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Algalita: Plastic Debris
Project Goal
$100,000.00 |
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Description of the problem:
Clean water is a basic human need. There was a time on this planet when lakes, streams, rivers, and oceans held water that was clean and unpolluted. But due to countless generations of human activities, that time has long since passed. A serious challenge facing all of us today is the disappearance of clean water and the effect that has on life in the sea, and the effect it will eventually have on all life. How bad is the situation? Worse than most people imagine: AMRF has evidence from the North Pacific Central Gyre showing that in some areas of the Pacific Ocean, plastic outweighs zooplankton by a ratio of six to one. Plastic does not biodegrade: Plastic, like diamonds, is forever! The degree of water pollution from previously unrecognized man-made sources urgently needs quantifying, analysis, and discussion, and the information obtained needs to be communicated to the public as quickly, and in as many ways as possible.
Description of the
project / solution:
Results of our studies at sea have been alarming; plastic is present everywhere we have looked in the ocean. Our studies have determined that toxic pollutants also in the water adhere to plastic particles—particles being ingested by sea life and sea birds mistaking it for prey. So plastic-bearing toxins have been introduced to the oceanic food chain and will work their way upwards, affecting larger and larger animals. 80% of the plastic found in seawater is land-based in origin, and much of it enters our oceans through our watersheds. AMRF’s first mission is to demonstrate how much plastic is in the ocean and the effect it is having on ocean life, and our second mission is to educate the public as quickly as we can about the problem so that we can work together to find solutions before the situation becomes worse than it already is. We have held the first international conference on land-based plastic in the ocean; developed a format for community education called Watershed Expo, and created several school programs including Watershed Wonders and Plastics Are Forever. We need to spread this message across the country, and the world.
Amount that Channel G seeks to raise in order to
help the organization achieve its goals:
Channel G is seeking to raise $100,000.00 in order to help in the efforts being carried out by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.
Other support needed by the project:To fully fund AMRF’s research and education programs, we need support from other private and public sources.
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