Prime Real Estate At Rock Bottom Price

The listing in the paper read:

360 degrees Ocean front view
Square footage: "It's bigger than Texas"
All plastic furnishings provided

"Huh?" Mama Gnome scratched her head. "Plastic?"
So she searched and researched. She couldn't believe what she'd found.

Ladies and Gentlemen and fellow Gnomes, I present:

THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/64/North_Pacific_Gyre_World_Map.png



Yes, my thoughts swirled like the arrows in the map.

I couldn't believe it.

But no.

It's all true.

Our trash literally have made their own island, albeit not quite solid island, in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean.

I'll give you a few moments to take that in.


The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is also known as the Eastern Garbage Patch or the Pacific Trash Vortex.
Its size is astonishing. No, its not just bigger than Texas.
This reports it to be two and a half times bigger than the United States.
It permeates deep beneath the ocean's surface.

I'd just like to call it the Pacific Ocean Trash Monster.

And off blog, I want to call it something else.

How did this Monster materialize?

Basically, experts say ocean currents shown by the arrows, created these areas where water was relatively stable and thus the debris/trash in the oceans were carried by the currents and accumulated in the North Pacific Gyre.

They say 80% of the trash came from land and 20% from ships.

Wasn't anybody watching out for this?

They knew this was going to happen. They predicted it and published a paper about it in 1988.

Why didn't they do anything about it then?

That's a really good question. I'd like to phone a friend for help.

Captain Charles Moore, an oceanographer and founder of Algalita Marine Research Foundation came upon this mess and wrote several articles about it. He helped bring scientific and media attention to this Ocean Monster.

He gives a powerful, informative speech in this video.

Young children need Parental guidance for some of the images.



video from http://www.ted.com/


What can we do about it?

According to this article, the Environmental Cleanup Coalition (ECC) has started the Gyre Cleanup Project.

This is a monumental endeavor and would require lots of manpower and funding.

Here is a link for ECC: http://gyrecleanup.org/

What else can we do?

• Seriously consider not using those plastic bags at grocery stores. Bring your own reusable bags. Please read my older post.
  
• Please use biodegradable products as much as possible. Plastic is not biodegradable.
  
• Please pick up your trash. And for trash pick up on garbage day, make sure your trash is contained and won't be flying off the minute the truck pulls away.
• Please support any measures or bills that would limit or ban plastic bags.
• Please don't litter at the beach or street corner or mall or forest or wherever. Come on now.
  
• Participate/volunteer in organizations such as ECC and Heal the Bay or clean up projects.
  
• Educate your family, friends, coworkers, strangers about these issues.
• REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE the heck out of everything...please!
  

Our oceans and lands are prime real estate. Please help stop our trash from taking over our planet.

(c) 2009 Jenaelha, Friendly Gnome's Blog