africa, bringing the connection between synthetic chemicals and human health to light. UNEP is also generating a report on plastic marine pollution around the world, including recommendations for solutions that countries can implement locally. Around the world governments are introducing legislation to curb the use of disposable plastics. China recently banned plastic bags, municipalities across the United States are working on similar legislation, and the list of countries around the world grows daily - Ireland, South Africa, Rwanda, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Mexico – more and more world powers are recognizing the economic and environmental hazards of disposable trash.  One of our future goals with 5 Gyres is to begin addressing plastic pollution in countries that lack adequate infrastructure for collecting and disposing of plastic waste. Here, plastic trash can become a real public health hazard, clogging waterways and contaminating dense urban areas. In Bangladesh for example, plastic bags became a menace during monsoon seasons, clogging streets and contributing to flooding. In some countries, technologies such as plasma gasification or “waste to energy” plants have tremendous potential in reducing the flow of plastic trash to our oceans. I recognize that 5 Gyres is basically a ‘discovery’ operation and that stated objective (Mission) is the dedication “to understanding plastic marine pollution through exploration, education, and action”. Once you’ve exercised your ‘exploration’ and ‘education’ plan, what ‘action’ will you take from then on? -Terry RidgeOur research expeditions - the “discovery” aspect of our project - work in concert with our education and action. We promote action oriented solutions every step of the way - our research is somewhat irrelevant without education and action campaigns. As I write this from the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, we are working with The Algalita Marine Research Foundation to organize an International Youth Summit on plastic pollution, bringing students from around the world together to develop action-oriented solutions in their local communities. We are also planning an International campaign in Europe called “The Last Straw”, centered on a boat we will build from plastic straws and other waste, to engage global audiences in land based solutions plastic marine pollution. We’ve found that one of challenges with this issue is a lack of public understanding - few people have the opportunity to witness our plastic footprint thousands of miles from land. We share this unique opportunity by inviting journalists, scientists, filmmakers, and interested citizens to join our expeditions, bringing their experiences back to land to inspire others. And when we share our message through expedition blogs, school presentations, public events, meetings with legislators, and the media, we engage people in action-oriented, land based solutions. Cleaning plastic out of our gyres is not a feasible option; solutions must begin closer to the source of the problem. The solutions we promote through our outreach include: -Legislation to reduce single use disposables, and to encourage producers to take responsibility for the end life their products (Extended Producer Responsibility) -Improved material design and recovery plans for plastics by producers i.e. marine degradable bioplastics, or fully recyclable plastics-Improved infrastructure for collecting and disposing of plastic waste globally-Individual responsibility to reduce the use of throwaway plastics5 Gyres wouldn't be possible without your support. Please consider supporting our ongoing work and help us do the research and be the change the world needs to end plastic pollution by donating. Every amount makes a difference. Click here to learn more. ]]> Anna Cummins Wed, 01 Dec 2010 09:19:22 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/01/5_gyres_qa_engaging_globally_and_outreaching_to_youth Flat Seas, No Breeze and a Mountain of Trash http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/01/flat_seas_no_breeze_and_a_mountain_of_trash “There’s another one!” Bonnie yells, pointing to a bobbing pink ball a quarter mile away. I run to the back of the Sea Dragon and throw the throttle in neutral, letting the momentum of this 50 ton ship glide to the target. “Port side! Grab your nets!” Rich Owen yells from the bow. “How far? How many degrees to port?” I yell from the stern. It’s a shouting match to guide Bonnie and Anna to the target. They’ve got nets on the ready. It takes two nets to haul the large colorful fishing buoy on board. “15 degrees to starboard for the next one. It’s right here!” Rich relays back. Anna scoops another miscellaneous fragment of broken plastic roughly the size of a dinner plate. A small fish, maybe 6-inches long scurries about in all directions, having lost its shelter. The rest of the 5 Gyres team is on deck, inspecting the plethora of marine life fouling the junk. There’s a thick mane of gooseneck barnacles hanging from the buoy, with brown and blue pelagic crabs scurrying about. The crabs wear bright white patches, like the way polar caps appear on a globe. The other plastic fragment has a colony of polycheate worms gliding over its smooth surface. All of this plastic is creating a kind of artificial floating reef, with trillions of dust-size particles of synthetic plastic flowing in and around marine life. Plastic has been found in the stomachs of ½ the world’s seabirds, marine mammals, all sea turtle species, even in the blood of mussels. And the list of plastic in fish grows longer. The sea is plasticized, as are we. Then we stop. Jody jumps in with his camera, followed by James. “How’s the water?” I ask, knowing it’s cold, after taking a dip myself a few days ago. “About 60° I figure,” he responds. Stiv then follows. All three of them are floating among the junk. I throw in the 30 ft. net we found yesterday, and the hardhat from this morning, and the two plastic bottles and buoys. We keep all the plastic in one place for a few photos. Another red piece, about the size of a license plate, hovers behind Jody. There’s a fish under it. It swims under Jody, then under James, finally under the boat, the largest shelter on an otherwise empty sea. We haul all people and plastic back on board. In a few minutes we’re cruising at 6 knots. Bonnie is counting large pieces she seas. She’s up to 60 now. Rich is standing guard with a net in one hand, and his other behind his back. We’re as close to the center of the South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre as we will ever get on this voyage. 32.77,14.09]]> Marcus Eriksen Wed, 01 Dec 2010 09:01:14 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/12/01/flat_seas_no_breeze_and_a_mountain_of_trash Want to Join 5 Gyres on Next Expedition? http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/11/29/want_to_join_5_gyres_on_next_expedition If you've got a hankering to join the 5 Gyres team, you're in luck. Here's the down-low for joining one of our upcoming expeditions: Reposition of Sea Dragon: Cape Town to Walvis Bay (6 days) Following the completion of the first South Atlantic Gyre plastic pollution expedition, Sea Dragon will make her way north up the coast of Namibia to Walvis Bay. Be part of the team to sail the 750 miles to this unique location, gain first hand experience of this incredible ocean-going expedition vessel, and interact with the full South Atlantic Expedition crew before they depart again. Price: $1500 USD pp includes gear, food, accom, plus a ‘send-off’ dinner with the full crew Trans-South Atlantic Gyre Expedition: Walvis Bay to Montevideo via St Helena (31 days) We’re looking for a few lucky individuals to take on the challenge of the full Trans-Atlantic expedition led by the 5 Gyres team. It’ll be an action-packed month trawling for plastic, analyzing fish, running the sensors and sharing life changing moments. Sea Dragon will stop in at St Helena (weather dependent) to survey beaches and meet with locals. Price: $7000 USD pp includes gear, food, accom, plus a ‘send-off’ dinner with the full crew Route Dates/Days/Price: Cape Town - Walvis Bay 28 Dec 2010 - 02 Jan 2011 6 $1500 USD Walvis Bay - Montevideo 04 Jan 2011 - 03 Feb 2011 31 $7000 USD Proceeds will go to the Two Oceans Aquarium, South Africa. To confirm your place contact info@pangaea-explorations.]]> Stiv Wilson Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:23:17 PST http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/11/29/want_to_join_5_gyres_on_next_expedition Convenience Can Break the Entire Ocean http://5gyres.org/posts/2010/11/29/convenience_can_break_the_entire_ocean The weather has been great for science, but the wind is a bit slow for sailing. We're a bit crunched now, having to make up some miles that we lost when when hove-to, during the storm. Now, however, the seas are calm and the sky is cloudless. Life aboard is much easier though we're starting to run out of food staples. Soon, it'll all be rice, beans, and pasta with olive oil. Most of the fresh vegetables are gone, and we're onto the canned goods. That's okay for me though, I've long quit eating normally. Something about being at sea saps my hunger almost entirely. The science work has been much easier in the calm waters. We're working with three different trawling devices now and Marcus is working to callibrate the two new designs in order to compare them to the standard Manta. Our protocol has become rigorous, trying very hard to minimize as many variables as possible, as our samples are the first ever from this part of the world. Every sample is plastic positive still, and some are more prolific than others. We've also started to see some large plastic garbage now. I counted about 15 pieces in a hour while one watch yesterday - buckets, plastic bottles, etc. Occasionally, we'll divert course to check these objects out, but for the most part, we're staying steady, trying to minimize the time we dilly-dally, as we have to make miles to get to Capetown on time. What we have come upon is a large, collected patch of garbage like we did in the North Pacific and the North Atlantic. But that doesn't mean it's not here. We're a small needle transecting a massive haystack. Seeing 15 pieces of garbage float by in an hour from a 72 by 15 foot platform is pretty alarming when one considers that scale that we're talking about. Personally, I'm getting excited for doing some outreach in Capetown. I love chatting to people about this issue. Many of our crew are people who haven't been to the gyre before and I'm a bit jealous of them as everything is a discovery. Jealous and also I'm jaded. E