JUNKride Arrives In Oregon For Earth Day Events
Remember those stories about the “plastic soup” forming in the Pacific Ocean? Members of the group that brought worldwide attention to the problem are in Oregon for a series of events around Earth Day.
It’s called JUNKride. Dr. Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins from the Algalita Marine Research Foundation are traveling on bicycle from British Columbia to Mexico with new evidence that the plastic soup is worsening and getting into our food supply.
We spoke with Cummins by telephone during a stopover in Olympia, Wash. She says that on their last trip to the ocean, they found that the density of plastic gathering in the North Pacific had doubled since 1999.
But it can be difficult to convince people about the seriousness of the issue.
Sample of plastic found in the ocean. They're small after being broken down by sunlight and wave action.
“You don’t see an island of trash,” says Cummins, referring to early media reports about the problem. The plastic particles floating in the middle of the Pacific are actually very small and almost invisible.
It wasn’t until researchers started to skim the surface of the water to collect the small particles that they realized how immense the plastic soup had become.
Image of a Snapping Turtle which grew up with a plastic ring around its stomach.
Those pictures of seabirds and turtles strangling themselves in the plastic rings from six-packs? That’s still happening.
But it’s those little pieces that could be the bigger threat. Cummins say many marine species are mistaking them for plankton and eating them. Agalita teams have found plastic in the stomachs of rainbow runner fish, commonly served in restaurants, and in lantern fish which are eaten by salmon and enter the human food chain that way.
The group estimates that nearly half of all seabird and many marine mammal species are impacted by plastic waste, either from ingestion, entanglement or strangulation.
Cummins and Eriksen will cycle 2000 miles and visit 15 cities during JUNKride.
“Our main message,” says Cummins, “is to end the age of throwaway plastic.” She says it doesn’t make sense to have a product that’s designed to last forever, use it once and then toss it out.
She wants people to be more mindful of what they buy, such as replacing plastic bags and bottles with reusable canvas bags and stainless steel bottles.
Cummins and Ericksen hold a private meeting with Portland State University students today. But next week they’re holding several public events to raise awareness of the plastic soup problem. They’ll present photographs collected during a decade of research and samples of the plastic that fish are eating.
Here’s their agenda.
- Portland: Tue., April 21, 6:30 p.m. at Keen Footwear, 926 NW 13th Ave., No. 210, Portland, OR 97209. Jessica Hamilton of the West Coast Governor’s Agreement on Ocean Health (WCGA) also will speak on behalf of Gov. Ted Kulongoski. Sponsored by Keen and Wend Magazine to benefit the Portland Chapter of Surfrider Foundation. Free. Information: (503) 913-7381
- EARTH DAY Salem: Wed., April 22, 7 p.m. at Tokyo International University of America, Kaneko Auditorium, 1300 Mill St. SE, Salem, OR 97301. Co-sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Communities at Willamette University and the Friends of Straub Environmental Learning Center. Free. Information: 503-370-6654 or afoust@willamette.edu.
- Newport: Mon., April 27, 6:30 p.m. Hatfield Marine Science Center Visitor’s Center, Hennings Auditorium, 2030 SE Marine, Science Dr., Newport, 97365. Free. JUNKride lecture followed by panel discussion on marine debris with scientists, biologists and others including a member of the WCGA. Sponsored by Newport Chapter of Surfrider Foundation, Friends of HMSC, Sea Grant, CoastWatch and the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
For more information visit the JUNKRide website.
