Tonic News Update: JUNK Reaches Hawaii

Marcus Eriksen and Joel Paschal, the two men whom I reported were sailing from Long Beach to Hawaii on a raft made from 15,000 plastic bottles, reached Hawaii yesterday.  The goal of their trip was to raise awareness about plastic debris pollution in the Pacific. Marcus reported on their arrival on the expedition's blog. I could not say it any better:

2,600 miles of open ocean crossed in 87 days. From our first week of sinking hopes on a sinking raft, through four hurricanes that swept under us, to the unbelievable chance meeting with Roz Savage in the middle of nowhere, we have had quite an adventure. We’ve collected 10 ocean surface samples using our marine debris trawl, managed to snatch a few large pieces of plastic debris that floated under us, and caught fish with stomachs filled with particles of plastic. Plastic is forever, and it’s everywhere. That’s been our point. The Synthetic Century should have ended 8 years ago, replaced by the Age of Sustainability. There are over 20,000 man-made chemicals produced by the billions of pounds annually that are dispersed throughout the globe in an open loop of consumption that often ends as waste to be buried, burned or to flow down coastal watersheds out to sea. It is unsustainable and deeply troubling knowing that many synthetic compounds are persistent in the environment and are harmful to wildlife and humans. Plastic marine debris is one of them, and is the most ubiquitous form of pollution visible around the world. It is clear that single-use disposable plastic products have no place in modern society.

Both men celebrated with beer, showers and fresh food upon their arrival. Marcus, and his fiancee Anna Cummins, the education adviser with Algalita (the nonprofit that they represented on their journey) will tour the western US on bicycles next year to educate communities and schools about the murky plastic soup taking up a good part of the Northern Pacific Ocean. I, for one, look forward to meeting them in person and keeping you informed of their continuing awareness work on this tragic pollution problem. Read more about their arrival here.

Photo source: Honolulu Star Bulletin.  TOP: Joel Paschal holds up a bottle of the "plastic soup" debris the pair collected as he arrives in Hawaii.  BOTTOM: "Junk" sails into Honolulu yesterday after 2,300 miles.