We’re surrounded by plastic–eating from it, drinking from it, and wearing it. But unlike other materials, it doesn’t biodegrade. In fact, every piece of plastic that was ever created, still exists in some capacity. Filmmaker Angela Sun shows us where all that plastic goes when she journeys to the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Does the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, known to be two times the size of Texas, actually exist? Sun journeyed from Honolulu to Midway Atoll to find out. Getting there is no easy feat–only one government plane journeys there every few weeks to deliver supplies. The island, which today houses a research facility, is most famous for its important role in World War II.

Midway should be an untouched paradise, but as a result of waste coming from North America and Asia, upwards of 10,000 pounds of plastic washes up on its shores annually. The island is filled with towers of plastic waste and the dead birds that perished after ingesting it.

“EVERY single piece of plastic that has ever been createdsince the 19th century is still SOMEWHERE on our planet.So if it never goes away, where does it go?”

But the plastic eyesore is only a small piece of the puzzle because Midway is also home to 70 percent of the world’s Laysan Albatross breeding population–regal seabirds that live long lives and choose one mate. But many of them are dying at the hands of debris from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a swirl of trash that seems invisible because it’s found just below the surface.

The world’s sea creatures are also getting swept up in the nearly 640,000 tons of discarded plastic fishing nets that sink to the ocean’s floor and destroy coral reefs in their path. While macro pieces of plastic may seem the most daunting, it’s the micro pieces that present the largest problem because they get ingested by fish and make their way up the food chain into our bodies.

In the end, we ingest plastic and the toxins that make it up. BPA, DDT, PCBs, known human carcinogens that flow through our bloodstream whether we ingest them in fish or they leach into us via sales receipts, water bottles, or single use plastic bags.

This movie explores the lobbying machine behind the plastic industry and their role in ensuring that we’re not truly aware of plastic’s harm to our health and the health of the planet.

“Plastic Paradise“, like Chris Jordan’s visually stunning “Midway“, is deeply alarming and hurts your heart, but all should watch it.

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Image: Plastic Paradise

The post The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: Nothing Short of a ‘Plastic Paradise’ appeared first on EcoSalon.

Curbing our plastic problem is no small task. That’s why the Plastic Pollution Coalition is giving away $50,000 to businesses working towards decreasing our plastic dependency.

Plastic Pollution Coalition, a global alliance working towards a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on people, animals and the environment, created the Think Beyond Plastic competition for innovative entrepreneurs working on solutions to the world’s serious plastic crisis.

The amount of plastic on the planet is nothing short of alarming. Each year, around 300 million tons of plastic is produced globally. Here in the U.S., only about the half number of plastic bottles produced wind up in recycling centers. The rest creep into crowded landfills, or our vulnerable oceans, creating serious harm to animals and ecosystems. Chris Jordan (Running the Numbers) has documented this tragedy as it’s impacting the helpless residents of Midway Island to a tear-jerking degree in his forthcoming film, “Midway: A Love Story For Our Time From the Heart of the Pacific.”

“Plastic pollution is a problem that the world has just begun to comprehend. Recycling is not an adequate solution to the increasing consumption of disposable plastic. We seek disruptive solutions that will reduce the planetary plastic footprint,” said Daniella Russo, co-founder and executive director of Plastic Pollution Coalition.

The global alliance, which was formed in 2009, has caught the attention of some major media outlets, companies, festivals and foundations. Jann Wenner, Editor and Publisher of Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the Think Beyond Plastic partners said, “Plastic pollution is a major environmental problem, and we are excited about engaging the spirit of entrepreneurship in the solutions.” Other partners for the contest include Apogee Digital, Bonnaroo, Conservation International, One PacificCoast Bank, FSB, The Sam and Peggy Grossman Foundation, and Tabor Communications.

Entrepreneurs working on products, services, materials and infrastructure solutions that can lead to a widespread decline in use of plastics are encouraged to apply. One existing business will receive $50,000 and the most innovative business concept will receive $10,000. The prizes are being underwritten by the Netherlands A-Spark Good Ventures, an investment company. Winners will be decided by Eben Bayer (Ecovative), Mike Biddle (MBA Polymers), Julie Corbett (Ecologic), Adam Lowry (Method), Dr. Ramani Narayan (Michigan State University), Mike Velings (A-Spark Good Ventures) and Adam Werbach (Yerdle). Submissions must be received by March 10^th and the winners  will be announced at ceremonies in June in Berkeley, California.

For more information, view the competition trailer here.

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

Image: tompagenet

The post Innovation Competition Aims at Reducing Global Plastic Pollution Problem appeared first on EcoSalon.