Trash collectors in the northern Pacific
There’s a huge area in the northern Pacific Ocean that’s become known as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” because of all the man-made crap floating there, trapped by prevailing ocean currents. What, if anything, can be done? Project Kaisei, a group of sailors, scientists and environmentalists in California, plan to study the feasibility of collecting this garbage and recycling it in the form of diesel fuel.
The group’s first research expedition, consisting of two boats, set sail Aug. 2 & 3 from San Diego and San Francisco, according to a news release from the group. The expedition has attracted support from the Brussels-based Bureau of International Recycling and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
“We hope to be able to come back with answers to the many questions surrounding the large volumes of waste in the ocean, the damage it causes to the ocean ecosystem and ways to fight it,” according to Project Kaisei’s Doug Woodring.
For information or to learn how to follow the expedition in real-time with the “Project Kaisei Interactive Voyage Tracker,” visit www.projectkaisei.org.
