OP
Shaka Doug
Contributor
This is obviously a world problem ESPECIALLY for our future generations. Believe it. I don't think there's any exaggeration about the size of this mess. If so, so what, it's getting worse by the second and some things need to change ASAP.
Here's a few of my ideas:
1. Awareness. The Pacific Trash Vortex needs to be made known worldwide. A huge public awareness campaign should begin immediatley in all forms of global media.
2. Education. Teach people simple ways to start changing the way they look at plastic. Explain to them how monumental it is to clean up the mess we've already made and we would be wize to slow down our consumption of discardable 'disposable' plastics. I can't even begin to tell you how many of my close friends have NO CLUE how to recycle their plastic and glass bottles, cans and cardboard!! (Here's a few recycling tips for some of you: Rinse each of your recyclable beverage and food containers. Crush them. Separate them. Collect as much as you can before you make the trip to redeem it. Break your non-redeemable glass containers so you can fit more in the dumpster. Flatten your cardboard boxes. Do not mix food contaminated cardboard (like pizza boxes) in your cardboard recycling. Refuse plastic bags when you shop and the clerk tries to give you one. Use more cans instead of plastic or glass. Aluminum is actually one of the easiest materials in the world to recycle. I could go on.....)
3. Legal Measures to change packaging regulations. Have you been to a Costco lately and seen the ridiculously large plastic packages they sell stuff in??? (What the hell are they thinking? I've been saying that for years!) Maybe big corporations and their employees need to be made aware and educated first.
4. Prevention of more plastic introduced by way of rivers with screening or filtration devices. Not as difficult as it may sound. Barriers and containment devices can divert the flow of flotsam headed into the ocean and instead into a collection system.
5. Collection of plastic out in the vortex. No we might not be able to get the micro size pieces but we can certainly scoop up some of the big, floating stuff. Use huge factory ships that used to be used for commercial fishing/whaling and turn them into plastic processing plants. They can use the plastic they process and mold it into giant geodesic globes that float. Eventually many giant globes are then joined together for a giant floating raft. That raft can possibly be towed somewhere and built on or used for something we havent even thought of yet. This needs to start now. We should try to eliminate the amount of plastic that has not yet started to break down and this would be a way of doing that.
6. Start at home and at work. Start now. Get the fire going and it will catch. It needs to become fashionable to recycle and be earth friendly. It's also going to be a requirement for the survival of our planet and it's creatures, big and small. Wake up tomorrow and begin, it's easy. It will make you feel better about the problem too.
I'm glad this thread appears to be getting so much attention. It deserves ten times the attention though! This little spot here in Scubaboard is still not enough. Spread the word, pay attention to what you use and discard and clean up every chance you get. I picked up a bunch more crap underwater today at Five Caves. It never ends. So when someone doesn't believe the vortex is twice the size of Texas, I tell them screw that. The plastic trash problem is actually the size of our Earth. We better do something quick or all our fish are gonna be dead and we'll be dead too. And our children, well, they won't even exist. How's that make you feel? We should try to remember that our earth is not "one time use" or "Disposable" like we have grown accustomed to treating it.
Those are just a few of my ideas. I'm no expert but I'm deeply connected to the ocean and I love it to death. I want to help it survive into the future. Do you realize we are just a couple decades away from completely ruining something that has done nothing but thrive for millions and millions of years? Think about that. You can all make a difference because you already have and already do.
Love Your Mother Earth!
Namaste'.
Here's a few of my ideas:
1. Awareness. The Pacific Trash Vortex needs to be made known worldwide. A huge public awareness campaign should begin immediatley in all forms of global media.
2. Education. Teach people simple ways to start changing the way they look at plastic. Explain to them how monumental it is to clean up the mess we've already made and we would be wize to slow down our consumption of discardable 'disposable' plastics. I can't even begin to tell you how many of my close friends have NO CLUE how to recycle their plastic and glass bottles, cans and cardboard!! (Here's a few recycling tips for some of you: Rinse each of your recyclable beverage and food containers. Crush them. Separate them. Collect as much as you can before you make the trip to redeem it. Break your non-redeemable glass containers so you can fit more in the dumpster. Flatten your cardboard boxes. Do not mix food contaminated cardboard (like pizza boxes) in your cardboard recycling. Refuse plastic bags when you shop and the clerk tries to give you one. Use more cans instead of plastic or glass. Aluminum is actually one of the easiest materials in the world to recycle. I could go on.....)
3. Legal Measures to change packaging regulations. Have you been to a Costco lately and seen the ridiculously large plastic packages they sell stuff in??? (What the hell are they thinking? I've been saying that for years!) Maybe big corporations and their employees need to be made aware and educated first.
4. Prevention of more plastic introduced by way of rivers with screening or filtration devices. Not as difficult as it may sound. Barriers and containment devices can divert the flow of flotsam headed into the ocean and instead into a collection system.
5. Collection of plastic out in the vortex. No we might not be able to get the micro size pieces but we can certainly scoop up some of the big, floating stuff. Use huge factory ships that used to be used for commercial fishing/whaling and turn them into plastic processing plants. They can use the plastic they process and mold it into giant geodesic globes that float. Eventually many giant globes are then joined together for a giant floating raft. That raft can possibly be towed somewhere and built on or used for something we havent even thought of yet. This needs to start now. We should try to eliminate the amount of plastic that has not yet started to break down and this would be a way of doing that.
6. Start at home and at work. Start now. Get the fire going and it will catch. It needs to become fashionable to recycle and be earth friendly. It's also going to be a requirement for the survival of our planet and it's creatures, big and small. Wake up tomorrow and begin, it's easy. It will make you feel better about the problem too.
I'm glad this thread appears to be getting so much attention. It deserves ten times the attention though! This little spot here in Scubaboard is still not enough. Spread the word, pay attention to what you use and discard and clean up every chance you get. I picked up a bunch more crap underwater today at Five Caves. It never ends. So when someone doesn't believe the vortex is twice the size of Texas, I tell them screw that. The plastic trash problem is actually the size of our Earth. We better do something quick or all our fish are gonna be dead and we'll be dead too. And our children, well, they won't even exist. How's that make you feel? We should try to remember that our earth is not "one time use" or "Disposable" like we have grown accustomed to treating it.
Those are just a few of my ideas. I'm no expert but I'm deeply connected to the ocean and I love it to death. I want to help it survive into the future. Do you realize we are just a couple decades away from completely ruining something that has done nothing but thrive for millions and millions of years? Think about that. You can all make a difference because you already have and already do.
Love Your Mother Earth!
Namaste'.
