To raise awareness on the magnitude of the Garbage Patch, also known as The North Pacific Gyre, a sea craft aptly named “Junk” set sail late in the Summer. Scientist Marcus Eriksen, of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF), in addition to, another researcher and filmmaker spearheaded the idea to create a makeshift watercraft that would set sail from Long Beach and make the 2100 mile to Hawaii.


Photo by: firas

They built the vessel out of junk; an old Cessna 310 body and about 15,000 used plastic bottles were used.

There mission, spoke volumes of the problem - plastic is in our oceans and the problem needs to be addressed on a massive scale. AMRF also does most of the research on the North Pacific Gyre Garbage Patch - bringing back samples of water and data that can leave anyone numb.

Their message in a bottle, is a metaphor to be taken for what it is. It is an SOS from our oceans to all who come in touch with it - there are 3.5 million tons of plastic in our oceans, and individually we make a significant difference to eliminate our personal use of it.

This is a serious problem that can be addressed on the ground level (by eliminating the use of all plastic derived products) as well as on the governmental level (write to push further plastic bag ban laws).

If you have not considered replacing your plastic bottles with reusable aluminum bottles - now would be an excellent time. Single use plastic containers, bottles and bags have become a convenience of our time, with dire consequences. Consider the lifecycle it takes to create anyone of these items, and the amount of time it takes to discard it - never to biodegrade.

For further information on the Garbage Patch, please read previous blog entries.

For more on Nancy, visit Astrid Design Studio