Garbage Patch Kids?

Snappy new name for a top-selling candy, right? Yes, and also our all-too-real legacy. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a real place – a giant, floating field of debris about a thousand miles off the coast of California. It is estimated to be up to twice the size of Texas.

Composed mostly of bits and pieces of plastic, researchers believe this enormous trash zone accumulated over many years. It is made of trash that was dumped off boats and ocean-going ships, or that washed into the ocean after accumulating in storm drains and on beaches. It is a zone of mostly smaller bits and pieces of plastic, mixed with some large pieces of plastic and fishing nets. The plastic bits float just under the water’s surface like confetti. PCBs, DDT and other toxins cannot dissolve in water, but get absorbed by plastic. As the toxic plastic slowly degrades and turns into smaller pieces, seabirds mistake it for food and dive down to eat it. Skeletons of birds found in this area are said to have guts filled with plastic. Fish that feed on plankton ingest the tiny toxic bits, and toxins get bio-accumulated up the food chain.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, or North Pacific Ocean Gyre is located in the northwest Pacific Ocean, roughly between 135° to 155°W and 35° to 42°N . It is located within the North Pacific Gyre, one of the five major oceanic gyres. It was first documented by Charles Moore, a California-based sea captain and ocean researcher. Moore came upon the patch while returning home from competing in the Transpac sailing race in 1997.

A gyre is a large, clock-wise circulation of currents driven by the wind that causes the garbage to mix together in convergence zones, with movements comparable to a whirlpool. As material is captured, wind-driven surface currents gradually move floating debris toward the center, trapping it in the region. It is said to move as much as a thousand miles north and south in the Pacific seasonally. 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.

An estimated 80% of the garbage comes from land-based sources, and 20% from ships. A typical 3,000 passenger cruise ship produces over eight tons of solid waste weekly, much of which ends up in the patch.

To learn more about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch try these two sites: http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/recycling-design-technology/great-pacific-garbage-patch-research-461109#ixzz0X3CVQWLu

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/11/09/science/11102009_Garbage_index.html

The Pot Half Full

When placing pots and pans in the sink - especially during cooking - the temptation is nearly always to fill the pot with water, so the food doesn’t harden and make it more difficult to clean. But did you ever notice how often you run the water after you fill up the pot? Nearly always! So save a bit of water by either using your sprayer on the pot sides (if you have one) or just fill the pot half-way, or not at all. Nine times out of 10 you’ll run more than enough water to fill that pot more than once, well before the food has a chance to harden.

Pour Some Soda on Me

Kudos to the Cloroxes of the world for jumping on the eco-bandwagon and introducing new lines of green products. But has anyone noticed that despite supposedly being simpler and safer, they are usually more expensive than their toxic counterparts? So time for a reminder on DIY cleansers. Mix baking soda, water and vinegar for a super-simple cost-saver that cleans just about everything. For more ideas on make-at-home cleaners, get over the name, and visit treehugger.com.

The Meaning of Life

"The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity."
- Leo Tolstoy

Fantastic Plastic Millenium

Among mounds of inaugural coverage the past few days comes a memorable comment that the New Millenium, scheduled to begin with the year 2000, will actually begin now, with Obama as our leader and the second Teflon president home, home, home on the ranch. To honor that thought, lets segue to the life of a regular plastic bag - the kind you see flying in the air at the bus stop and in football stadiums - made of polyethylene. Every year, more than 500 billion plastic bags are distributed. Less than 3% are recycled. They can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade, emitting harmful greenhouse gases in the process. One bag. One thousand years. There must be a cloth bag cool enough to carry in the grocery store. Or you could just think of George Bush every time you see a bag of air floating overhead, and vow not to let it happen again.

A New Epoch Upon Us?

Remember the Pleistocene epoch - the "glacial age" when Earth was repeatedly frozen, scraped, cooled and re-frozen? Epochs, eras, periods - these are terms remembered fondly, but barely, from high school or college. Well, the news is out. We have begun a new epoch. It seems humans have made such an impact on our planet that we have now departed the Holocene epoch and begun the Anthropocene. This was determined by a team from the Geological Society of London after examining transformed patterns of sediment, distruptions to the carbon cycle and wholesale changes to plants and animals. We humans have so changed the landscape that we now need a new name for it. And some say they do not play a part in creating history. We all do. And we all did. Let's make it a good one.

An Historic Day

Yesterday, we made history. I said this to my friends today, my voice betraying me by cracking as I looked them too deep in the eyes. I wanted to share the joy. But last night as I heard the news, I didn't yell with joy - I bit my lip. I thought "I will have to hope again." I felt confused, disbelieving. It was like Peace had won. Peace never wins. I could feel the breathless hope and promise of the moment. Although we can and do move forward as a people and evolve, I feel a separate hope has been set aside, protected, just in case. This is the hope that equals the full potential of mankind. We are capable of so much more. Go out and be leaders my friends. Hope with all your heart for change.

Get Paid... by your neighbors!

Here in California, we recycle a lot, but we pay our garbage company to take away the bottles and cans we paid extra for at the grocery store. Why not let your neighbors pay you... by starting a neighborhood recycling program. Go to www.bottlesandcans.com and sign up for the program. They'll send you a bunch of lightweight, easy-to-assemble recycling bins. Give them to your neighbors, collect the contents weekly, then recycle at your nearest pay for metal facility, also listed at www.bottlesandcans.com.

P.S. Evolve Network made an appearance today at the El Sobrante Stroll, offering free neighborhood recycling. Start your own neighborhood recycling program now! Evolve.

All Sheep Line Up Here

Government is an ongoing experiment in the sociology of controlling and predicting the masses. Evolving personalities will not simply read headlines and faithfully follow. Look deeper. There is more to be known.

A good example is the Georgia-Russia conflict. The U.S. mainstream media has been consistently biased in favor of Georgia - the portion of the country that actually desires independence from Russia. South Ossetia, which has remained largely loyal to Russia since being absorbed into Georgia with the split of the Soviet Union, should be allowed self-determination. If California were to break from the U.S. and SoCal wanted back in, you can bet George W. Hipocryte would be battling to get them back too!

Cheapest, Fastest, Easiest

What is the cheapest, fastest, easiest and most reliable way to reduce energy use and costs at home? Insulate your home and seal those drafty air leaks. Insulation and sealing products are cheap and efficient. Start with the attic where heat rises and insulation is easy to install. Determine how much you need based on your location by visiting www1.eere.energy.gov/consumertips/insulation.html. Save your receipts and itemize to get your money back at tax time.