Pacific Garbage island The Great Pacific Garbage Patch North Pacific Gyre Trash Vorex
 

The Island of Garbage swirling in the Pacific Ocean, also known as The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, North Pacific Gyre, Trash Vortex, and Plastic Graveyard.

This mass of plastic waste and debris is estimated by scientists to be anywhere from twice the size of Texas to twice the size of the continental U.S. And the impacts for the environment and society are potentially just as colossal.

Captain Charles Moore, who discovered the patch in 1997, warns of the mounting implications of our floating pollution explaining: “In the central North Pacific Gyre, pieces of plastic outweigh surface zoo plankton by a factor of six to one,” according to a report based on Moore’s research.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnUjTHB1lvM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en4Xz...eature=related






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Disney promotes their new film Up by floating a hot air balloon under Tower Bridge in London, England. October 2, 2009




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Disney promotes new film 'Up' by floating a hot air balloon under Tower Bridge on October 2, 2009 in London


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The Great British Duck Race
 

The Great British Duck Race

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 6: A canoeist paddles in amongst some 205,000 blue rubber ducks floating in Molesey Lock on the River Thames during The Great British Duck Race, September 6, 2009 in London England. The existing World Record of 200,000 was today broken in the event which raises money for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

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There was a Centenary Thanksgiving Service at St Albans Abbey on Wednesday. The speaker was The Right Reverend Prebendary, Sandy Millar. Former pupils, parents and friends of Ware Grammar School and Presdales attended. After the service the current pupils returned to the school where they were treated to a concert by Rachel Warwick before joining members of staff on the the school field where everybody released a balloon in one of the school colors.

An oil spill can be cleaned but that cant ???
WT!

two things come to mind.

1. its in international waters, no one country owns it, while everyone contributed to it.

2. i read reports that it is around 1,000 ft deep/thick.

Richard Sundance Owen, a contractor and scuba diver, formed the Environmental Cleanup Coalition to address the issue.

BTW, its not the only one such floating garbage island ...


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Thats amazing. Its the first Ive ever heard of it.
Am pretty sure though that no matter how deep, it would still be easier and probably cheaper to clean than an oil spill.

Maybe someone could divert it out of international waters. Then it would have to be cleaned up LOL
In the first pick though, There is some one walking on it. And it almost looks as though its at a shore line.
Or is that just more debris ?

I thought the same thing, but it takes a week to sail to it, and the dynamics of the vortex make it difficult. The estimated cost to deal with it is in the Trillions of $'s. Other than building floating treatment plants on site, I'm not sure what else could be done.

the other problem is that the sun breaks down the plastic but when the plastic breaks down, it just breaks up into sand size pieces as toxins are released into the water. since the tiny floating pieces float, it is eaten by the fish.

its discovery is pretty recent. as time goes by, it will likely become a hot international issue.


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That first pic though really does look like its a shore line.
Especially with the small waves in the right top corner. As well as the woman and child walking on it.
The second pic kinda looks like a shore line too.
Weeks to sail too it, then someone drops a canoe to paddle through it ?
Im not saying those pics arent disgusting and scary. Im just wondering the validity of those pics and as to where that garbage really is ?

I looked at one of the links you added.
I was right. Those pics are not of giant garbage islands floating in the middle of an ocean.
Those pics are of garbage along coastal shores that are sent there by a vortex.

Whomever owns those coasts should clean it up. Im amazed that any country would allow that kind of build up along its shores.

I agree.

Also, imagen the amount of garbage sucked into the oceans by the recent tsunamis.
Additionaly, in much of the So Pacific, including the Philippines, people go to the beaches and toss the garbage into the waterways which in turn takes it out to sea.


Seems like the garbage patch is mostly floating just below the surface.
I'm not sure its solid or billions of plastic bits swirling around.


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gadgets that save money, time, and PLASTIC waste ...

from public sources

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Soda maker

It's unlikely that you already own a beverage carbonator, but it may be worth the investment if you drink a lot of sparkling water or conventional soda. A soda maker allows you to easily turn tap water into your favorite carbonated drinks in minutes. Some other benefits: Making your own soda is fun, you don't have to lug heavy bottles home from the supermarket, and you save time on sorting through empty bottles for recycling.

The savings can really add up, especially if soda is the preferred beverage in your household or you throw a lot of parties. It costs about 20 cents to make a liter of seltzer and a quarter for the equivalent of a 12-ounce can of soda.

If you buy 10 two-liter bottles of seltzer, you'll spend around $25, compared to making your own for around $8. It costs about $20 to buy two 12-packs of soda. Making the same amount of soda will cost you $6.

Can or bottled soda has many negative environmental impacts associated with making and disposing of cans and plastic bottles.

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Water filter

Drinking bottled water is an expensive habit that's worth breaking, especially when you consider that experts say tap is the best choice for those who live in the U.S.

The New York Times estimates that it costs about $1,400 a year for people to get their eight glasses of water a day from a bottle, versus about 49 cents for an annual supply of tap water. That puts the potential monthly savings at around $116 a month per person. Calculate your own cost for drinking bottled versus tap.

Drinking from the tap is also your greenest option, since bottled water has many negative environmental impacts associated with making and disposing of plastic bottles. Which filter you choose largely depends on what you're trying to achieve so get some local advice on finding the best filter for your tap water. Additionally, know that in many city water supplies, the water is already at a higher purity than bottled water.

Experts say tap water is the best choice for those living in the U.S. It's also your greenest option.





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