The Fifth International Marine Debris Conference is being held at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort this week. Sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United Nations Environment Program, this meeting gathers international scientists, industry representatives, government managers, policymakers, private organizations and artists to come up with ways of dealing with the plastic junk plaguing our oceans. The conference is sold out, but several marine debris- related events are open to the public, and in this case, trash will be fun. Organizers have gathered ocean junk art from international artists, and Oahu children, for programs and displays.
The subject of marine debris is a gloomy one, but gathering those who can make a difference, raising public awareness and sharing ideas through art are all positive steps forward.
You can support these efforts by going to the free events sponsored by a variety of local and national groups.
Free and open to the public this week:
» Today, 7-9 p.m.: “Bag It” film at cafe/lounge/art gallery Bambu, 1144 Bethel St. (Surfrider Foundation).
» Today through Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. daily: “The Sixth Gyre: Art, Oceans and Plastic Pollution,” on display in the Oahu Room at the Waikiki Beach Marriott.
» Through Thursday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily: “Art and the Ocean, the Architecture of Plastic,” Marine debris art exhibition, UH-Manoa campus, School of Architecture gallery (U.N. Safe Planet Campaign).
» Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m.: Reception at the above UH exhibit featuring film, speakers and entertainment.
» Friday, 4-7 p.m.: Talk by professional surfer Mary Osborne, Patagonia store, Honolulu
» Friday, 6-9 p.m.: “Catch the Drift” art, entertainment and educational displays, Ocean Tower lobby, Outrigger Reef on the Beach ($5 valet parking).
» The RAP party itself is not FREE>
Saturday, 6-9:30 p.m.: “Rise Above Plastics (RAP) party,” Waikiki Aquarium and Surfrider Foundation (marine debris art exhibit in lobby open all day and is free to all aquarium visitors).
Susan Scott can be reached at www.susanscott.net.
Picture courtesy NOAA, marine debris on Kahoʻolawe
Our first morning at surf camp was incredible, we began in a circle with a Hawaiian blessing, and ten super excited surfers.
We got all mixed up at first, which was really funny and knot easy!
After a heart pumping beach stroll, we got a terrific ocean/water safety lesson by Lifeguard Helene Phillips, assisted by our personal water patrol surf dude Dustin. I love seeing our surfboards in the back!
The girls swam, did rescues and some had their first paddling lesson. Leia came on the atv and talked to the girls about the importance of what they were learning and how we can use this to better our confidence while surfing.
Every time you order, just select Ocean Girl Project as your good cause and Gifts for Humanity will donate 10% on OGP’s behalf. Think unique Mother’s Day gifts!
Ocean Girl Project is very proud to be a national good cause and team with such an awesome company, Gifts for Humanity!
Support Ocean Girl Project and shop for wonderful fair trade items!
About Gifts With Humanity a Global Crafts Company Partners in Fair Trade
Gifts With Humanity is the retail division of Global Fair Trade Crafts Inc DBA Global Crafts.
Global Crafts was founded in 2002 by Kevin Ward and Renice Jones, who met as volunteer computing teachers in Kenya realized the capacity of the web to help individual artisans. After three years in Kenya they came to the USA and setup Global Crafts, initially as a small Fair Trade retail store. It soon became apparant that to sell in volume and change the lives of the artisans, the wholesale business would have to grow.
Starting in a garage at home Global Crafts has become a $1 million a year outlet for Fair Trade artisan handicrafts. We look forward to continued growth in the next few years and hope we are making a small difference.
Gifts With Humanity is proud to be a member of the Fair Trade Federation and the World Fair Trade Organization.
The following is an explanation of Fair Trade from the Fair Trade Federations website.
Fair trade is a system of exchange that seeks to create greater equity and partnership in the international trading system by
Providing fair wages in the local context,
Supporting safe, healthy, and participatory workplaces,
Supplying financial and technical support to build capacity,
Promoting environmental sustainability,
Respecting cultural identity,
Offering public accountability and transparency,
Building direct and long-term relationships, and
Educating consumers.
FTF members foster partnerships with producers, because they know these connections are a highly effective way to help producers help themselves.
Fair trade is not about charity. It is a holistic approach to trade and development that aims to alter the ways in which commerce is conducted, so that trade can empower the poorest of the poor. Fair Trade Organizations seek to create sustainable and positive change in developing and developed countries.
Don’t forget, if you are looking for kids sustainable items, please check out Kids Konserve where you can also pick Ocean Girl Project when you check out and they will donate 10% of your sale to help girls in Hawaii!
Sustainability, Surfing and Ocean Awareness, volunteer today!
A terrific way to have fun and do good works for kids and the environment in Hawaii is to volunteer for our sustainable surf camps!
You can sign up for an hour, an afternoon or for multi-day surf surfaris to help with a variety of projects and chores such as clearing coastlines of marine debris, sharing your surf/ocean knowledge, eco-experiences, drive surf boards to beach, help with a beach clean up or fundraiser, and just about any sustainable practice here in Hawaii is welcome, send us your ideas, be creative!
For more information or to submit a volunteer request please contact: colleen@oceangirlproject.com or like us on facebook: oceangirlproject
Join in this spring and summer, monthly volunteer meetings begin Feb 2011!
Create positive waves in a young girls life this summer.. Mahalo!
Surfers spend a lot of time in and around the ocean and are often referred to as “guardians of the sea”. But whether you are a surfer or not, we are all sustainable guardians of the planet and we truly need to keep our oceans safe, healthy and our cherished ocean beings thriving!
Pla-stuck and Ocean Pollution
Plastic is relatively cheap to produce, versatile and above all durable to the point of near indestructibility. Unfortunately it is this durability that makes plastic completely unsuited for disposable items.
Plastic pollution as referred to in this article is the result of single-use plastics that are discarded and enter the ocean. Single-use plastic items include but are not limited to : juice containers, packaging, sandwich bags, milk jugs, disposable utensils, soda/water bottles, cold cups, straws, drink lids, and plastic bags to name a few.
Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic. Sea turtles think plastic bags are jellyfish, their primary food source. There are economical health and health issues too; disposable plastic bags for example cost up to 17 cents per bag for disposal and the material used to make many single use plastic items are made from toxic substances that leach into your drinks and food.
Why not call it marine debris? The term “marine debris” is overused, unclear, and at times ineffective. Let’s call it what it is, plastic pollution.
What about recycling? Recycling is a positive step, and recycling drives raise awareness and funds for schools and non profits, but it is not a truly sustainable solution for the long run.
Have you ever seen a recycling bin full and over flowing? Plastic bags and bottles flying and falling out of the bins easily find their way into the ocean especially on an island. The problem of single use plastic pollution is not a simple matter of more bins or sites.
Recycled plastics are land based, often washed out to sea (especially on an island) or they are expensively exported to other countries where they are land based and are often washed out to sea.
What about doing ocean clean ups? Even if all the boats in the world were somehow able, a cleanup in the ocean would not only remove plastic but also plankton, which is the base of the food chain, and is responsible for capturing half of the CO2 of our atmosphere and generating half of the oxygen we need to breathe.
And even if that were to magically happen it would only be ‘a drop in the ocean’ compared to the amount of plastic pollution that flows into the ocean every single day.
This isn’t to say that helping clean up plastic debris from your local beach or parks is not a worthwhile thing to do. By participating in beach cleanups you are helping to bring about important awareness of a serious problem.
Solutions – Doing our part in Hawaii
Ocean Girl Project surf camp in Hawaii, learning about sustainability
Sustainable-Very simply put, the responsible treatment of natural resources.
Solutions-There are literally 100’s of solutions, you can visit our web site: www.becausewesurf.com for more sustainable ideas and simple things we can do. We will be adding many more sustainable solutions on this blog, sign up on the top right to receive updates. Here are some to start with…
Never, ever, ever litter- Be respectful and leave nothing but footprints on the beach and valleys. We are on very small islands with finite resources, please don’t litter and report those that do.
Plastic bags are one of the worst and most unnecessary plastic polluters of the ocean and the easiest to replace. Carry and shop with reusable sustainable bags. A single reusable bag can eliminate hundreds to thousands of disposable bags over its lifetime. Look for reusable bags that are made out of strong sustainable material (not plastic), if the seller doesn’t know what the material is, go somewhere else, thrift stores, local health food stores, farmers markets and craft fairs are a good source or make your own. $$Bonus$$ many stores now give small discounts for bringing your own bag.
Write to colleen@oceangirlproject.com if you can’t afford a reusable bag and we will send you one -100% FREE!
Plastic bottles- Plastic bottles along with plastic bags are the most common sources of plastic pollution found on our beaches and in the ocean. In the US alone, eight out of 10 (22 billion) plastic bottles will end up in a landfill-Container Recycling Institute.
The easiest solution is to carry reusable stainless steel water bottles and flasks and drink tap water!! HELLLLOOOO PEEPS!!! It’s clean, safe and you already paid for it!! The Hawaii Board of Supply (www.hbws.org) states on their site: “The municipal water supply served to Oahu’s residents is safe to drink and use, and does not require treatment by a home filtration unit.” If you are still concerned you can easily purchase filtration systems from almost any super market, Longs, etc. Buying soda and juice containers made from glass helps also.
Cartoon used with Permission all rights reserved Steve Greenberg (greenbergart.com) is an editorial cartoonist & news artist.
This morning I went for a walk down to the ocean in Waikiki.
I was headed towards Queen’s beach between the wall and Lifeguard tower 2F. It’s a good place to check out the surf conditions, look for whales and swim.
As I got closer I started seeing what looked like dozens and dozens of about 4″ long white plastic cylindrical shaped pieces floating in the ocean and washing onto the sand, the closer I got, the more I saw.
I took this picture when I got home, I wanted to document some of the literally 100′s of pieces of plastic we found. The inside reef area was covered in these plastic pieces and what looks like firework detonators, which also have plastic rings on them.
I remembered last night, Thursday 02/10/2011, we saw and heard fireworks going off near Waikiki. I am not sure who or why, and didn’t see anything in the paper about it today. Could this be firework debris?
Such a sad sight, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the birds, monk seals, whales, dolphins, and honu dying from eating them!
What kind of chemicals are on the detonator ends floating in the sea and in fireworks and do they always end up in the ocean like this?
As I started collecting these pieces, a few wonderful people joined in, everyone wondering the same thing, are these from last nights fireworks and is anyone ever responsible for cleaning up after them?
If anyone knows more, especially about the Hilton Hawaiian fireworks on Friday night, we would really appreciate more information.
This was an eye opener for me. I will sadly never watch aerial fireworks again without thinking about the plastic debris and chemicals falling into the ocean and the potentially deadly consequences for all sea creatures that are a direct result of plastic in the sea.
The subject of marine debris is a gloomy one, but gathering those who can make a difference, raising public awareness and sharing ideas through art are all positive steps forward.
