Offshore Garbage Patch Floating in the World’s Oceans

There is general agreement that cleaning up the floating garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean has monumental requirements of innovation, duration, and costs.   BTW there is more than one floating garbage patch on the planet so for the sake of simplicity I will just refer to them as the “patch(s).”  There is much discussion about who should pay for the clean up which isn’t an easy discussion. The problems float in the middle of international waters so the responsibility can’t be assigned to one country, government or company. Quite honestly, this global challenge should qualify for a place on the United Nation (UN) Security Council’s agenda because an argument could be made that the “patch” not only endangers the world’s wildlife but also presents a shipping hazard for the transportation of commerce around the world and poses a security threat to one or more UN member countries. I don’t believe that the cleanup is difficult or an unsolvable problem for the twenty-first century world. However, I do believe that it is an issue that requires a leader that will take ownership of the project.

My goodness, we’ve sent men to the moon, walked on the moon then returned. We were able to accomplish these feats due to our “focus” and due to our “why”. We were determined and persistent through the wins and the loses along this journey. The world needs a new “Why” to focus on that will unite all for the common good of the planet and the “patch(s)” could be just what we need to bring us back together. All of us contributed to the creation of this environmental hazard that needs to be eliminated. 

I am really surprised that I haven’t heard Al Gore evangelizing an effort to clean this up. I suspect that a plastic raft twice the size of Texas or combined with other “patches” has got to be absorbing and retaining heat resulting in ocean warming that leads to climatic changes in the region. The cost of this venture will be staggering my friends and no single person, company, government, or country can do this alone.   Billions would be my WAG. Time? Probably five to tens years depending on our will. 

Quick Facts on Trash Vortex (Republished)

http://scienceray.com/earth-sciences/physical-geography/facts-about-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch/

http://greatpacificgarbagepatch.info/

All ideas should be considered, we must not let one group freeze us from action and from starting to clean up the mess. Examples of unproductive activities:

• Studying the problem to death only endangers more wildlife and safe ocean transportation. 
• Unfortunately releasing wildlife already trapped before starting the clean up only endangers more wildlife and safe ocean transportation.
• Until an alternative is reasonably available diesel emitting boats will be used; delaying only endangers more wildlife and safe ocean transportation.
• Politicians will spend a career debating what to do meanwhile the garbage endangers more wildlife and safe ocean transportation.
• More taxes; Oil companies and manufacturers will lobby hard against any tax; delaying funding endangers more wildlife and safe ocean transportation. 

Now lets focus on what can be done. For example:

• Continue progress toward 100% recyclable products and weaning the world off environmentally unsafe oil consumption and the manufacturing of petroleum based byproducts like plastic.
• Give philanthropist around the world the opportunity to contribute billions to something greater than themselves and that adds value to everyone on the planet.
• Enlist a major recycling company that would benefit from being part of this huge and sure to be the most significant recycling project.
• Form a project advisory team of biologist, oceanographic, infrastructure and naval engineers together with a charismatic leader to bound them together while on this quest.
• Retrofit a supertanker or old naval carrier into giant trash harvesters like the wheat and corn combines of the Midwest. 
• Ask oil companies and manufacturers to contribute to a cleanup fund  that brings value to their brands.

Ways to improve our use of the planet are occurring now and need to continue at a little quicker pace by:

• Continuing awareness campaigns about of all of the pollutions to the planet earth with increasing visibility of the environmental affects,
• Encourage better recycling strategies from the manufacturer to the consumer really executing the symbol of reuse printed on packages.

• Encourage the creation of new products that add value pre and post consumer consumption. (Edible water and soda bottles for example.)  Just as much effort and money must be invested in the new sciences and manufacturing processes.

• Stop spending all our effort on banning stuff,  people will not accept a ban when there isn’t an economically affordable replacement.

It isn’t rocket science and I believe solutions have been planned that may be more executable than mine.   I will just end today with a thought for me more than anyone else, “What can I do to facilitate an effort toward action?”

I wanted to go Green but.......

I really wanted to go green this week during Bike to Work day, honestly. I have ridden Harley Davidson motorcycles a lot in the past. No, I don’t have a bicycle of my own, at least not one without a motor. A friend of mine has a the nicest bicycle in storage with two flat tires.  I decided to help out and inflate the tires for her. Trouble started almost immediately when I saw the valve stems. I had never seen a presto valve stem before and couldn’t figure out how to use either of the two hand pumps she had, also in storage. I headed back upstairs to get on the internet and read up on presto valve operation and inflation. What did we do before the internet? You can become or do anything using the information on the web it’s fantastic. I reviewed the information for about ten minutes and now I was an expert on bicycle tire inflation using a hand pump with presto valve stems. It took all of about five minutes to inflate the tires to the “feel right” pressure. I didn’t have a gauge and I had no idea what the correct pressure was for the tires I was inflating. They felt good though. I couldn’t just fill the tires up and put the bike back in storage without a test run.   I was inside a parking garage so I didn’t have to venture onto the dangerous streets of San Francisco. The first thing I noticed when I straddled the seat was that the bike was way to small for me, the handle bars were narrower than my shoulders and the pedals made my legs bend excessively. They flared out like airplane wings. I started pedaling and the bike started wobbling. I was skimming cars in the garage and skirting what felt like every cement support I came near, maybe it would have been safer on the street. The bike kept slowing down on turns (you have to keep pedaling I guess).  At any rate, I nearly fell over when I stopped because I was not used to the brakes. It’s probably been forty years since I rode a bicycle.  This dang thing needs a motor!

Full grown pigeons ONLY in San Francisco

Baby pigeons don't exist!  At least, they don't exist in San Francisco.....Well, have you ever seen a baby or teenage pigeon? I have two theories about this perplexing mystery: 1) the pigeons have evolved further than the average bird that starts out with an egg, gets fed worms by mommy pigeon, finally jumps out of the nest, start flying, and grows up over a year's time. City pigeons just appear! Or 2) since New York was the first city to have pigeons, they probably gave them all airline tickets and shipped them to San Francisco. You know like New York did their homeless. BTW this is probably how the term "Homeless Tourist" got started in San Francisco.  I believe the mystery of the baby pigeons is one for the all-knowing Malcolm Gladwell to solve for us.   Malcolm says in his bio, that he is undaunted by difficult problems to solve so please take a shot at this Malcolm.  As for me it doesn't really matter.  It is just as well that we don't see the little flying rats.   Hey wait a minute I have another theory.  Please bear with me for another sentence or two.  Is it possible that mice are the baby pigeons before they go into a cocoon state and transform into a full grown flying rat?  What about this theory Malcolm?  I am patiently waiting for your answer.