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

[Shaka Doug]

Here's the Flyer for Drew's Benefit Concert that he posted on his Facebook Page. Please help with whatever you can. Spread the word, go to the show, give money, show some love and support! If everyone pulls a little, the load is a lot lighter for all.

The show is on June 5th at 10:00 pm. and it features a local band, Sheriff Brown. Drew leaves the next day to begin the voyage. We don't want him to be too hung over but we hope his pockets are full!!



For more info call him at (808) 721-8639. I'm sure he'd love to hear from you!

[scubadrewvideo]

Shaka Doug, your like the energizer bunny....I love it!
Mahalo Brah!
ScubaDrew

[ScubaSteve]

If everyone pulls a little, the load is a lot lighter for all.

Now that summarizes it nicely.

[scubadrewvideo]

Typical as the way this sometimes go...
The fundraiser location has changed to Breakers Restaurant and Bar in Haleiwa.
It is located in the North Shore Market Place in the same complex as Quicksilver.
Same date & time...just new location.
I will have the poster redone by today and posted tonight.
Mahalo and hope to see you all there.

[Shaka Doug]

OK, the ad that was here for the Trash Voyage Website has finally been corrected. It is now located in the Advanced SCUBA Discussions forums and it links properly to Drews site (Plastic in Ocean | Pacific Garbage Patch | Ocean Pollution). I hope it brings you some traffic and some donations Drew! Thanks to HowardE from Scubaboard for fixing this for us!!

[Peter_C]

So we have two small garden boxes that we grow fruits and veggies in. We consider them organic in that we do not use any pesticides or other stuff that does not come directly from the earth. Our soil came from a local supplier that delivered in bulk enough top soil to put 8 inches down in the front yard, fill a couple of planter boxes, and lastly fill up our garden boxes. This was done about four years ago. For this season when amending the soil I started removing every piece of plastic that I found. After a rain I would walk out and remove more plastic from my garden boxes. Most are pretty small pieces with some being too small to recover. The scary part happened yesterday when I put it all together on a plate and kinda freaked myself out. The pile was about the size of a giant plate of salad...except it is plastic. The strawberry is from my garden.

Where did all this plastic come from? Well look around at the people surrounding you, and maybe even yourself? What I found was a few bottle caps and then a bunch of little pieces of plastic bags and wrappers. I figure where some of it came from is when a person turns in their yard waste they are using giant plastic garbage bags and those are getting ground up and remaining in the soil. Over time as the soil is "made" the plastic gets broken down into smaller and smaller pieces but will be there long after I am gone. Of course there was a whole candy wrapper and lots of plastic that was just every day items that are now garbage.

So what is the significance of this? Well it is HUGE! We have only been using plastics for a short period of time, less than a 100 years really, and even less if you consider it's true coming of age. I have seen in my short 39 year lifetime, how much more we use today, then in the past. Today it is infused into our lives beyond what most people would even recognize. By that I mean we use it so much, we do not even think about how often plastic is used and possibly discarded on an hourly basis. It is impossible to turn around without finding plastic somewhere. No wonder more of our friends are dying of cancer at a younger and younger age. It makes me believe there is no such thing as an organic garden, since everywhere we turn is plastic garbage. At least many of our organic farms in California are along side major highways where garbage is strewn about. As the plastic garbage breaks down, it is bound to become part of the soil, just like in my garden. Some are even touting it as an advantage in gardening. I won't buy that BS.

We all need to do our part in letting our voices be heard by everyone around us. Even those who only come here to read, it is your job to spread the word since you now have the knowledge. As has been said before at the least quite using plastic grocery bags, and start making a statement by using cloth bags. Soon the world will be listening.

Enough writing, these pictures are worth more than a 1,000 words

[princessaprilia]

Good looking strawberry, though.

[Shaka Doug]

Yes, the strawberry looks good to eat. The question is for how much longer can we grow strawberries in plastic-chemical-leached-soil before we start ingesting the toxins that make up the plastic? Will it end up in fruits and vegetables like it ends up in fish and birds?? I don't know the answer but am almost afraid to find out!

Thanks for posting this Peter! You brought up some good points, especially when you addressed the readers who don't actually comment ever.

I wonder what the 'plastic part' works out to be on your average cubic yard of this topsoil you bought in todays market? Maybe you could contact the supplier and tell him you found a lot of plastic in the soil and see what he says about it. He might not even be concerned or maybe he thinks it's harmless...

I'm not sure what to think and I'm really looking forward to Drews video footage when he gets back.

[scubadrewvideo]

Updated Poster

[Shaka Doug]

Shaka Doug, your like the energizer bunny....I love it!
Mahalo Brah!
ScubaDrew

That's cause "I'm Jacked on the Juice" Drew!!!!! Want some for your trip? 6 servings of fruit, 6 servings of vegetables and a half piece of fish in each shot!!!! An easy way to stay healthy and energized on that long ocean voyage you're about to take my friend!

Check out the worlds best workout cocktail now!

http://www.mymonavie.com/shakadoug