Guest Post by Annie Crawley, from Dive Into Your Imagination
Can you remember what you were doing one year ago? Take a moment to reflect on the past 365 days and think of where you were and what you imagined this year was going to be like.
One year ago I asked my friends and family to give thanks to the Ocean when they sat down to their holiday meal, for without a healthy Ocean, life on our planet would not exist as we know it. This year, I want to encourage you to give thanks to the Ocean again, yet I want to encourage you to consider how much waste you are creating, especially single-use plastic waste. Just think of the meal you will prepare, everything from what the turkey is wrapped in to the leftovers you will put in your fridge will be made from plastic. Now, think of ways you can reduce the amount you are consuming.
The first step in changing any behavior begins with bringing awareness to a problem. During the past year, my life changed forever when I met one of the founders of Project Kaisei, Doug Woodring, and was hired to document the SEAPLEX expedition with Scripps Institution to the North Pacific Gyre. Please watch Doug discuss the trip we took together during August (see video below) as we were leaving the North Pacific Gyre. Last month Project Kaisei was awarded a Google Earth Hero award. The three founders of the organization have such vision, that I hope their names and Project Kaisei, which means Planet Ocean, will become a household name.
The work they supported this past summer was extraordinary, they sent out two expeditions to the North Pacific Gyre after raising money. On World Ocean Day I met and interviewed Dr. Andrea Neal who introduced me to Doug Woodring after a beach clean-up. Together Doug Woodring, George Orbellian and Mary Crowley formed Project Kaisei, established to increase the understanding and scale of marine debris, its impact on our Ocean environment and how we can introduce solutions for both prevention and clean-up. Their work focused on the North Pacific Gyre. What we found was plastic sized confetti in every trawl and it all comes from us. You can read more articles about the expedition here.
During the next few weeks if you could begin to realize just how much plastic and waste you are creating, you will be amazed. Awareness is the first step. I am thankful plastic was invented, as film was one of the first practical applications of this miraculous substance, yet now that the digital revolution has been paved and we are fast approaching the 7 billion population point of our planet, we need to revolutionize the way we create and dispose of our waste. Although recycling has become a household name, the first steps were reduce and reuse, then recycle. So even though it might not normally be a Thanksgiving Dinner conversation, I hope you will decide to open up a discussion and encourage you to use the phrase: “Let’s talk trash,” as I know this is an attention getter.
During 2010 we will be launching a campaign I believe you will be excited about, yet before I move on to the next phase of my vision and mission, I would like to give thanks to the experiences of the past year and thank you for continuing to support us in all we do. Please Dive Into Your Imagination and continue to give the gift of the Ocean to all the loved ones in your life. Thank you!
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As I was driving home for the thanksgiving holiday down the 101 freeway, I stared out into the ocean and could see all the way across the Santa Barbara channel to the Channel Islands. Both Anacapa and Santa Cruz were clear in sight. The sun was glistening perfectly off the waves and it was just incredibly gorgeous. Sights like these make me so happy that we are an ocean planet, and I am thankful every day for the resources and happiness the ocean provides us.
- Lauren