Discarded but not Degraded: What Will the Aliens Think When They Find Our Plastic Crap?
Once-thriving ecosystems around the globe are now choking to death on our discarded plastic relics. It’s a problem that’s on the minds of Generation Green members, so we’ve begun to share a few tips to help you reduce the amount of plastic that the global polymer machine creates on your behalf.
In case you need a little extra motivation, read about the Great Pacific Garbage Gyre, the continent-sized mass of bottles, toys, bags, cigarette lighters, and other plastic trash floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Twice the size of Texas, the Gyre is a moving reminder of the fact that, when it comes to throwing away plastic, there simply is no Away.
This year, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of the handpicked destinations of the Plastiki – a 60-foot catamaran made entirely from reclaimed plastic bottles and recycled plastic. The expedition’s crew of scientists plans to sail 12,000 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean, starting in San Francisco and ending in Sydney. To raise awareness of our collective consumption and its impact on the environment, it also plans to visit other noteworthy ecological hotspots en route. (Dodger stadium, home of ongoing crimes against both humanity and nature, is unfortunately not on the list.)
To learn more about the expedition and to follow daily updates on the crew’s preparations and journey, click here.