Frankly Green

San Francisco to Sydney on a Plastic Boat

National Geographic Explorer David de Rothschild is setting sail from San Francisco to Sydney on a Plastic Bottle Boat in April. Plastiki is the 60 foot catamaran made out of 12,000 two liter plastic bottles that will make the voyage. The purpose of this trip is two fold-to investigate plastic litter, the most common ocean pollution, and to highlight the many ways plastic can be re-purposed.

Only one of the 15 billion pounds of plastic produced in the United States each year is recycled and much of the leftovers float their way to the Great Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch. Also, don't forget March 22 is National Water Day, and most people aren't aware that the Great Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch has grown to more than twice the size of Texas!

National Geographic hopes this voyage will showcase the many uses for smart materials so when Plastiki's voyage is over, the boat will be broken down and turned into emergency shelters, shipping pellets, clothes, and even more bottles.

Check out the photos and video of Plastiki and her gutsy captain, David de Rothschild, at National Geographic Online.

Video: From Dump to Dump

One man believes he has found a way to become more energy self-sufficient.

Marine Life Faces "Acid Threat"

By Julian Siddle
Science Reporter, BBC News

Thanks to Elicia V. for this article!

Link to Article

Man-made pollution is raising ocean acidity at least 10 times faster than previously thought, a study says.

Researchers say carbon dioxide levels are having a marked effect on the health of shellfish such as mussels. They sampled coastal waters off the north-west Pacific coast of the US every half-hour for eight years. The results, published in the journal PNAS, suggest that earlier climate change models may have underestimated the rate of ocean acidification.

Recycling is Good But Precycling is Better

Waste not, want not
Recyling is good, but precycling - cutting out packaging in the first place and buying only what you need - is better. Tanis Taylor tried it for a month

The Guardian - Link to Article

Thanks to Elicia V. for this article!

Every Tuesday, as a house, we put out two big green boxes of recycling. I say green because a) they literally are and b) the presumption is that by using them, so are we. But wouldn't it be greener not to put out the recycling - to generate so little waste that, come Tuesday, there is nothing to put in the green box? It is an idealistic notion, but is it practical? I decided to try it for a month to find out. And in doing so, I inadvertently discovered that I'd joined a movement.

Coral Reefs in Trouble, Scientists Warn

* Story Highlights
* Findings discussed in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report
* Twenty-five percent of all marine species need coral reefs to live and grow
* Since last NOAA report in 2005, the Caribbean has lost 50 percent of its corals
* Problem caused by rising sea temperatures, land-based pollution and other factors

Link to Article

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) -- Almost half the coral reef ecosystems in United States territory are in poor or fair condition, mostly because of rising ocean temperatures, according to a government report released Monday.

The reefs discussed in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report serve as breeding grounds for many of the world's seafood species and act as indicators of overall ocean health.

"They are a major indicator of something that could go wrong with the environment," said Timothy Keeney, NOAA's deputy assistant secretary for oceans and atmosphere.

Sea of Trash

Thanks to Brooke L. for this article!

By Donovan Hohn, New York Times

Link to Article

Off Gore Point, where tide rips collide, the rolling swells rear up and steepen into whitecaps. Quiet with concentration, Chris Pallister decelerates from 15 knots to 8, strains to peer through a windshield blurry with spray, tightens his grip on the wheel and, like a skier negotiating moguls, coaxes his home-built boat, the Opus — aptly named for a comic-strip penguin — through the chaos of waves. Our progress becomes a series of concussions punctuated by troughs of anxious calm. In this it resembles the rest of Pallister’s life.

A 55-year-old lawyer with a monkish haircut, glasses that look difficult to break, an allergy of the eyes that makes him squint and a private law practice in Anchorage, Pallister spends most of his time directing a nonprofit group called the Gulf of Alaska Keeper, or GoAK (pronounced GO-ay-kay). According to its mission statement, GoAK’s lofty purpose is to “protect, preserve, enhance and restore the ecological integrity, wilderness quality and productivity of Prince William Sound and the North Gulf Coast of Alaska.” In practice, the group has, since Pallister and a few like-minded buddies founded it in 2005, done little else besides clean trash from beaches. All along Alaska’s outer coast, Chris Pallister will tell you, there are shores strewn with marine debris, as man-made flotsam and jetsam is officially known. Most of that debris is plastic, and much of it crosses the Gulf of Alaska or even the Pacific Ocean to arrive there.

Video: Garbage Island

Check out this CNN.com video that profiles and island of trash in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In this area of the Pacific, huge amounts of garbage have been accumulated by ocean currents. The garbage and plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, some of which are consumed by fish and other marine life which, in turn, is consumed by humans. Yes, we are eating our own garbage!!

Beverage Bigs Battle Bottle Backlash

Brandweek February 17, 2008

By Kenneth Hein

While it is nice to see these efforts going to worthy projects, one has to wonder whether or not their efforts are altruistic or if this is another attempt to try to preserve their declining bottled water sales. I am pleased that more and more people are foregoing bottled water and using tap water or filtered water and drinking from reusable bottles!

Link to Article

The beverage giants are hoping a little goodwill goes a long way.

Faced with evaporating sales growth for bottled water and increased concerns about their products' impact on the environment, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are fighting back with charitable ties and A-list celebrity endorsements.

...

The efforts come as the $16 billion bottled water segment is suffering on two fronts: shifting consumer tastes to teas, enhanced waters and energy drinks; and plastic PET packaging which has environmentalists up in arms. San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom went as far as banning the use of city funds to purchase bottled water last summer.

Sales have slowed considerably. This week, Beverage Digest will report that 2007 sales growth was about half that of the year prior. For the first time it only grew in the high single digits across all channels compared to 20% in 2006. Some segments, like bulk packaging (one gallon and over) in the supermarket channel, are in decline (sales fell 4.9% in 2007).

Study Says Consumers Would Skip 'Convenience Parkaging' to Help Environment

Link to Article

MARCH 03, 2008 -- SCHAUMBURG, Ill. -- Research from The Nielsen Co. here shows that more than half of U.S. consumers would give up all forms of convenience packaging if doing so would benefit the environment.

This includes packaging designed for easy stacking/storing at home (58 percent); packaging that can be used for cooking, or doubling as a re-sealable container (55 percent); and packaging designed for easy transport (53 percent), according to Nielsen’s PanelViews study of 65,000 U.S. households.

At the other end of the spectrum, however, Nielsen found that U.S. consumers are not as willing to give up packaging designed to keep products clean and untouched by other shoppers (26 percent); packaging designed to keep products in good condition (31 percent); packaging that preserves products to make them last longer and stay fresher (31 percent); and packaging information, including food labeling, cooking and usage instructions (33 percent).

Reader Question: Biodegradable Bottles

Question from Rip in San Francisco: I’ve heard there is bottled water for sale that comes in biodegradable bottles.  Is this true or a marketing ploy?  Is it something I should consider if I absolutely have to purchase bottled water for kid’s sporting events and emergencies for the trunk of the car?

Response: While biodegradable bottles are certainly better than non biodegradable bottles, they are bottles nonetheless. Under the right conditions (high heat, moisture, and micro organisms) the bottles will break down into water, carbon dioxide and organic material. So, if you "absolutely have to purchase bottled water", biodegradable bottles are a better choice. But the best choice is always to use a reusable bottle and fill it with good 'ol tap water!

Thanks for your question!