Trash Patch takes its toll

Hi All,

I ran across this story and it sadly makes me realize the cost of progress and waste. The pictures tell the tale and makes my heart sick with pain.


[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c9fea047070e.jpg[/atsimg]

Chris Jordan, whose past photographic compositions create dizzying perspectives on the cumulative effects of consumer culture, now has a new muse: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Jordan visited the Midway Atoll, right in the heart of the Patch to get these sobering pictures of albatrosses stuffed with plastic detritus.

Source


There are more pictures at the link. I wish I knew how to not only permanently fix the garbage patch, but to also prevent it from happening again. (I know if I had Bill Gates type of money, that would be my "charity work")

EDIT to add this LINK to Chris Jordan's website for more pictures. They are located under "Midway"

[edit on 10/19/2009 by sylvrshadow]

good luck trying to get the countries in asia and central america where most of this plastic comes from to stop dumping all this plastic.

many asian countries still take trash by the barge full from there coastal cities out to sea to dump it.

and in mexico and other central american countries they fill dry river beds with trash as a means of getting rid of it.
this works because every few years a major storm will empty the river bed out to sea and open the area up for new trash.
This has been going on in Colonia Fausto Gonzalez dump in Tijuana for 50 years and the trash has been washing up on San Diego beaches after storm for as long.

The Pacific garbage patch is a disgrace. With all the technology and skills we have as human beings (regardless of which country) there is no excuse for this gigantic dumpster in the Pacific.

We did just fine before they started mass producing plastic for everything, we all need to go back to using glass bottles and other containers and resources that are biodegradable. We also need to come together with solutions to clean up that mess.

Well, I did some digging and I found an article talking about a group of scientists dedicated to cleaning up the patch. Here is the link :Project Kaisei

"Project Kaisei is very committed to beginning major cleanup efforts next year," she said.

Crowley said the pollution problem was "what we expected to see, or a little worse."

Some have estimated the patch to be roughly the size of Texas, but Crowley likened it to "a field of garbage," with "hundreds of tons" of plastic trash scattered thinly across an enormous expanse of ocean.

The crew felt "a real sadness" in the days after arriving at the site of the garbage patch, she said. "It hit us, actually being out there and seeing all of this garbage way off shore in the beautiful deep blue ocean."

The group's findings created "a real urgency" to begin clean-up efforts, Crowley said.

Scientists are exploring the possibility of using "passive collection devices," that are essentially floating boxes that can collect small pieces of plastic to be retrieved by boat.

I was extremely happy to find this article! Also here is the link to the Site so anyone interested can follow the groups progress. I also found a site that focuses on the garbage patch and any new efforts or legislation that will help to prevent the plastic problem that we have. Garbage Patch


There is alot of info on the site, and I havent read all of it. I am an optimist so I am hopeful that we can turn the tide, so to speak.

That's good that at least SOMEONE cares to try to do something about that. Send it to the sun I say...

Thanks for bringing this to people's attention. I was so pleased to hear that there are people who are actually doing something about it. Star and flagged!!

Yea, I've been following the news of this disgusting mid-ocean garbage patch for many years now. Ugh!


Given the current economic situation with the world, there's a snowball's chance in hell that the patch would be cleaned up; however, if the official ET/UFO Disclosure really does happen, then I can expect a formal action to be initiated sometime in mid-to-late 2010 with a large-scale project being initiated to clean up that damn patch, pronto.


That patch is the epitome of the current state of human "advancement".

Good lord! that bird ate plastic bottle caps! And to top it off, they appear to be medication caps: ( tsk tsk... unbelievable, what that bird ate.
I wish it would be cleaned up...after all, arnt we supopsed to be noble and repsectful humans by this point? Youde think soemone olike Al gore would be worred about the carbon release as a result of all that plastic trapping gases in and under it under a hot sun. Governemnt environmentalists wanting to clean things up, stand up for some knid fo descent form of respnsbalility and correctiveness.
Anyone remember back in 1985 i think it was? That garbage barge had ltos of garbage on it, from the sound i think...and upon comnig back to america, they had no where to dump it all. anyone remember that?
Those were times of americn heritgae and grace...when america would occsionaly clan up it mess, and others to show its place as a responsable contry in the world..now, its jsut a mrer contributor: (