Project Kaisei - The Pacific Gyre

[David Biedny]

You've probably heard about the huge plastic nightmare in the Pacific.

Here's a preview of a documentary being done by a friend of a friend, it'll only be up at this link for a couple of weeks:

https://download.yousendit.com/TzY0N3RUQ0NRR2VGa1E9PQ

Sobering stuff.

dB

 

[dusty]

You've probably heard about the huge plastic nightmare in the Pacific.

Here's a preview of a documentary being done by a friend of a friend, it'll only be up at this link for a couple of weeks:

https://download.yousendit.com/TzY0N3RUQ0NRR2VGa1E9PQ

Sobering stuff.

dB

Like the girl said "This is where the forgotten things go".

This is so true and a very accurate summation of our general lack of care and attention to what is in fact not such an abundant resource when you look at it like this,

The droplet on the left is all of earths water and on the right our atmosphere.

I do find it interesting that a lot of this junk somehow manages to coalesce though. There's probably some clever ocean current data available plotting the drift of this stuff, so we should be grateful for that I guess. It might be a tough job but it would seem to me that a chains of ships trawling large nets down to say 20metres or so would make sense. Expensive and difficult yeah but something has to be done.

Aint it funny how nature somehow finds a way of putting all this crap together through some intricate system of currents. Maybe that's how we all ended up on this rock in the first place, all us bad boys and girls.

Mark

 

[jkoci]

 

[Tom From Hong Kong]

I wonder how much it would cost to launch a bona fide clean-up effort to pull this junk out of the ocean --probably a relatively small fraction of the money the U.S. spends on the war in Iraq and the overall defense budget.

 

[jkoci]

Thanks for the great image dusty.

 

[jkoci]

On a related issue...

Report: Consumerism must be halted to save the planet - CNN.com

 

[Jay]

I wonder how much it would cost to launch a bona fide clean-up effort to pull this junk out of the ocean --probably a relatively small fraction of the money the U.S. spends on the war in Iraq and the overall defense budget.

People could start on a local level. I have a kayak and often go up into the creeks that feed local reservoirs. I have been appalled at the amount of trash that collects in these streams. 90% is plastic water and soda bottles. I intend on getting some good pictures of what I find this year and sending them to the local media. Maybe someone will do a story on it. People's awareness needs to be raised on how much trash is out there. I can only get so many bottles in a kayak.

 

[dusty]

People could start on a local level. I have a kayak and often go up into the creeks that feed local reservoirs. I have been appalled at the amount of trash that collects in these streams. 90% is plastic water and soda bottles. I intend on getting some good pictures of what I find this year and sending them to the local media. Maybe someone will do a story on it. People's awareness needs to be raised on how much trash is out there. I can only get so many bottles in a kayak.

Nice one Jay,

Just wanted to say

Mark

 

[jkoci]

People could start on a local level. I have a kayak and often go up into the creeks that feed local reservoirs. I have been appalled at the amount of trash that collects in these streams. 90% is plastic water and soda bottles. I intend on getting some good pictures of what I find this year and sending them to the local media. Maybe someone will do a story on it. People's awareness needs to be raised on how much trash is out there. I can only get so many bottles in a kayak.

Not only in streams but storm runoff as well. Here is how one city is trying to deal with it.

http://www.cabq.gov/storm-drainage-design/trash-and-runoff

 

[Ezechiel]

Wow !!

I'm surprised no entrepreneur has seized this opportunity. (Maybe lack of imagination).

I don't see why a fleet of recycling tanker ships couldn't be sent out there to recover that precious plastic resource ! You could actually convert the plastic, refine it back to oil, fill your ships tanks, sell some, fuel yourself back out to sea.
Other trash could also be processed... fishing net fibers... etc.

.... or am I dreaming out loud LOL

 

[Jay]

Thanks Mark and thanks for the link jkoci. When I contact the local media and / or the city, I'll be sure to mention the system Albuquerque is using.
I have no doubt a lot of what I see has been washed down from storm drains, then to the streams. You wouldn't believe the number of basketball and soccer balls I have found.

 

[Tom From Hong Kong]

People could start on a local level. I have a kayak and often go up into the creeks that feed local reservoirs. I have been appalled at the amount of trash that collects in these streams. 90% is plastic water and soda bottles. I intend on getting some good pictures of what I find this year and sending them to the local media. Maybe someone will do a story on it. People's awareness needs to be raised on how much trash is out there. I can only get so many bottles in a kayak.

Amen, Jay. In addition, we all can minimize our consumption of food and other household products packaged in plastics. To my point above, I'm sure cleaning up the oceans presents a threat to some marine life. However, if we get our best and brightest to focus on the problem I am sure we can do a substantial amount to ameliorate the problem. Like most things in life, it is a question of priorities.

 

[Xylo]

Wow !!

I'm surprised no entrepreneur has seized this opportunity. (Maybe lack of imagination).

I don't see why a fleet of recycling tanker ships couldn't be sent out there to recover that precious plastic resource ! You could actually convert the plastic, refine it back to oil, fill your ships tanks, sell some, fuel yourself back out to sea.
Other trash could also be processed... fishing net fibers... etc.

.... or am I dreaming out loud LOL

Too much effort, not enough payback...in dollars that is...

Now if you could contract out to the US Government, submit a bid and then overrun on cost (especially if your company is a subsidiary of Haliburton) then you might be able to take some money away.