Our #PlasticChallenge For Cleaner Oceans

2,352 views  |   June 6th, 2017 

Here is a blog to give you hope, plus a campaign to join if you are concerned about the amount of plastic in our oceans. Not only will you read below about new inventions and people literally pushing the boat out for the environment but also the Marine Conservation Society’s #PlasticChallenge campaign for June 2017. But first some exciting news from Norway…

Norwegian Industrialist Invests in Cleaning Up Our Oceans

REV-rosellinisfour-10Picture of REV from www.rosellinisfour-10.no



 
The sea harbours some of the biggest environmental concerns of our age – but one of the most important, and most frequently forgotten about, is the pollution of the water and destruction of its wildlife by the thousands of tons of man-made rubbish that is dumped into the sea. UNESCO estimates that every square mile of ocean contains a staggering 46,000 pieces of sea plastic and we’re eating it!

Not only is this floating rubbish a huge danger to wildlife who think it’s food and therefore plastic enters our food chain, but it has actually caused the collapse of some entire ecosystems, due to the way marine currents work.

All the waste from certain countries collects in currents which drift together and dump the plastic in great patches called gyres. There are currently five gyres in our oceans, the biggest of which lies in the North Pacific, and is twice the size of Texas.

So, here’s where the new brainchild of Norwegian industrialist Kjell Inge Røkke comes in: the REV.

It’s a superyacht planned for launch in 2020 which has the ability to collect plastic off the surface of the ocean as it sails. It will be equipped for research and for pleasure and will be the biggest of its kind, able to cover 98% of a journey around the equator without stopping. Hopefully, the new ship will be chartered regularly by scientists and by private individuals, keeping her going and keeping the oceans cleaner.

Amazing Inventions and Uses for #PlasticChallenge

This short video should knock your socks off. Plastic made from vegetables – even the fish can eat this.



 
People are already finding new and innovative ways to reuse the old plastic brought back to shore, which is promoting upcoming and creative businesses, as well as raising awareness of the issue and how we can all help to save our oceans. Here are some tweets detailing the best examples of such inventive recycling:



 

A beautiful sea-themed piece of jewellery and a course in how to make them, encouraging people to find their own uses for waste plastic.

Adidas have joined the effort, using the recycled sea plastic to line their newest trainer designs.

The Sunglasses Company have now begun new lines of glasses which are entirely made of recycled ocean plastic, putting it to good use for holidaymakers; this is important, as tourism is a large part of the reason why there is so much plastic in the oceans in the first place.

There are hundreds of ways to reuse all this recycled plastic, and soon the industry and awareness will hopefully grow, and more people will be following Mr. Røkke’s example and building crafts dedicated to collecting the rubbish and undoing the damage we have caused to our beautiful planet.

The #PlasticChallenge

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) #PlasticChallengeThe Marine Conservation Society (MCS) #PlasticChallenge



 

If you want to join a campaign you could visit The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) who want to be the voice for everyone who loves the sea. Their work ensures that the sea’s rich wildlife can be restored, fish stocks grow more plentiful, and our beaches and seawater become cleaner.

Their current campaign is the #PlasticChallenge of which the main aim is to Give up single-use plastics, whilst raising money to fight plastic litter. You can read more and sign up here:

Posted by: First Class Sailing

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