Pacific Trash Vortex! Wow! I had no idea it was this bad!

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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'.
 
10' deep and twice as big as Texas yet it hasn't crippled any commercial ships? That's 537, 162 square miles! LOL Over 100 airplanes a day fly over and no one has ever taken a pic? I believe in Jesus because I have faith. I don't believe in trash hoohah though. Sorry but you've been punked. I realize that you feel lost and confused since global warming was proven to be a myth. Maybe you should embrace orphaned children in 3rd world countries as your pet...that's real and there are lots of pictures.
 
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10' deep and twice as big as Texas yet it hasn't crippled any commercial ships? Over 100 airplanes a day fly over and no one has ever taken a pic? I believe in Jesus because I have faith. I don't believe in trash hoohah though. Sorry but you've been punked.


Why does it matter exactly how big it is? Even if there is only ONE single lonely plastic bottle floating in the ocean, why would you leave it there and not pick it out? If there are a million bottles magically floating at 30', why would you leave them there? Who Cares how darn big this thing is. There is video of a problem and people are caught up in semantics. Perhaps it is guilt which is driving your skepticism but again, who cares. There is a problem whose sheer size really is not important to the bigger issue......We MUST change our ways and fix the problem (Humans - not Russians, Chinese, Americans etc.....). HUMANS must change our ways or this problem (this is also just one example of how we are destroying our world) will continue to grow and fester. I agree that education is important. I agree that we need action and to increase awarenes. But why do nothing because we do not believe the implied or stated size is correct? Irregardless of size, this just allows the problem to grow which as I said before, is the wrong answer.

Also, if a picture is all it takes for you to believe something is real, then you have no doubt been duped many times over in life. I guess that can lead to cynicism.
 
I do not work for NOAA nor am I a scientist....But I believe it is safe to say that I am the only one in this thread that actually been there, seen it and am going back again in June to shoot a documentary.
My experience is that the majority of plastic particles are small enough that no satellite would be able to see the "Garbage Patch". If it was visible by Satellite then it would be way too late.
The part that bothers me are the claims of exageration. This is not a debatable subject...there is no natural plastic cycle of which to argue...so why equate this with Global Warming. We should not be debating whether the reports are 100% accurate as to the actual quantity.....thats like debating a news story of a shooting murder as being false because the reporter was wrong with regard to how many times the guy was shot...does it really matter? The fact is he is dead regardless of the bullet count! So why argue the exact current amount of plastic...the fact is....There is tons of plastic choking our oceans and if we dont act now to stop this problem then you all better enjoy your petrolium free Tuna melts while you still have them.

I don't know, Hawai'i O 'Hana.

Please don't take this in a disrepectful way, but there are satellites that can see a pimple on a gopher's ass.

Yes, we need to clean things up. This will be in vain unless we can stop the inflow of plastic and other substances as well. In the US Navy it is common practice to throw garbage off the back of Carriers. Submarines drop compacted cylinders of garbage out the bottom through discharge ports designed for this porpose. This is to say nothing of cruise ships etc. If it costs money to haul garbage back to shore and take it away, but it's free to throw it over the side, that's what will happen no matter how passionate you feel about it. Garbage is garbage, no matter if it's in the sea or on the land.

I am also aware that there is good money to be made in promoting a crisis.

It is easy to get people excited by showing a map of current flows and a picture of garbage. I believe that it is safe to say that that picture was not taken in the middle of the Pacific.

Anything is debatable when it involves spending my tax dollars.

Will Steeger is all about global warming now. That's how he funds his trips to the arctic. He knows how his bread is buttered.

I look forward to hearing about your upcoming expedition in June, along with any legitimate photographs.
 
Why does it matter exactly how big it is?
Because it's an impossible lie.
Perhaps it is guilt which is driving your skepticism but again, who cares.
Perhaps it's guilt that drives the bleeding heart liberals like Al Gore and the creator of this "trash Vortex" hoohah? I wish! Nope, it's money.
Also, if a picture is all it takes for you to believe something is real, then you have no doubt been duped many times over in life. I guess that can lead to cynicism.
Did you miss where I said I believe in Jesus? There are real problems in this world that need your efforts...please don't waste your time on environmental myths.:no:
 
You are funny. I have personally seen and picked up plastic bags and some bottles from the water.....I know the problem exists. I do not care if it is 100 bottles or a billion tons of miscellaneous crap. We throw **** in the water all the time as a race.....to not believe that is to have a head stuffed quite a distance....... It happens....just because you deny it does not make it any less true. If you need the problem to be the size (or bigger) of Texas before you will care, then click unsubscribe. Maybe you want the ability to drive to Hawaii and that is why you say "Do Nothing".

What does Jesus have to do with this? I do not recall Doug mentioning religion anwhere in his post. Stop changing the subject because nobody cares if you believe in Jesus. If you want to talk religion, might I suggest another board or at the very least another thread.
 
Oh, by the way, global climate change is a reality, temperatures are going up, but, how much man really caused or accelerated it is the questionable part. Especially with the same scientists now saying we could wipe man off the planet and reduce CO2 emmisions to zero and have no net affect on the cycle for 1000 years...
 
So this is where we are at now:

Global Warming, denounced as a reality and renamed "Global Climate Change"

Pacific Trash Vortex, no evidence to back up the theory so we'll just call it "Some trash I found on a beach"

:mooner::mooner::mooner:
 
So this is where we are at now:

Global Warming, denounced as a reality and renamed "Global Climate Change"

Pacific Trash Vortex, no evidence to back up the theory so we'll just call it "Some trash I found on a beach"

:mooner::mooner::mooner:

Again I ask...did you read what I wrote?

I HAVE BEEN THERE TO SEE IT MYSELF!!!!
Can you say the same thing? No, your opinions are based on WHAT? I asked you for evidence to support your claim and you reply with total fact-less nonsense

I have video and photos of my trip in 2002, but they belong to the Algalita Marine Research Foundation so I am not at liberty to post them, but they have been used in all the reports since 2002.

So again I ask...where is your evidence to support your claim?

Also for the record, at this point I am not going make a dime off what I am doing on this next voyage!
 
The picture below come from Algalita Marine Research Foundation . Take it however you want.


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