Nerd Alert! (Water & Wastewater News Article)

So it's Sunday and what does a good shut-in do? Read Water & Wastewater News! ...and look what pops up: an article about the Ocean Conservancy's annual Marine Debris Index - hooray!

For us insiders, the news ain't that revelatory, but repeatedly pounding home the fact that the oceans are being pumped full of our plastic detritus helps drive the RAP message out to the hoi polloi - now, to the point that the pen-protector set at W&WN are taking notice AND feeding it out to their readers, by making note of the OC's findings. The nerdosphere in action!

This year's report is titled "A Rising Tide of Ocean Debris and What We Can Do About It", so doesnt just report stats, but suggests changes that we can make to stop the problem - one of the original tenets of RAP. ...Speaking of the stats tho: Cigarette butts continue to be the top performer (see Surfrider's Hold On To Your Butt campaign), with the old stand-by plastic bag holding fast in second place.

Check out the short article at Water & Wastewater News.

Download the full report from the Ocean Conservancy.

Oldie but GOODIE! (Fast Company article)

Got time to read a 10-page article on bottled water - ugh, pffft....no! Actually, this one is really pretty riveting, and was published by the hipsterish and trendy biz mag, Fast Company. It's packed with with loads of eye-popping stats and an interesting side-exploration into the ugly & costly production lines of the Fiji water company in, ...well, Fiji.

This article refers to this insipid bottled water phenom, as "the food phenomenon of our times" - and get this: "At Whole Foods, the upscale emporium of the organic and exotic, bottled water is the number-one item by units sold." [ Whew...my kombucha only comes in glass bottles... :) ]

"Oldie" because the article is about a year and a half old...but not much has changed on this front since. "Goodie" because it lays the problem cleanly and clearly - a great place to point your nay-saying friends and family for a little dose of bottled reality. AWRIGHT!

Find it HERE & enjoy it to the last drop.

PLASTICFAIL

The Surfrider Foundation Portland Chapter Chair Stiv Wilson has just launched a new blog to help raise awareness of the impact of plastic pollution on the world's oceans!

PLASTICFAIL is based on the idea that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Stiv is currently looking for entries for the picture blog. So if you have a great photo or video link showing plastic's impact on our environment please send it to Stiv with your name and a very short entry and he will get it posted.

All Your Fault

I tend to pay attention to issues and subjects when I am entertained by the media that is presenting them. In my opinion, the best form of entertainment is comedy because it tends to cause an individual to disarm themselves, drop their barriers and keep their attention. It also leaves an indelible imprint in their mind to be drawn upon later. This is especially true when dealing with social issues.

I came across the following video on Youtube. It was done by Australian Darcy Pendergast who is a past winner of the Nestle Big Break Contest. While he may take some artistic liberties in historical events, the video's message is clear, concise and effective!

More Moore!

The more that I read, the more that I realize that recycling is not the answer but reduction in consumption is. What is already out there in our oceans can never be cleaned up and the only course of action is to stop using the single use plastic. Stop using throw away utensils, plates, shopping bags, water, soft-drink and sport-drink bottles.

To quote a friend of mine, "It is like bailing out a sinking ship with a teacup!".

Quite honestly, I still flub up here and there, but if you do not think that we as individuals need to change our consumption and disposal habits then please watch the following presentation from TED by Captain Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.

Captain Charles Moore
February 2009