Prevention Plan

If we want to stop contributing to the giant patch of garbage accumulating in the gyres of our oceans we can do many things at home to reduce plastic usage. Although you may not think it matters, if each individual acted responsibly for the plastic they used we could reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean and stop the growth of the plastic that ends up in the gyres. As a nation we could replace many of our plastic items with glass or metal, which while expensive are much more eco friendly and biodegradable than plastics which do not decompose. Using glass cups and bottles will reduce the amount of plastic bottles in the ocean greatly, as these glass bottles are one of the most frequently found items in the ocean. Plastics wrappers and containers also need to be properly deposed of, and I propose that instead of burying this plastic, the nations of earth join together and use their combined funds to send this plastic in a shuttle out into space. Because this idea is largely improbable it is a much better idea to just limit our consumption of these items through spreading awareness. Another part of our plan is to petition that companies are held responsible for disposing of their plastics and waste in an environmentally friendly manner. It is also essential for us to limit our consumption of frozen items that are usually wrapped in plastics like TV dinners. If we can implement a change in our local communities to purchase fewer plastic wrapped items and create innovative ways to replace plastics in our community we could really make a change all across our nation, just by each person doing their part. It is also the responsibility of our government to ensure that our natural resources like our rivers, bay, estuaries and other waterways are not being polluted by corporations and industry. We must take a stand and stop the growth of the Great Pacific Patch if we want to have any chance of fixing one of our greatest mistakes.

Clean Up Proposal Pt. 2 (Diagrams)

• Clean up trash on beaches especially bottles and cigarette butts as these are easy to remove
• Organize beach cleanups and other events to rally people towards the cause of lessening our plastic usage

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Increase price of fine for littering on a beach to $2000 which will discourage littering greatly

Have lifeguards and law enforcement actively patrol the beach to make sure it is enforced

Propose that the Coast Guard watches for illegal dumping of plastics into water sources

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• Reduce plastics usage by spreading awareness via social media and blogs about the effects of plastics on wildlife and the ocean

Clean Up Proposal Pt. 1

The Parker Gang Institute™ believes that the best course of action to reduce the size of the garbage patch is to focus on reducing further consumption and minimize the amount of plastic that ends in the ocean. We believe that  it is essential that we propose a much higher fine for pollution on beaches, even exceedingly high to discourage this pollution that ends in the ocean. We also must focus on awareness and to spread the message that plastics are not biodegradable. But if we use the Laysan Albatross species as an indicator, we can see that marine and terrestrial species are eating both plastic and also fishing wires. Fishing has a huge impact on the species of the Pacific. Tossed fishing nets end up tangling seals, turtles, and larger fish species and killing them, while the smaller fishing wires are eaten by fish and end up being eaten by larger species. These wires, and also plastics, accumulate in the larger species of fish and end up being eaten by humans. To reduce the Great Pacific Garbage Patch's size would also be to reduce the amount of plastic in your seafood. If we can curb the amount of plastic we contribute to the garbage patch, and also continue to regularly send ships to clean plastic, we could reduce the size of the patch greatly. We propose that we bring attention to this issue through awareness projects such as this blog, and once we have enough people aware we can take further action. By raising money and fundraising we can put money into the local economy by hiring local boating companies to trawl the trash in the gyre, and to sort through the trash to collect specimens for scientists to analyze and to show evidence of the garbage patch's existence and its impact on life.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Report

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: A Detailed Report

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch was formed when ocean currents swept the increasing amounts of plastic waste and debris into the many gyres of our oceans, starting in the 1980s. America and Japan create hugely excessive amounts of plastic and waste, which ends up in our ocean. They are then sucked into the currents of our ocean and are accumulate in the gyre. A gyre is a collection of currents that rotate clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere which results in a ring-like current and that pulls towards the center. Most of the garbage in the Great Pacific   Garbage Patch is from land, but some of it comes from boats and debris from vessels/wreckage. Garbage accumulates on our beaches, ports, rivers, and storm drains which all washes into the ocean. The garbage ends up in the currents and ends up at the center of the gyre, held in by the force of the ocean currents. This garbage patch presents a particular problem because many marine and terrestrial animals migrate across the pacific and end up eating this plastic or getting caught in it. This has led to the death of many animals, but the Laysan Albatross suffers especially, eating tons of plastic, and feeding this plastic to their chicks. The chicks choke and die on the plastic, and things from lighters to fishing wire have been found in their stomach.

Parker Gang

Members:
Cameron Parker (Team Leader)
Tony Parker (Honorary Member)
Jabari Parker (Honorary Member)
Charlie Parker (Honorary Member)