Dee Finney's blog
start date July 20-2011
Today's date November 3, 2012
page 360
TOPIC: LETS CLEAN UP THE OCEANS - A PROJECT
This past week, I was contacted by a long time dear friend who feels a passion for cleaning up the oceans, but particularly PLASTIC.
PLASTIC GARBAGE IN OUR OCEANS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTZUVjF69eg&feature=related
I commend her for this, and though I have long given thought to this topic fleetingly here and there, I didn't feel the passion until she told me about her passion. A personal contact really does make a difference.
It was called to mind about Tom Brown who also has a passion for cleaning up water - starting in your own neighborhood, because water does run downhill and eventually into the ocean.
I also remembered the debris that started showing up on Canada's beaches this past year that had come all the way from Japan and the Fukishima disaster and tsunami - earthquake in that country.
We all really need to give credence to this problem, and do our part to help clean up the oceans, no matter where we are and what we do for a living, and if you are retired like I am, you have even more time to think about this issue and do your part to help.
So, lets do some digging and see what is already being done, and then we can decide where we can help.
OKAY! We are not the only ones thinking about this issue:
Fungi Discovered In The Amazon Will Eat Polyurethane, Plastic Solving The Landfill Pollution
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN 18 MILLION TONS OF PLASTIC HITS YOUR SHORES?
The tragedy of the Tsunami that hit Japan last March (2011) is still causing havoc to the world. This time it’s causing concern to the West Coast of North America. It’s something that I never thought would happen…but it did.
Approximately 18 Million tonnes of trash consisting of houses, appliances, cars, TVs, and other trash was washed out to sea after the Tsunami hit the east coast of Japan. The trash spans approximately 3,200 kms long and 1,600 kms wide. The Tsunami Pacific garbage patch is expected to reach Hawai’i by 2013 and the West Coast of North America by 2014.
Man…this sucks. Imagine the beautiful views that will be ruined in Hawaii and North America due to the presence of millions of tons of trash. Also imagine how much damage it will cause to marine life in the Pacific Ocean. Plastic and trash can get caught around the necks of marine life like sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals and suffocate them.
Plastic and trash is already responsible for the deaths of more than hundreds of thousands of ocean species…now the number will grow due to the increased amount of garbage creating another Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.
Two photos show the same coast in northeastern Japan on March 12, 2011, before and after a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit the area. About 18 million tonnes of debris from the disasters are projected to float onto the B.C. coast by 2014. (Associated Press/Kyodo News)
So how do you stop 18 million tons of trash from not only cluttering multiple coasts, but damaging habitats, killing ocean species, and hitting industries like tourism hard??? That seems to be the million dollar question. A question, which to this date, has not been answered. Trash, especially plastic is found all throughout the Oceans, in big pieces and microscopic pieces, and no one has tried to pick it all up. I mean who would…is that even possible?
It is possible according to Captain Jim “Homer” Holms, co-founder of the Clean Oceans Project. Last week, Speak Up for Blue posted an interview with Homer discussing the organization’s plans to pick up all the plastic which is polluting the Ocean (check out the full interview here). Homer told us that his organization was not only going to pick up plastic debris from the Ocean, but they would dispose of it by heating it up until it breaks down into fuel, it’s original form. Is there technology to do that? YES there is. It’s not fully available yet to the public, but it is on its way and Homer is helping to get the technology out there as fast as possible, which is great because we are really going to need it in a year or two.
Yesterday someone emailed me asking what the plan was to deal with all of this trash coming to our coasts. I responded by telling him that I didn’t quite know; however, the fact that scientists are able to track the massive garbage patch in the open sea and encourage volunteers to take pictures of the patch as they sail by is a feat in itself. This means we will be able to know what is in the trash patch before it even reaches shore, which also means we can do a better job at cleaning it up by knowing what is in it.
My suggestion would be to get the Clean Ocean’s Project on their way as soon as possible to begin cleaning up this patch before it reaches any shore, but this requires funding…and lots of it. Soooo…If you want to see this garbage patch cleaned up, I suggest you click over to the Clean Ocean’s Project and donate to help fund them. Don’t have the cash? Then donate your time. The staff need help with logistics and gathering information about the technologies to clean up our Oceans! This is the chance for you to make a difference.
First thing’s first…click over and WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH THE CLEAN OCEANS PROJECT to get a better understanding of the complex problem that is plastic pollution.
Andrew
Lewin is founder
of Speak Up for Blue and an active Ocean Scientist. He
started Speak Up for Blue because he wanted to make sure people got
the best news, solutions,
and conservations
stories that were out
there as opposed to
the mainstream Ocean News out
there today. Andrew wants to help you become an Ocean Leader
and change
the way
the world treats our Oceans| Nov 1,
2011 – And all
the floating colorful plastic
bits
of civilization
are at
the core
of a very modern and ironic
question
- is cleaning
the oceans from plastic
... |
www.savemyoceans.com/plastics.php - Similarto Plastic Pollution - Save My Oceans
Always recycle your plastic. Get involved with local legislation to limit the use of plastic bags. Keep our beaches clean by participating in Ocean Conservancy's ...
science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/clean-up-garbage-patc...
And there's the rub: An ever-increasing amount of the world's ever-increasing amount of plastic refuse is ending up in the ocean. In fact, the Pacific Ocean now ...
www.elephantjournal.com/2010/07/recycled-plastic-island-can-it-... - Similarto Recycled Plastic Island: Can It Clean Up Plastic Pollution In ...
Jul 23, 2010 ... We've heard a lot about plastic pollution in our oceans. Plastic constitutes approximately 90% of all trash floating on the ocean's surface, with ...
www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_15705059?IADID=Search-www.santacruzsentinel.co...
Aug 7, 2010 ... Much has been said about the millions of tons of plastic suspended in mostly tiny bits in the North Pacific gyre as well as others worldwide.
www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2010/02/sea_tra...
Feb 9, 2010 ... So cleaning up this part of the ocean isn't as simple as you might have ... Collecting all those small fragments of plastic would be extremely ...
baynature.org/articles/plastic-pollution-in-the-ocean-and-what-you-can-do-a...
Jul 1, 2009 ... Information and free materials for teaching about ocean plastic pollution in the ... Keep Oceans Clean: Oceans Awareness Campaign ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PExf1GYf2wQ
Feb 28, 2010 ... In 2008, Ocean Voyages Institute launched Project Kaisei, its ocean clean up initiative. The project is a multi-year enterprise to remove plastic ...
This video explores the impact of plastic
pollution on the ocean environment and solutions to cleaning it up.
In 2008, Ocean Voyages Institute launched Project Kaisei, its ocean
clean up initiative. The project is a multi-year enterprise to
remove plastic trash from the ocean, devise energy efficient
collection methods, test and adapt recycling methods, and reduce the
flow of plastics into the ocean. In 2009, Project Kaisei made its
first voyage to the North Pacific Gyre. The team found tons of
plastic trash mid ocean. Day after day the vessels sailed through
accumulations of debris. Ghost nets composed of derelict fishing
gear, captured sea life and plastic items were frequently spotted
amongst the floating assortment of all too familiar plastic
containers and items of all types and sizes (our trash).
Even more pervasive were small pieces of plastics known as confetti.
Our scientists found plastic in every surface trawl. Such pollution
threatens the marine ecosystem and introduces dangerous levels of
toxicity into the food web, ultimately raising concern for human
health. The public needs to see the amount of plastic trash in the
Gyre and understand the tragic consequence of a failure to act.
www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/how-method-turns-plastic-poll...
Sep 19, 2011 ... Because of the ocean winds and currents in the region, much of the plastic from the Gyre ends up washing up on the beaches of Hawaii.
methodhome.com/category/blog/ocean-plastic/
Oct 23, 2012 ... check it out, one of our new ocean plastic bottles enjoying the view at home ... as a small soap company, we know we can't clean up the world's ...
curiosity.discovery.com/question/great-pacific-garbage-patch
In fact, more than 90 percent of the garbage floating in the ocean is plastic [ source: The ... Cleaning the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been a goal of green ...