Junk Raft: Sailing The Seas Of Debris
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under News & Reviews |
What do you get when you take 15,000 plastic bottles, the discarded wingless body of a Cessna 310 aircraft, and a sail? A seaworthy, solar powered ship dubbed the ‘Junk Raft‘ headed from Long Beach, CA to Hawaii, of course. Dr. Marcus Eriksen and Joel Paschal plan to sail a raft with recycled plastic bottles wrapped in discarded fishing net acting as pontoons and an old wingless Cessna cockpit as the cabin. This long, strange trip will be calling attention to the massively detrimental effect of plastic in our oceans. (Apparently 10,000 pounds of plastic are dumped into the ocean every day from Los Angeles alone.) Eriksen has sailed with the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, trolling the waters of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and now he’s ready to risk life and limb for this cause. When asked why he and his partner were willing to put their lives on the line over some plastic in the ocean, Eriksen stated the folowing…
Yes, we are risking our lives, but the issue of petroleum-based plastic and our national dependence on petroleum, warrant urgent action. My quality of life, the future of our nation’s economy, environmental quality, and human health, are at stake. I remember 17 years ago, as a young Marine in the Gulf War, standing in Kuwait City covered with drops of oil from the burning wells, saying to myself, “Why have we done this?” James Baker, former Secretary of State, the man that sent me to war, said recently, “We had a written policy that we would go to war to defend secure access to the energy reserves of the Persian Gulf.” This is not why I chose to serve my country!
So Eriksen, along with co-pilot Paschal and Junk’s on-the-ground operations czar Anna Cummins, have all chosen to serve their country in a different way. Rather than fighting for political robber barons, they are fighting to bring awareness to citizens, lobbying the US government, and taking heroic actions to get a ban put on disposable plastic items like forks, bags, and cups.
If you’re concerned about these folks and their safety, you’re not alone. many people are wondering how these two will survive the journey. Recently though, Marcus stated with complete confidence, “Everything is backed up at least once. It’s the key to safety on a journey like this. We have three GPS units, 2 satellite phones, 2 VHF radios, IPERB Coast Guard Beacon, and 3 months worth of food and water. And when it comes to flotation, we have more than just two — we actually have 12 pontoons, so if one were to rupture we can easily stay afloat on the other 11 while we fix it.” Sounds like they have it under control…for people who are taking a 2500 mile float at sea atop a heap of plastic bottles, that is.
Do you feel inspired to become a part of this mission? Get involved!
- If you’re in Southern California this weekend and you want to wish these “junkies” a nice Bon Voyage, please head to the Long Beach Aquarium this Sunday, June 1st from 2-3pm
- Start implementing reusables in every aspect of your life, from shopping bags to utensils to coffee mugs
- Reduce your plastic consumption at every possible turn
- Contact your Senators and tell them that you’d like to support a ban on disposable plastics
Posted on May 30, 2008 |
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6 Responses to “Junk Raft: Sailing The Seas Of Debris”
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Beginning on June 1, all supermarkets, department stores and shops will be prohibited from giving out free plastic bags in CHINA! Our country - the USA - is so far behind I swear sometimes it’s embarrassing. Other countries to lead this ban include South Africa, Ireland, and Taiwan. At least we have Whole Foods to thank…
This is going to be such a fun day. I heard LA party moguls from Family Affair are going to be there on Sunday reppin’ with crew! I hope Braden brings his sound system.
Dr. Erisen also made his way down the entire Mississippi River on a recycled-bottle raft. You can see part of the PBS documentary by Tony Peck at the link below. (Music composed by FrozenPlastic.)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ViTvNoqyrcs
Drop me a line wishing you all the best
too little ,too late,I oce thought that the sea was one thing that man could not ruin……how sadly wrong i was,as a traveller standing on the deck of the nfld ferry ,at midnight many years ago.and almost in tears at the beauty and and solitude of that special moment…………gp
I heard David Rothschild will also be doing a journey to Australia on a vessel like this, which will mean even more publicity for this issue. Also, Oprah recently discussed the Great Pacific Garbage Gyre on her show, showing some of the same photos as Marcus and Anna use in their presentations…Plastic awareness continues to grow in the US. We’ll see how quickly people change their buying habits.
Marcus and Anna will be doing a bicycle tour from Vancouver to Mexico to raise awareness further. Maybe we should ask ourselves, what are we doing to raise awareness on this issue and what are we doing to change our own habits?
I’m starting by cutting out all unnecessary plastic from my life. I’ve already cut out plastic utensils, plastic coffee cup lids, plastic bags. Now I’ve gotta tackle the issue of my groceries-that’s gonna be a challenge.