The Ocean Clean Up
‘With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you are connected to the sea.’
– Sylvia Earle
Why do we need to raise awareness for our beautiful, big blue? Because nearly 640 millions kilos of waste is dumped into the ocean annually, over one million seabirds are killed by ocean pollution each year, and there is an island of garbage in the Pacific Ocean that is the size of the Northern Territory. As a result, the number of marine life is decreasing at an alarming rate, with some sea creatures being listed on the endangered species list.
And if you think it doesn’t affect you, then think about this: The smallest of sea creatures (also known as bottom-feeders) absorb ocean chemicals. Larger aquatic animals eat these and so on and so forth, until the top mammals in the food chain have higher contamination levels than the water in which they live. Humans consume the pescatarian delights ingesting all chemical pollution, especially heavy metals with it. Therefore, anything that impacts the ocean has an effect on the human race, and there is no way of denying it.
Did you also know that over five trillion pieces of plastic currently litters our ocean?
Trash accumulates in five ocean garbage patches, the largest one being the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located between Hawaii and California. If left to circulate, the plastic will impact our ecosystems, health and economies. Solving it requires a combination of closing the source, and cleaning up what has already accumulated in the ocean.
Instead of going after plastic, young Dutch inventor Boyan Slat, devised a system through which, driven by ocean currents, the plastic would concentrate itself, reducing the theoretical clean up time from millennia to mere years.
The Ocean Cleanup is clever Slat’s system that develops advanced technologies to rid the world’s ocean of plastic.
A full-scale deployment of The Ocean Cleanup is estimated to clean up 50% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch within five years.
Slat’s system was chosen by TIME magazine as one of the best inventions of 2015, and Boyan Slat is the youngest ever recipient of the United Nation’s highest environmental accolade, Champion of the Earth.
For sale at Coffs Central, is GYRE: The Plastic Ocean by Julie Decker. With stunning visual impact and an astonishing array of ocean trash, internationally recognised artists create works of art for this exhibition, from debris collected from beaches around the world. This book explores the relationship between humans and the ocean in a contemporary culture of consumption, and is a must have coffee table book. Order your copy today by calling 02 5525 1000.
Purchase your copy of GYRE: The Plastic Ocean by Julie Decker at Coffs Central
Don’t be fooled into thinking one person cannot make a difference and please remember every drop in the ocean contributes to the bigger picture. Let’s raise awareness and protect the longevity of our vast and majestic big blue.
For more information, visit www.itsafishthing.com
Visit The Ocean Clean Up