Capstone 2

-you know a little about The Ocean Cleanup -Seabin is an incredible product made for ports, docks, marinas and more. (show video)-next slide -sucks in waste -captures it before it gets to open water -spoke about this earlier -recommend subscription package -every bracelet is a pound -one of the leaders in the industry

-you know a little about The Ocean Cleanup -Seabin is an incredible product made for ports, docks, marinas and more. (show video)-next slide -sucks in waste -captures it before it gets to open water -spoke about this earlier -recommend subscription package -every bracelet is a pound -one of the leaders in the industry

and so onto the greatest threat to face our oceans...(click) the great pacific garbage patch... Located between Hawaii and California, the GPGP is TWICE the size of the state of Texas and weighs over 7 million tons. There is 6x more plastic than plankton there and it's been documented that sea turtles living in the vicinity have stomach contents of up to 74% plastic. 80% of the waste originates from land, proving, this isn't just irresponsible fishermen. This is something that is caused by all people, regardless of where they live in the world (even if it's Kansas City)

And there's only been one company to address the Great Pacific Garbage Patch--and that's the Ocean Cleanup. Founded by 17 year-old Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup is the first company to attempt to clean up the GPGP. Using a specially designed floating u-arced boey system, with specially fitted screens below, they estimate that with a full-scale deployment of their systems they can clean 50% of the patch every 5 years (talk about how it works) (switch slide to 4ocean)

Next is plastic bags. As seen, once plastic bags enter the ocean they are nearly impossible to detect. Worse, they never decompose. The only form of breaking down that happens is them breaking into smaller pieces and turning into micro-plastics--even more deadly. Also, a single plastic bag can kill multiple times. Often one animals dies inside of a bag, and starts to decompose. Then another animal loooking for a snack eats what they think is another animal, but really is a plastic bag. The cycle goes on and on

Do you ever feel... like a plastic bag drifting through the wind wanting to start again Do you ever feel, like a hungry sea turtle, loving jellyfish oh soooooo much Thank you, thank you very much Now imagine you're that hungry sea turtle. and you lovveee, jellyfish. And so this plastic bag comes floating along. So... you're going to eat it gonna eat it. Sea turtles are one of the species most harmed by plastic products. Many of you are familiar with this video (switch slide)

As we travel back to the past, we will explore the history of plastic, the types of plastic waste, and its effect on sealife

In 1907 Leo Baekeland invented Bakelite, the first fully synthetic plastic, meaning it contained no molecules found in nature. Zero. He dubbed it "the material of a thousand uses". Plastic experienced a coming of age at the start of WWII. It expanded greatly and became present in every household across the world. There was so much optimism about plastic and no one expressed any fears. It wasn't until 1966 that people started to question plastic's environmental impact

Finally some good news. Ed Carpenter's discovery from 1971 finally caught on. It only took 33 years

In 2004 a study was conducted by marine biologist Richard Thompson from the University of Plymouth. Building off of Carpenter's work, Thompson conducted research and surveyed coastlines, beaches, and the sea. He found that the ocean was full of waste--and one of the most dangerous, was microplastic--a term he coined. He described it saying, "it's not a single thing, it's many things" What Carpenter was able to do is determine that microplastics primarily stem from single-use packaging which makes up 40% of all plastic produced. Once Carpenter's research was published, other scientists looked into it and confirmed his results. Alas, there was a consensus within the scientific community that plastic waste is a life-threatening problem that must be addressed immediately. But now that we know this plastic has destroyed the environment, we're gonna do something about it and now right?

yah, no. Action wasn't taken until 2014...

In 2014 the US Department of State hosted the first Our Ocean Conference with leaders from across the world. This was done in reaction to the growing threat of plastic waste in the oceans. No subsequent action was taken as a result of this conference. If you search this conference on the State Department website and go to "outcomes" it pretty much just says to have the conference again at some point.

So there's plastic waste as a category which has many subsets. There are microplastics which encompass microbeads, microfibers, and really just all plastic pieces under 5 mm. There are plastic bags, one of the most pressing threats.

Let's start with microplastics. Microplastics are defined as any piece of plastic under 5mm in size. -not necessarily made, but break down -bags, bottles, caps, etc. (switch slide)

Then in 1985, a group of scientists had a marvelous idea. They realized that our landfills were overflowing and we were running out of room to dispose of our waste. Their idea... you ready for this...

Let's use the ocean as a trash can... yep, you heard me right. Scientists were like, "you know what...there's too much waste on land. But guess what! Oceans cover 75% of the earth. What are we doing with all that space? It's not like there international commerce or the most diverse population of any species there." Upon contact with the ocean floor, the bags tore apart, releasing all of the trash into the water. Now since there was some "normal" trash, it eventually decomposed or was eaten by marine life, but the plastic waste would remain there to this day. Way to go scientists

Microplastics are particularly dangerous for filter feeders like the manta ray above. Filter feeders take in thousands of cubic meters of water daily in order to get vital nutrients from plankton and others. However, creatures like this manta ray, the whale shark, baleen whales, blue whales, and thousands of other species are at risk due to the microplastics invading their food source. Their digestion systems are often unable to process and digest the plastic material and adaptations made to allow animals to filter out the microplastics often result in them filtering out the vital nutrients they need to survive. (quick side note: this is not a blurry picture--it's actually a very high-quality photo. It looks blurry because of how much contaminants and microplastics are in the water)

Now to Microfibers. Are found everywhere in our everyday lives. What do you clean your glasses or your screen with? A microfiber cloth. But microfibers are also in the clothes we wear. In 2016, More than 60 million metric tons of microfibers were produced. This accounts for 16% of world plastic production. One of the greatest problems with microfibers in simply their size and weight. Because they are so small they are washed down the drain when you wash your clothes. They then travel through sewers and make their way to open water where they harm marine species across the globe. DO to their light weight, they can even become airborne. This is especially harmful to humans when we inhale them as they absorb and carry massive amounts of pollutants

I'm throwing this out and you will think I'm crazy, but hear me out--the number one thing that will change our ways and lead to. a decrease in plastic production as well as an active cleanup of the oceans, and ultimately finding alternatives to plastic--is fashion, specifically streetwear or "hype" clothes. -these fashion companies are starting to make an environmental effort -it exposes their young customer base -they realize the problem -buy from specific brands

Now to my personal favorite--Parley -an independent company that removes waste -AIR avoid, intercept, repurpose -they then partner with other brands (like Carona)

A lot of people look at the beach as a vacation spot or future home. If the beaches are polluted how will they enjoy them? You would want your vacation spot to be just as beautiful and clean as your home......Ever since I was little I was always fascinated by the ocean and the different animals that live in it. One little spark can always keep someone motivated even if they do not live near it or are always associated with it. Beaches were full of family vacation memories and that is the same for a lot of other families." All we need is a little exposure. But she says the primary thing--is education (big pause)

That's why I am so glad to have you all with me. I hope that I have been able to convey just how great of a threat plastic waste is to us and our planet. As a result of your new knowledge, I hope it drives you to take action. So now, I'm gonna give you a few tips and tricks on how to save our planet.

Saltwater Brewery went ahead and created an edible 6-pack ring made out of 100% recycled material. What is so important here, is that their product can be recycled, but even if it makes it out to the ocean, it won't harm any animals. And also, who even liked the plastic 6-pack rings in the first place--they're impossible to get drinks out of

The key will be the government stepping up for once and taking action. Otherwise, there's not too much incentive for massive companies to shift their production. For example a consortium of 20 companies pledged $1.5 billion towards plastic cleanup efforts. Some of the big names include Shell, Exxonmobil, Procter and Gamble, DSM, DOW, Suez, and Total. Though this pledge seems noble, they are using it to cover up their massive amounts of pollution, and $1.5 billion is nothing as when combined, these companies have a net worth well into the trillions of dollars. To make things worse, Shell just built a multi-billion dollar plastic production plant, Exxonmobil just spent millions on adding a new production line at its plant to make it the largest plastic-production facility in the world, and a number of the other companies have also made significant investments in upgrading their plastic manufacturing facilities. For them, the $1.5 billion front is a drop in the bucket for all the money they will make by polluting this earth.

Who here has gone to a beach? Who here has gone swimming on the coast? Who's gone sailing? What about sea-fishing? Safe to say that if you said yes to any of these, you've at least interacted with one of the most vital life-sources our planet earth has to offer. Now, what's your favorite thing--it can be any genre (clothing, phone, laptop, whatever) that you pretty much couldn't function or survive without? and what would you do if I destroyed it... Well, although _____ can't live without _______, one thing that HUMANITY can't live without... (switch slide)

The ocean. and thus the problem. It sustains human and animal life across the globe, yet we continue to pollute and destroy it every year 8 million tons of waste ends up in the ocean. that's the equivalent of a fully loaded garbage truck.....every minute. Scientists predict that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish by weight in the oceans. Even now, marine biologist have noted plastic in the stomach contents of nearly every aquatic species. Who here like sea-food or sushi? Guess what--all of it contains plastic

So in 1966, 74 Laysan albatross chicks were found dead as a result of ingesting plastic on a Pacific atoll. At this point, plastic production was just 5% of what it is today. and For those familiar with the rhyme of the ancient mariner, the death of the albatross is highly significant and foreshadows a dark future. You see, it's not just creatures that live in the sea that are affected by plastic waste. Birds are one of the largest groups to fall victim to plastic waste.

Then In 1971 marine biologist Ed Carpenter first noted the contamination of waterways. A staggering 550 miles from any coastline, he discovered plastic "chips". This was a terrifying discovery, because he realized that this was plastic waste originating from the coasts, and drifting over 550 miles away, potentially harming countless marine species in the process. Unfortunately, his research didn't catch on until 2004.

The Captain of Sea Shepard, voice in the war against illegal whaling and plastic waste, Captain Paul Watson has said, "there are five seas that make up what is the Ocean and the life support system of this ancient spaceship that we call the Earth,". I couldn't have said it any better. This is the best way to think of our planet and predicament. We are traveling in this spaceship and if we destroy it, that's it. We're all dead.

There are currently 5.25 trillion pieces of garbage in the ocean. Just using plastic bags found in the ocean, there are enough to wrap the world 4,200 times over. We have reached a breaking point. By 2050 there WILL BE more plastic in the oceans than there are fish.

Another company doing some great cleanup work is 4Ocean. I conducted an interview with a customer advocate from 4Ocean. Sabrina was extremely helpful when answering my questions. But for some background, 4Ocean is a private 3rd-party company that cleans the ocean using a 4-pronged method.

They believe in cleaning the ocean by eliminating one pound of plastic at a time. They subsidize this through sales. As a for-profit company, they sell these bracelets along with water bottles, bags, and subscriptions. When I asked Sabrina about how to get more people to care about this issue-- specifically people like us who live in a landlocked region, she responded, (switch slide)

Which brings us to my capstone. to evaluate the onslaught of plastic waste in the oceans and how it has affected all walks of marine life and damaged the earth near-beyond repair, but realize that by changing our ways of consumption and investing in cleanup and new technology, we can one day reverse the trend and move towards a cleaner ocean. So come with me on a journey to save planet earth

To do this, we will first look back to the past so we can better understand just WHAT has happened. Then we will shift to the present in order to evaluate the current state of the ocean. Finally, we will look towards to future and hope to address this colossal issue and work on prevention

In my final section, I will dive into a few different companies and how they're making changes. and finally, leave you with enough information so YOU can do something about it

To save our spaceship earth we must do 3 things....

Well since most of you are familiar with it, I'm not going to force you through it again. But this... this is what we're up against (take a big pause...next slide is section 2)

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, that is why we call it the present. Unfortunately, we are destroying the gift of the present by our continuous polluting and destruction of the oceans.

largest partnership

from plastic to thread show clothes adidas came out with new shoe 2021

(talk about plastic bank) then talk about incentive programs (SA?)

the key to elimination is finding alternative materials to replace plastic with. This is something that will be extremely difficult to do--not gonna lie. But with innovations from companies like Saltwater Brewery (switch slide), We are getting one step closer. (next card)

prevention is extremely important to. Take a messy room for example--as I'm sure my parents will tell you mine is (I think it's "organized chaos"). Yuo can cleanup the room all you want, but unless you find ways to prevent it from becoming dirty again, you'll just end up with the chaos

the key to this isn't really just a tax going to the government. It's about a shift in consumer mentality and psychology. Taking the pause and thinking about it. 7 cents can be a lot If we want to save our oceans, we must find a way to prevent plastic from entering into it in the first place. There are many options for this, but historically a plastic tax has been extremely effective. As enstated by numerous local and national governments from across the world, taxes on plastic goods such as plastic bags have been extremely effective on limiting the usage of plastic materials, and thus, their likelihood to enter into the ocean. Every year, one trillion plastic bags are used; almost all of them are used only once. This adds up to 2 million bags used every minute. Unfortunately, plastic bags are one of the hardest materials to break down. A plastic bag from 1988 has even been found in the Mariana Trench--the deepest place on earth (Chow). Ireland instituted a tax on plastic bags of 37 cents, and as a result, reduced plastic bag consumption by 90%. If this trend could spread worldwide, trillions of pieces of plastic could be stopped from entering the oceans.