Sailing Seas of Plastic

There's a new data visualization interactive map/website in town: Sailing Seas of Plastic. It was created by Dumpark, a New Zealand based agency who has done other environmental graphics as well. 5 Gyres, Mapbox, and Natural Earth were also involved in the project.

In the visualization, you can investigate data to see how much plastic is currently floating in the ocean. The data was compiled from 24 expeditions over the course of 2007 to 2013. The estimated amount:  268,000 tonnes....or 590,838,863 pounds. Considering how light plastic is, that's a lot of plastic. On the map, each dot represents 20 kilograms of plastic (44 pounds). In plotting the map of estimated marine debris, 13 million dots are here on the map... the result of 5 trillion plastic pieces in the world's oceans.

These numbers are so mammoth, they barely feel real.

A wealth of information is available on this website by clicking the "Learn More" link in the bottom left hand corner of the interactive map. Be sure to check it out!

After investigating the map, you might be inspired to rethink the plastic wrap, ziplock bags, or other unnecessary plastic. Even better, you might be inspired to do a little beach or woods clean up.

Screenshot of the interactive map taken from their website: https://app.dumpark.com/seas-of-plastic-2/#

Blast From the Past: October Green Team Gazette Newsletters

It's hard to believe that 2010 & 2009 were 4 and 5 years ago.  Here's a TBT: Throw Back Thursday to Green Team Gaette when it was in its newsletter infancy (aka: pre-blog!)

Green Team Gazette 3.2 October 2010 from Vicki Dabrowka

Green Team Gazette 2.2 October 09 from Vicki Dabrowka

Keep the Sea Free of Debris Art Contest

Calling all artists...it's time for the annual "Keep the Sea Free of Debris" Art Contest.  NOAA is encouraging students to be creative to illustrate and highlight the problem AND the solution.  Enlighten your kids about the damaging effects of marine debris (also called "oceanic plastic pollution") and then inspire them to get artistic.  Deadline, October 21st.

For Classroom resources, go to NOAA Marine Debris' webpage.

Another great page to use as a resource to learn about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and oceanic plastic pollution is on the Plastiki's webpage.

Anyone who wants to share you posters with Green Team Gazette, share them here!

Bridging the Content Areas with the Arts...and Eco-art-ism

Earlier this week we went on one of my favorite annual 3rd grade field trips at Eagle Cove School--we went to Sandy Point State Park.  

The reason we went to this Maryland State Park is because it served as the culmination of our bridges and river study.  As we have found, this park becomes the perfect end-of-unit getaway in that it offers us an "up close and personal" view of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the gateway that connects the Eastern and Western shores of Maryland.  It gives us a beach-side seat to discuss our newly acquired bridge terminology: bridge deck, piers, towers, abutments, truss, and suspension. 

But more than that, it also gives us an opportunity to tie the content areas to the arts as we go out into the world--yielding over-sized clipboards, watercolor paper, paint brushes, and paint.  We were also carrying a multitude of watercolor techniques. 

Additionally, our art adventure and Social Studies unit both lent themselves to an environmental conversation.  Sandwiched in between both of these golden opportunities was a chance to share some powerful Plastiki quotes from the David de Rothschild book Plastiki: Across the Pacific on Plastic: An Adventure to Save Our Oceans.  This in turn, made for a sensational segue into having our own personal beach clean up. 

We instantly noticed and were pleased by the pretty pristine-ly combed beach; yet despite that fact, purple sparkled in the morning sun.  Purple?  Ahh, a wayward scrap of foil from a random granola or protein bar wrapper.  Add that to the hundreds of other colorful dime-sized, plastic items we found.  In our little area alone, our crew was able to get a full grocery bag of tiny plastic scraps.  These scraps were only a wind-blown-gust away from the water.  Over time, that wind would ultimately carry all of it off to one of the 5 oceanic garbage patches filled with plastic trash, otherwise know as "mermaid tears," "nurdles," or "toxic soup."

The Plastiki had been on my brain for about 2 weeks prior to our bridge trip.  During that time, I had been aboard an airplane, and I found myself shaking my head.  The reason?  I was 30,000 feet above the ground, drinking from a plastic-encased bottle of water while reading the book "Plastiki!" (I was a thirsty girl from all that recirculated air--I needed hydration, and bottled water was my only option, despite my personal animosity to plastic!)  I think this is what they call "irony."

Yet, it was during this "anti-plastic yet plastic" moment that the book I was reading really hit home.  Perhaps this is why some facts are still sticking with me (as quoted from The Plastiki: Across the Pacific on Plastic: An Adventure to Save Our Oceans):

•  80% of ocean pollution begins on land; a plastic bottle can take 450 years to degrade;
• For every 1 ton of plastic we recycle, we save almost 2,000 pounds of oil;
• The exact amount of plastic entering the Pacific Ocean is unknown, and may be unknowable. But what is certain is that the Garbage Patch has grown in size, and so has the density of plastic within its vortex;.
• Each year, plastic litter in the ocean kills 100,000 turtles, dolphins, whales, and other marine mammals, and 1 million seabirds.

So, this 3rd grade field trip for me wasn't just a great field trip.  Instead, it became more like eco-tourism.  "Eco-art-ism" perhaps is the better terminology.  But isn't it true that this is what makes learning "real" to kids: True connections to real life.  Hands-on experiences. Taking in the beauty and nature that surrounds us.  Being active and taking action.  Gaining an appreciation for the Chesapeake Bay...seeing the fragility of our bay...protecting the bay.

Perhaps more of our everyday learning experiences should include "eco-art-ism."

Innovation, Hope, The Plastiki, & The Royal Wedding

"Our culture has been living as if we are forever young.  We throw things "away" as if there is no tomorrow." ~from the "Op- Ed" by William McDonough (author of Cradle to Cradle), page 61, in David de Rothschild's book Plastiki: Across the Pacific on Plastic: An Adventure to Save Our Oceans.

On a plane this past Friday morning, these are some of the words I was reading, and they really struck a chord with me.  I see this sentiment as symbolic of the expectations and the approach of the young, thinking that they will live forever. We all have done this...and sadly, with age, we learn that in the circle of life, this is neither true or accurate.

In the blink of an eye, babies all of a sudden are school-aged kids. Then, before you know it, those same kids "instantly" grow up and graduate high school then college (or, at least, so it seems). Our parents become grandparents, and our childhood memories become cherished memories as we suddenly are facing the loss of loved ones we never thought would grow old.

They say that wisdom comes with age.  You'd hope so. Yet there are still naysayers out there debating if global warming exists.  IF?!? So much for scientific proof.  (Find some pretty compelling, undeniable, undebate-able proof here: http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/).  

As those ocean levels are rising, warming, and increasing in acidity...glacial sheets are shrinking, extreme weather events are increasing, global temperature is rising, and arctic sea ice is diminishing.  All the while, the oceans are becoming more and more crowded with their growing "plastic to plankton" ratio.

Then you have David de Rothschild, who not only tried to think outside the box, but he reinvented the whole shape of the box--to the geodesic hull of the Plastiki.  Relying heavily on biomimicry, his designers shaped the hull using the natural references of the turtle's shell and the horseshoe crab.

"Experimentation and new thinking were woven into every facet of the Plastiki" ~page 53 of David de Rothschild's Plastiki: Across the Pacific on Plastic: An Adventure to Save Our Oceans.

Innovation. That's what it took, and that is what we need. In a world that watches in awe the royal wedding of England's Prince William to Kate Middleton, it becomes evident that the world needs and yearns for good news and hope. It's the same world that is bedraggled by economic downturns, natural disasters, world-wide skirmishes, repeated bad news on the nightly programming, and the inane "reality" shows which know and show nothing of true reality.  In our adoration of the royal wedding, we embrace the vision of hope it inspires. We are a world looking for--craving--hope and innovation.

Hope and innovation...it bears repeating.  Plastiki and its 12,500 plastic bottles and its voyage from San Fran to Sydney last year offered that. Our children offer that. The royal wedding does that...in fact any and all weddings do that.  But it is more than a mere fairy tale. It is a hope for mankind, and it is a belief in mankind. It is an awakening that perhaps we can do better. Think better. Be better. It is just up to each one of us to become creative and inspired people like David de Rothschild, to think outside the box and create brand new, sustainable paradigms.  

Doing this will undoubtedly leave the world a little better than we found it.

Images from: Plastiki Pictures http://www.theplastiki.com/; Climate Change Graph: http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/; Royal Wedding: http://stylefrizz.com/201104/kate-middletons-alexander-mcqueen-white-wedding-dress-as-designed-by-sarah-burton/

It's a Big Eco Week and a Big Eco Month Ahead

'Tis the season of a number of eco events....this week, and this month!  Take a peek to see what ones that need to mark your calendar:

1.  A year ago today, March 20th--Happy Birthday Plastiki

Plastiki, our favorite water bottle boat made of 12K+ plastic water bottles set sail into the Pacific Ocean a year ago today to highlight plastic waste in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch!  Check out their blog marking the event!  http://www.theplastiki.com/2011/03/happy-birthday-plastiki/

2.  Tuesday, March 22nd:  World Water Day, global event

Just around the corner is World Water Day--To see a poignant and amazing videoon the 6 km per day (about 3.7 miles) that many people walk world wide daily to get water (and not always even clean water), check out my March 19th blog on World Water Day:  http://greenteamgazette.blogspot.com/2011/03/world-water-day.html .  Likewise, check out the "World Water Day" link on the GTG theme cloud!

3.  Currently in DC:  March 15--27th:  DC's Environmental Film Fest

60 venues, 150 films, and 26,000 film-goers descend on some important DC documentaries. The place to go (even if you can't get to DC) is http://www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org/  Many shorts are available online at the website!

4.  Saturday, March 26th from 8:30pm -- 9:30pm:  Earth Hour, global event

Two "Must See" videos as to why you should spend your hour (or more) with the lights out, go here or go to http://www.earthhour.org/.

5.  New this month (March 2011) at Amazon.com ~ 2 new books well in-sync with World Water Day:

* Plastiki: An Adventure to Save Our Oceans by David de Rothschild.  Celebrate the one year anniversary by checking into an indepth look at some of the adventures the Plastiki crew endured, just a year ago!

* Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them by Ted Danson & Michael D'Orso

Be sure to check out the near-two-minute video narrated by co-author Ted Danson (yes, TV's "Cheers" Sam Malone) http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m368BI6ASADMFW/ref=ent_fb_link

6.  Friday, April 22nd (Good Friday):  Earth Day, global event 

Be sure to check out the video gallery here at http://www.earthdaytv.net/ or get loads of other resources at http://www.earthday.org/

Yep, it's a full month...Mark those calendars, and don't miss your chance to take a stand and be informed!!!

Planning our TEDx Great Pacific Garbage Patch Live Webstreaming for November 6th

Having diligently followed the creation then 5 month voyage of "The Plastiki" this past summer, I can't get enough info about the horrors called "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch."  (For anyone needing back-story, check in on the following GTG articles:  http://greenteamgazette.blogspot.com/search/label/Plastiki)

Approximately 10 days from now, on November 6th, I'll be pairing with my school, Eagle Cove School, to host a Livestream Watch Party of the TEDx Great Pacific Garbage Patch event with our school community.  We'll be taking advantage of technology and the gathering of great minds to highlight the environmental impacts of plastic pollution and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The TEDx Great Pacific Garbage Patch Webcast Event is sponsored by: 

--TEDx : An Independent off-shoot of the TED Talks which unite leaders from "Technology, Entertainment, & Design;"

--Plastic Pollution Coalition: An organization dedicated to increasing awareness of the toxic effects of plastic pollution;

--Mission Blue:  A global partnership focused on restoring oceanic health for marine wildlife & protected areas.

Featured TEDx Great Garbage Patch Speakers

Sylvia Earle ~ American oceanographer. Former chief scientist for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 1990-1992. Current Explorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society. 

Ed Begley, Jr. ~ actor, environmentalist/activist. Author of "Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life," published in 2008 and star of Planet Green TV's show (of same name) on green living. 

David de Rothschild ~ British adventurer/ environmentalist, head of "Adventure Ecology," (a climate change expedition group). In March of 2010 he trekked across the Pacific Ocean from Los Angeles, CA to Sydney, Australia on the Plastiki, a boat he had made of 12,500 plastic water bottles. He did this to bring awareness to the Oceanic Garbage Patch.

John Dramani Mahama ~ vice president of the Republic of Ghana.

Captain Charles Moore ~ founder of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. He has sampled more than 40,000 miles of water/plastic of the North Pacific Ocean.
Chris Malloy ~ surfer and visionary. He has surfed every continent and has found plastic in the most remote of places.

And many, many more!! For the complete listing, go to http://www.tedxgreatpacificgarbagepatch.com/meet-our-speakers/

Here is the Nov. 6th Agenda as listed from TEDx Agenda  

(all times have been modified from the Pacific time zone to our time zone:) 

11:30 am EST    (8:30 am PST)
Welcome from Plastic Pollution Coalition and Mission Blue

12:00 pm EST   (9:00 am PST)
Morning Session: Reporting The Problem

      * Topic 1: Plastic Pollution and Ocean Health
      * Topic 2: Plastic Pollution and Terrestrial Animals
      * Topic 3: Plastic Pollution and Public Health   

      * Topic 4: Growing Economic Costs of Plastic Pollution  

      * Topic 5: Exponential Growth of Consumption

5:00 pm EST   (2:00 pm PST)
Afternoon Session: Exploring The Solutions

     * Topic 1: Building Awareness and Outreach; Leading by example
     * Topic 2: Businesses Altering Their Practices
     * Topic 3: Investing In the Future: Science, Research and Technology
     * Topic 4: Plastic Alternatives
     * Topic 5: Global Policy Initiatives

6:30 pm EST   (3:30 pm PST)
Call to Action and Global Challenges

7:00 pm EST    (4:00 pm PST)
Closing Remarks

Where is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

Use this Info Graphic to see where the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is located. Then imagine that black spot to be millions, billions of pieces of plastic trash in various sizes. Some are bite-sized bits called "nurdles" that outnumber plankton 6 to 1. These nurdles seem like the perfect snack for marine animals, which ultimately harms marine wildlife as well as putting plastic into our food chain.

 

 For more on TEDx, go to http://www.tedxgreatpacificgarbagepatch.com/.

"Titanic" and "Plastic" Almost Rhyme

Okay, I'll admit it...I'm a Titanic junkie.

It's true.  There's something about the whole phenomenon that captures me.  I know all about the White Star Line.  I've seen the movie a gazillion times (I always seem to forget that 1/2 way in, there's a major tragedy and the movie's a downer.)  

I know all about how it set sail on April 10th, 1912.  I know about the semi-creepy, ominous, superstitious, history of it nearly crashing upon it's dock departure from Southampton, England (where it nearly crashed the dock and another ship before leaving harbor).  I know all about it's "unsinkable-ness."  I know all about it's commentary on the classist society of 1912. I know about the disregard to the ice warnings the night of it's demise.  I most certainly know ALLL about it's fateful day (or night rather) April 14th, 1912 when it scraped an iceberg and riddled it's holding tanks, making it bottom heavy.  I know about it's half-filled life boats, and it's enormous loss.  Thus said, I know all about it's sinking, and splitting in half, April 15th at approximately  2:20 am. 

I know about The California and how it missed the S.O.S. messages of the Titanic.  I know about The Carpathia, and how it came to the "rescue" (tho late due to distance).  And I know about all about it's findings in 1985 by Robert Ballard with the help of robotic submarines Alvin & Jason Jr.

Therefore, I find the article posted under the title "Plastic Bag Found Floating Near Titanic Shipwreck:  Trash is Evidence of a Different Kind of Tragedy on the Ocean"(at  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39077683/ns/technology_and_science-science ) particularly bothersome.

As stated int he article by David Gallo, of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts:

"We look at Titanic as the greatest disaster at sea, but the Titanic was a single tragic event. What we are doing to the sea on an everyday basis is one of the great untold tragedies," Gallo told OurAmazingPlanet.

So to see a near-100-year old tragedy flanked with a modern-day plastic infraction...incorrigible.  It's a definite head-shake-worthy, "You are kidding me!" event.  Let's just add insult to injury...at what point is everything on the ocean bottom just going to be buried under a big pile o'plastic? 

The Pursuit of the Great Outdoors, Part 1

As anyone knows who has paying attention, I've been writing a lot this summer about outdoor adventures and Maryland Park Quests.  Also, if you've really been paying attention, you know that the underlying tie-in relates to the principles of the "No Child Left Inside" Act, "nature deficit disorder," and Richard Louv's book "Last Child in the Woods.  

But no worries if you haven't.  You can learn more about "No Child Left Inside" by clicking the title above or go to http://www.cbf.org/Page.aspx?pid=895).  There you will find the following quote in reference to Richard Louv:  

"Louv links the lack of nature to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression.....The "No Child Left Inside Act" would address this by igniting students’ interest in the outdoors and spurring them to take part in outside activities. And learning to explore the natural world and their personal connection to it, inevitably triggers an interest in spending more time in it."

Perhaps my somewhat obsessive interest in this subject this summer is related to the busy worker-bee teacher that I am, that doesn't get "out and about" nearly as often as I should during the school year.  Perhaps it comes from teaching 18 years, having known 1-dimensional "totally tech-y" kids who can't live life unplugged--and seeing my own children fall victim to the gravitational pull of the DS, computer, Playstation, Wii, and the TV.  (But don't you worry, I do my own "tug-of-war" to pull them back!!)  Perhaps it's my dismay at seeing the rates of  obesity in America on the rise (and my own summer fight to shed a bonus 10-15 lbs).  Perhaps too it's a disgust upon reading books such as Annie Leonard's "The Story of Stuff," and seeing that the accumulation of this stuff isn't leading anyone anywhere closer to happiness or healthier approaches.

The connections nation-wide--world wide--abound.  It's in the over-plasticized & polluted oceans that David de Rothschild was highlighting with his 4 month Pacific Ocean voyage on the Plastiki.  It's out in the oil-spilled/filled Gulf of Mexico that is contributing to our petroleum-based, over-consumed, disposable society (especially where the plastic-glutted, "Happy Meal"-treasure-filled toy box is concerned).  It is in the factors such as this which, in turn, lead to maxed-out credit cards, debt, and unhealthy lifestyles.  It's only a short commute from there to the diets filled with far too many calories that are served up in Styrofoam containers and single-use plastics, and eaten in front of the television. 

Maryland's Park Quest for me has been an opportunity to take time to stop and smell the roses, and to experience new venues. It's had me moving at a different pace (whether that be hiking, paddling, or biking).  It has also had me viewing the world differently, and it has worked as a springboard for different types of activities I could include as a teacher to help diminish "nature deficit disorder"...for instance setting up a letterboxing situation on our school campus and incorporating curriculum quests that I could take outdoors just simply to change things up. It has us doing exactly what Michelle Obama is trying to get everyone to with her "Let's Move" campaign to fight childhood obesity (http://www.letsmove.gov/).

Hopefully it's helped you, reader friend, get outside and get moving in a similar sort of way.  The roses and adventures await!

Pictures from my own outdoor adventures.

Thank You...No, Thank You!

I think it really does say something about the integrity of a person like David de Rothschild who has been part of a crew to risk their lives to do something as amazing as sail the Pacific Ocean in order to present an environmental message...who then sends out a video of thanks to their supporters.  

Thank you?  No, thank YOU, Plastiki!!

Video from http://www.theplastiki.com/2010/07/thank-you/ 

As I mentioned on the comments of my last blog entry about the Plastiki, two great places to go to see video footage of the Plastiki arriving in Sydney are here:  

CNN's Plastiki News Page: 

http://www.blogger.com/%20http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/plastiki/

Sydney Morning Herald:http://www.smh.com.au/environment/plastiki-sails-into-sydney-harbour-20100726-10rz9.html  

A Picture & A Plastiki Say 1000 Words!

After 4 months, 8,000 nautical miles, and a lot of sweat & perseverance, the Plastiki arrived in Sydney's Darling Harbor.  These 2 pictures say it all!

To see these pics and read of the Plastiki's arrival, go to http://www.theplastiki.com/2010/07/the-plastiki-has-arrived-in-sydney/ .  More pics are available at http://www.theplastiki.com/2010/07/plastiki-arrival-photos/.

A Message and a Bottle Sailing Into Shore!

"Message in a Bottle".... Whether it is Plastiki's "motto," "slogan," or "battle cry," you decide. This phrase has been their catch phrase announcing when the crew finds cyberspace commentary highlighting their mission. It also has been their adage detailing their own mission. That mission? Single use plastics are a waste of resources and a polluting mess to our oceans, as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch will show.

David de Rothschild's bottle, with Adventure Ecology's message, is about to come to shore!!

March 20th, 2010 David de Rothschild & skipper Jo Royle, along with their crew, set sail in the Plastiki from San Francisco, California.  Now, just 4 months later they are on the cusp of landing on the shores of Sydney, Australia.   Not just any catamaran (which alone, crossing the Pacific would be intense), but one made of 12,500 plastic water bottles. Why? To highlight the importance of reusing (rather than having to generate new) materials and to discover the sea of plastic slop that's out in our oceans.

All systems are a-go for the Plastiki to land in Sydney "tomorrow" (but we're talking time zones and different continents here, people!).  Actually, upon checking twitter updates, it seems that late night Sunday USA could very well be Australia's tomorrow!  Case and point:   

The Plastiki is coming through the Heads and in into the Harbor right now, such a beautiful sight!!   37 minutes ago via web

the Plastiki is so close! About 4 nautical miles from the Heads, the gateway to Sydney Harbor. Wahoooooooo! 26 minutes ago via web

The Plastiki is sailing through Sydney Harbor!! Such an awesome sight! Helicopters over head & a very excited crew http://twitpic.com/28p2dm    3 minutes ago via web  

Being a person who has tracked the Plastiki along the journey and even before, it seems fitting to sort of watch it as it happens, here and now, from afar...I'm excited about the "message in a bottle" that Plastiki is sharing....From the United Nations' Environmental Program & their July 23rd interview with David de Rothschild: (http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=630&ArticleID=6657&l=en&t=long)

" 'This is truly a message on a bottle', said Mr. de Rothschild. 'We have this addiction to single-use, throwaway plastic, which is choking up the ecosystem. With Plastiki, we want to enlighten, inform and inspire people and show that there are solutions here and not just problems.'.... Mr. de Rothschild also raised concern at the scarcity of marine life his crew had observed on their journey across the Pacific. 'We've spent four months at sea but have seen very little fish stock and only a handful of marine mammals', said Mr. de Rothschild. 'That is a real sign that the oceans are in desperate need of our help.'....

At the end of the live link-up with UNEP, Mr. de Rothschild said Plastiki's next challenge was to encourage others to use plastics more responsibly. Once the boat is back on dry land, Plastiki will become a travelling exhibition raising awareness on waste plastic and marine pollution.   'After this adventure, Plastiki's second chapter is a chapter of change', said Mr. de Rothschild. 'The message we're sending out is 'What is your Plastiki- What can you do to change the world?' "

Kudos Plastiki....G'day & Grand job!!  We're definitely tipping our hats off to you for an amazing feat!!

To get a closer look at the poster above, or to read the Plastiki's blog article about their nearing arrival, click the title above, or go to http://www.theplastiki.com/2010/07/the-plastiki-on-track-to-sydney/

Map image of the voyage from http://www.thetimetv.com/news-iwc-schaffhausen-supports-the-plastiki-expedition-the-official-partner-david-rothschild-and-his-organisation-adventure-ecology-803-62

Plastiki: Yours & OUR Stories

Thank you Plastiki for making us feel like a rock star!  

For 2 weeks, Plastiki--our favorite plastic water bottle boat that's constructed of 12,500 plastic water bottles that's sailing this summer from San Fran to Sydney--has been summoning their friends and followers to send in their stories of what they're doing to eliminate plastics from their life.

Seeing that invitation dangling out there, I sent forth the story of Green Team Gazette, Eagle Cove School, and myself to them.  And I was tickled pink to see we were featured as the 3rd mention in their "Your Stories: Part 1" on their blog.  Thank you David de Rothschild and Plastiki crew for everything you are doing, and thank you all for spreading our message--and many, many other inspiring and exciting messages!! I can't wait to see what other people are doing world-wide to make the planet a little cleaner and a little brighter!! Shows us all there's hope out there!!

To see "Your Stories: Part 1" and see Green Team Gazette and other stories highlighted on the Plastiki's website blog, click the title above, or go to http://www.theplastiki.com/2010/07/3323/.

To see Eagle Cove School's brand new website (different from the one listed in the Plastiki blog), go to http://www.eaglecoveschool.org/.    

Image from Plastiki's Flicker Photo Stream upon their departure from San Francisco.

In the Immortal Words of Planet Green: "Humans + Ocean Currents = Trash Vortex"

Planet Green To the Rescue!   Well....if only it were that easy!  

And what are they rescuing us from?  They're putting the concept of the Pacific Garbage Patch into clear and easy to understand terms:  the good, the bad, and the ugly of it all.  Unfortunately for the planet, it's heavy on the later two of those 3 adjectives!  

Here's the life jacket of information to rescue you:  http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/the-pacific-garbage-patch-explained.html

Detailed in this article you'll find out all about The Pacific Garbage Patch (also called the "Trash Vortex," "Toxic Soup," "The Eastern Garbage Patch," and a myriad of other names).  It was the Pacific Garbage Patch that inspired David de Rothschild to build the Plastiki.  Now on it's last leg across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Sydney, Australia, the Plastiki is a boat crafted out of 12,500 plastic bottles, which is nearing both it's 100th day at sea and also it's final destination.  Designed to show the importance of reusing and re-purposing materials, the Plastiki and crew purposely trekked through the center of the Pacific Garbage Patch to draw attention to the fact that we've got a pretty wretched mess of plastic waste swirling about out there. 

So, in the immortal words of Planet Green:  "Humans + Ocean Currents = Trash Vortex." One of the stats from the Planet 100 video near the bottom of the article:  Humans dispose of 185 pounds of plastic a year...most of which isn't recycled.  185 pounds?!  That's just a few pounds shy of the 191 pounds that was the average weight of the American male in 2002 (according to http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/healthcare/a/tallbutfat.htm)!  We are throwing away our own weight (if not more) in plastic....plastic which never completely breaks down nor goes away!  This has become the price of our throw away society. 

Check out Planet Green's eye-opening article: "The Pacific Garbage Patch Explained."  While you're there, see the up-close map of the gyres and currents (pictured above), click on the slideshows (including some rather disgusting ones of items they've found in the innards of sea birds). Also check out the videos about what's going on with this swirling plastic dervish at http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/the-pacific-garbage-patch-explained.html. (Don't miss Charles Moore's TED talk! or the Planet 100 video near the end)  It all truly falls in the category of "Must See Eco-TV."
 
The next logical step after viewing the videos and reading Planet Green's info--go take the Plastiki Pledge to do your part to eliminate plastics, go to http://myplastiki.com/ to take action. And for goodness sakes, don't just step over that trash on the ground that will ultimately find a storm drain, a stream, a waterway, an ocean, and finally the belly of marine wildlife. Do your part!

Plastiki poster from http://www.theplastiki.com/whatisplastiki/

Looking To Be Inspired?

Looking to be inspired as to ways to get involved in the upcoming June 5th World Environment Day?  Go to the United Nations Environment Programme's site to find a list of activities around the world by clicking the title above or going to http://www.unep.org/wed/2010/english/activities/ .  While you are there, you can also register your activity--whether it be a community-wide one or something you plan to commit to do to take action in your own home! 

While you're on the UNEP site, be sure to click around and check out the wealth on there, in particular the WED Heroes, individuals UNEP is celebrating for their personal determination in taking on high-profile expeditions.  It's no surprise to me that David de Rothschild and the Plastiki Expedition made the list with their trek across the Pacific Ocean (and subsequently the Great Pacific Garbage Patch) in their boat made of 12,500 plastic bottles!  Other WED Heroes include: 

• Charles and Sho Scott, a father-son duo who rode 4,700 km across Japan on connected bikes in order to bring attention to climate change and the importance of taking action.
• Project Kaisei, who is studying how to capture the plastic waste from the ocean to create a way to turn it back into usable, diesel fuel ;
• Luo Hong, an environmental photographer who who has raised money through many photography exhibitions for environmental causes, including UNEP's Painting Competition by Children in China.
• Roz Savage who rowed across the Pacific Ocean solo in 2009, then walked 600 miles from London to Copenhagen for the December 2009 UN Climate Conference.  She has a foundation called Pull Together to inspire to walk more/drive less.

“Although individual decisions may seem small in the face of global threats and trends, when billions of people join forces in common purpose, we can make a tremendous difference.” ~UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

Picture from http://www.unep.org/wed/2010/english/images/logos/web/WED2010_Logo_Web_English1.jpg

UN Secretary's quote from http://www.unep.org/wed/2010/english/aroundtheworld.asp

Oil & Water Don't Mix

Irony.  

Plastiki, our favorite boat constructed of 12,500 water bottles is outside the Line Islands in the Pacific Ocean. We're looking at 46 days of travel from San Francisco to Sydney, Australia, trekking past the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.  Twice the size of Texas, this patch is a swirling mix of plastic trash, in various stages of pollution and disintegration, harming the wild life that lives there.  Wild life--marine creatures--that may one day be on your dinner plate.

Yet, here were are, May 4th, 2010, with a different garbage patch of another making, in another body of water.  The Gulf of Mexico is reaping the damage of a different man-made situation just 2 weeks old.  Of course the April 20th off-shore drilling rig explosion was unintended on BP's part...most environmental tragedies are quite certainly unintended.  Yet, here we are...an unfortunate occurrence just 2 days before Earth Day...but still, 2 weeks later,  thousands of gallons of oils continue to leak out. 

The irony?

Just how do you make this polluting plastic that's floating around en masse in the Pacific Ocean that Plastiki is sailing (not to mention every other ocean)?  Our throw-away society makes more and more plastic out of their desire to make more and more disposable items.  Bottles, baggies, and everything in between.  And from where dp we get this pleothora of plastic??  Oil.  Petroleum.  Petrochemicals. Our desire for our own oil, close to our own soil (to make us less reliant on middle eastern oil), has brought a danger to our own home.  

Are our Ziplocs and one-use bottles worth where we are now?  I'll guarantee the Gulf shrimpers are not thinking so.  

As Alyssa Langworthy said last week at the USGBC & Green Speaks Award Ceremony at the Kennedy Center:  "Katrina deserves to be an only child."

Alyssa's comment wasn't in relation to this situation, yet, here we are, back in the Gulf of Mexico just as we were with Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, a mess upon messes, leaving people along the coastline and people who rely on the coast for their livelihood in a hard environmental predicament. 

It's looking like the unfortunate truth is that Katrina might not be an only child after all.

To get up to the date information (and to see alarming, heart-wrenching pictures) on the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill, click the link above, or go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/gulf-oil-spill

For another great article, visit Treehugger's website to see "Will The BP Oil Spill Be Our Collective Zen Slap Into Eco-Realization? Let's Hope So" go to

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/05/will-bp-oil-spill-be-collective-zen-slap-into-eco-realization.php

Photos from (in order) http://www.theplastiki.com/; http://blueplanetalmanac.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/garbage-patch-1-smaller1.jpg;%20 and http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2010/04/27/oil_slick-cp-8554516.jpg

Earth Day is on Its Way: The Movement

Yesterday, my class of all boys and I had a rare and wonderful opportunity to take a video tour through the landmarks of Civil Rights Movement.  No, not an online adventure, but an escorted adventure through the pictures & places Mr. Charles ("Tank") Duckett has been.  Tank, a friend of Eagle Cove School and a guest to our classroom, shared his digital photo journal of his his trip to Civil Rights landmarks such as the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the Rosa Parks Library, Martin Luther King, Jr's home and grave site, Dexter Avenue Memorial Baptist Church, Little Rock's Central High, Fisk University....just to name a few!  My boys heard for the first time the African American National Anthem, and they also got to hear Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winning acceptance speech.

What's the correlation to Earth Day, you ask?  It all got me thinking about parallels and connections.  Tank was talking to my boys about how the Civil Rights Movement began with young people who were eager to take a stand and to take steps to move people forward.  He spoke to them about coming together respectfully to be leaders, to build bridges.  Powerful words to hear as a 3rd grader...more powerful too if they're taken to heart!

Am I saying that the Environmental Movement rivals The Civil Rights Movement?  Oh my word!!  Heavens no! Not one bit!!  What I am saying is that it is through people being committed to something greater than themselves that leaders are made.  It is through small steps--backed by passion--that create change.  From here, we are driven to progress.  That IS the point of Earth Day...or any movement!

I was struck especially with this quote in Dr. King's 1964 acceptance speech: 

"I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsom and jetsom in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him."

Perhaps it caught my attention because flotsom and jetsom are nautical word--words for environmental waste here a week from Earth Day.  Words that describe what David de Rothschild of the Plastiki will most certainly find in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.  Yet more so, I was struck by the small similarity that we have a 40-year old environmental movement that was also started by few, scoffed at by many.  Both movements were fueled by passion.  Both movements have grown from the vision of people who are willing to stand up for what they believe in, to be out there, to do it step-sometimes-by-little-step.  And then there are some, like David de Rothschild, who take bold risks.  The Civil Rights Movement most certainly gained it's momentum by amazing men and women who took bold risks every day, risking their lives and sometimes their families' lives for equality, truth, and justice that were long over due...for a purpose greater than themselves.  Both movement have grown from people who are willing to be true leaders, creating new leaders every day--often amongst the youngest out there.

Returning to Earth Day, it was the brainstorm of John McConnell, and it started in the U.S. in 1970.  Now it has evolved into an annual world-wide celebration to commemorate and concentrate on the Earth, doing all we can to maintain & improve the health of our planet.  From the first Earth Day April 22, 1970, the movement gained momentum in that the Clean Air Act was written to address air pollution (and was later rewritten in 1990) and Congress created the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).  Given the enormous activism of the 1960's and the Civil Rights Movement, perhaps it was only natural that other issues (including the environment) started becoming focal points for change as well.

To visit Mr. Duckett's website, click the link above or go to http://charlesrduckettandassociates.com/ .

To see the lyrics & hear the music for the Black National Anthem "Lift Ev'ry Voice & Sing," go to http://www.black-network.com/anthem.htm .

To join the "Earth Day 2010 Campaign:  Billion Acts of Green," go to http://www.earthday.org/ .

Picture from http://www.artisanartsonline.com/product_info.php/cPath/312/products_id/3007  and shared today by Mr. Duckett.  The quote:  "When your belief is strong and your purpose just, no obstacle can stand in your way."  Good advice regardless your mission.