March 24 Outline Critique

- Show on the map where Garbage Island is located (mark it on the map)
- Discuss misconception of garbage island, 'no actual island but it doesn't negate it's importance as a major issue'

shit i found

-expedition to garbage

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6206498.ece

-3 part series, includes bisphenol A interview

http://www.vbs.tv/watch/toxic/toxic-garbage-island-1-of-3

-skeptical article

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4132

-la times article from 2006

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-me-ocean2aug02,0,5594900.story?page=1

-we saw the great pacific garbage patch, but did you see the great indian brown pollution cloud?

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v448/n7153/pdf/448541a.pdf

Hey everyone! So are we still planning to meet at 5:30pm today?

i'm back!

hey guys, sorry for being gone. here's a cool picture for the presentation:

History/Plastics

** Here are the points for my part of the outline. When researching, I found little information of the effects on society. The majority of effects happen to wildlife and people. So I decided to talk instead about plastics. Since this is the major cause and effect of this issue.

Context/Premise: History
• The Patch is a gyre of marine litter in the central North Pacific that gradually formed as a result of marine pollution gathered by oceanic currents off North America and Japan.
• Currents carry debris from the west coast of North America to the gyre in about five years, and debris from the east coast of Asia in a year or less.
• Wind-driven surface currents gradually move floating debris toward the center, trapping it in the patch.
• The Patch contains high concentrations of disintegrated plastics, chemical sludge, and other debris.
• An estimated 80% of the garbage comes from land-based sources, and 20% from ships.


Plastic:
• Each person produces 1500 pounds of garbage a year, 10% will end up in the ocean. The ocean is the last stop for all littered waste.
• Garbage biodegrades, but plastics polymers do not. Photodegradation breaks down plastics into smaller pieces, but these pieces will never go away.
• Plastics contain Bisphenol A, which leaks out when immersed in water. Bisphenol A leads to multiple health risks including infertility.
• Plastics can be recycled.

Group A: Outline

Hey guys, here is the outline we worked on last class, I'll print this out so we can hand it in to the professor just in case. You can double click on it, to see it enlarged.

from viceland....

http://www.vbs.tv/watch/toxic/toxic-garbage-island-1-of-3

OUTLINE

Hey guys,

So I started working on the outline. It still needs a lot of work. Right now it's mostly wikipedia.

But I was thinking of this:
1. Opening - A story on the discovery of the patch.
2. Context - The history and development of the patch.
3. Options - Not too sure where we want to go. Since this is the meat of our presentation, I think we should discuss together further.
4. Conclusion - Cleanup initiatives and a sense of hope and progress.

Let me know what we think.

Why you should know about the great pacific garbage patch

Opening:

The existence of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was predicted in a 1988 paper published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States. The prediction was based on results obtained by several Alaska-based researchers between 1985 and 1988 that measured neustonic plastic in the North Pacific Ocean. This research found high concentrations of marine debris accumulating in regions governed by particular patterns of ocean currents. Extrapolating from findings in the Sea of Japan, the researchers hypothesized that similar conditions would occur in other parts of the Pacific where prevailing currents were favorable to the creation of relatively stable waters. They specifically indicated the North Pacific Gyre.

Context/Premise: History

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a gyre of marine litter in the central North Pacific Ocean. Media claims that the patch is larger than the size of Texas. The Patch is characterized by exceptionally high concentrations of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge, and other debris that have been trapped by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre. The patch is not easily visible because it consists of very small pieces, almost invisible to the naked eye; most of its contents are suspended beneath the surface of the ocean.

Options:

1.

a.

b.

c.

2.

a.

b.

c.

3.

a.

b.

c.

Summary:

Conclusion:

There are many various cleanup initiatives implementing solutions:

1. The Environmental Cleanup Coalition collaborates with other groups to identify methods to safely remove plastic and persistent organic pollutants from the oceans.

2. The JUNK raft project highlights the plastic in the patch, organized by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.

3. Project Kaisei initiated two project vessels, the New Horizon and the Kaisei, embarked on a voyage to research the patch and determine the feasibility of commercial scale collection and recycling.

4. The SEAPLEX expedition, a group of researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, spent 19 days on the ocean researching the patch. They took samples and spread awareness; two steps essential to the cleaning-up process.

5. The Plastiki is a boat-building project by David Mayer de Rothschild hoping to highlight cleanup issues and sustainable plastic technologies.

Monday meeting

So, Monday 2pm? who can make it?

Wall-E Garbage World

video + pictures

Opening: Goal presentation will achieve

Context: What is really happening (background of issue)

Premise: Describe what and why change is needed

Reason A: reason A for change

Reason B: reason B for change

Reason C: reason C for change

Overall Summary: overall summary of benefits of change

Conclusion: where you ask for what you want --> 'what are you going to do about it?'

March 9th Tuesday Night Class

So for next week we have to have a "written outline of major points"

-------------------------------------------------------------

We discusses as a group in todays class various headings that we could have, starting points for research:

- History, Background (how it all began)

- Implications

- Societal & Consumer Trends (that contribute to the problem)

- Effects of this issue

- Cleanup initiatives

- Our lifestyles choices compared to our grandparents (that contribute to this problem)

Moreover, we brainstormed on what we want the OUTCOME of the presentation to be:

so far we have it at:

- "Raising awareness & educating on 'why it is a problem'

We decided that we will all do research and post our findings online on the blog

then...

**We should all come for a quick meeting to organize the outline

how about Monday 2pm? at the 6th floor near our classroom

(after the meeting we could post the blog online, because I know some of you cannot make it, and you can see if you want any changes?)

What do you guys think? so who can make it Monday?

The Great Garbage Patch is located between Hawaii and San Francisco in the Pacific ocean. It is roughly the size of Texas and contains 3.5 million tons of trash.

The garbage patch formed gradually as a result of marine pollution gathered by ocean currents. The rotational pattern draws in waste material from across the North Pacific Ocean and coastal waters off North America and Japan. Currents carry debris from the west coast of North America to the garbage patch in about five years, and debris from the east coast of Asia in a year or less. It is estimated that 80% of garbage comes from land-based sources with the remaining 20% from ships. (A 3,000 passenger cruise ship produces on average over eight tons of solid waste weekly)

Much of our waste today is comprised of plastic that does not biodegrade. Shoes, toys, bags, pacifiers, wrappers and plastic bottles are some of the items that can be found in this ‘accidental dump.’ Pollutants range in size from abandoned fishing nets to micro-pellets used in cleaners. These long-lasting plastics end up in the stomachs of marine birds and animals. Many have died from starvation and dehydration as a result of this. Fish are “ingesting plastic particles laced with toxic chemicals at such a rate that soon they will no longer be safe to eat.”

There is a video on this website that helped me understand the Great Garbage Patch further. http://www.greatgarbagepatch.org/

Hey! I most likely will not be in class this evening. I had surgery this morning on my toe. At the moment, it is really painful to walk. If I feel better this evening then I will come in to class. I will continue to research and post any notes that I have on this blog.

I hope you are all doing well and see you soon!

Signy

647-201-8625

hey guys!

i've got to go away to germany for the next two weeks on business so i won't be in class this week or next but i'll be able to stay in contact while i'm out there. keep me updated with what you might need!