The plastic age. Millions of tons of plastics reside in our oceans, mostly concentrated in the five gyres, where plastic particles outnumber live plankton. We all know the dangers of plastic pollution in our water systems and how it affects sea life, yet we act completely oblivious, thinking it's not an overwhelming problem. We think that when the time comes, someone else will take care of it. This way of thinking has a name: denial. We may only be human, but we have every resource necessary to repair what we have destroyed.
People often think the ocean is too vast and unreachable to clean up everything that has accumulated, leading to a heavier focus on prevention from the source, such as recycling and biodegradable options; however, the plastic is still out there and continuously accumulating every second. Why not try to do something about it?
A young Dutch entrepreneur by the name of Boyan Slat is the almighty founder, CEO, creator, and spirit of The Ocean Cleanup project. You can check out Slat's TED talk here and a more informational follow-up here. The main concept of the Ocean Cleanup begins with the fact the debris is not stationary. It moves with the ocean. Conventional methods of trying to capture this debris with a gas-guzzling boat and dangerous nets is not ideal. Why not let the ocean clean itself?
With the Ocean Cleanup design, it does just that. Here is how it looks and works: the floating barriers and underwater screens hold plastics within their confines as the ocean moves, leading to the center, where the plastic is collected and stored for transport. No nets. No gas. Just the floats and solar power. The estimated results should eliminate 42 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in ten years time.
While the idea may seem very large scale and unattainable, it has been proven to be feasible by one hundred volunteers and engineers working on the project. I encourage you as the reader of this article and as a human existing on planet Earth to support this process and think about our environment. It's not just for you, but for the future of these aquatic ecosystems, and more importantly, our world.
