garbage island - a floating sea of toxicity

With Earth Day/Week round the bend and the deluge of eco marketing strewn about this week it’s hard not to want to “tune out” rather than in. But here’s a real head-turner and show-stopper.

Floating listlessly in our precious waters between the beautiful shores of Japan, Hawaii and California is an ever-growing sea of debris, of which 80% is comprised of man-made plastic. Due to a particular combination of wind and ocean currents, this somewhat invisible, floating landfill has been accumulating in the North Pacific Gyre since the 1950’s. (more)

Some estimate that if all of this floating trash were to be collected, it would weigh 3.5 million tons, and some estimate its current size to be comparable to the state of Texas (others estimate it could be size of Texas, times 2). Perhaps the most alarming aspect of this news is that these “waste waters” have no intention of going away anytime soon, scratch that — anytime at all.

According to Dr Frederick VomSaal, Division of Biological Studies, University of Missouri-Columbia, the world produces about “7 billion pounds a year of the chemical, Bisphenol A, which is used to make hard plastic,” or polycarbonate. Toxic polymers are most likely cursing through the veins of each and every one of us at this very moment, disrupting our hormones.

So, in an ideal world, who would foot the bill for this monumental clean-up? An eco angel? Any takers? The countries who contribute to its formation? The plastic producers of the world? Maybe it’s time we make the production of bio-degradable plastic a top priority. Start taxing toxic plastic producers heavily and forcing them to come up with more eco friendly ways to contain solids and liquids. Seriously. Any ideas?

Take a bumpy journey to the top of the so-called, Eastern Garbage Patch via VBS.tv/video.

Thanks to Rory Ahearn for the heads-up . And to the mod squad of toxic avengers from Brooklyn-based, VBS.tv for videotaping their trip, and Captain Charles Moore for weathering the storm.

Follow the crew as they float through trash. warning: eff-word alert.

episode 1 @ vbs.tv/video

episode 2 - the crew sets sail

episode 3 - if you don’t see it, it doesn’t exist

episode 4 - nerd heaven - polymers

episode 5 - night dive meets oops, we’re going off-course

episode 6 - let’s have a dip and eat some plastic

episode 7 - Charlie and Joe hit choppy waters

catch a new episode daily, now through April 25 @ VBS.tv/video

ABC News presents Floating Garbage Dump with Thomas Morton (wade through the commercial)

SF Chronicle