Human beings are reckless and stupid

[GhostCon1]

My Marine Biology final paper is on this subject... which I haven't started writing yet and it's due in less than a month. Procrastination rocks! (Not!)

Its all of our faults. We demand products which can be thrown away after one use. Garbage dumps cant handle it all. Sad really.

If everything was thrown away correctly, the problem may not be as severe as it is. However, many people simply do not care for the only place we have to call home and just throw garbage out the window of their car or drop it on the ground.

WOW, how did I not know this existed?!

Many people don't, if it's not directly harming us (humans) or involve human suffering, the media usually doesn't cover it since it will not garner ratings (considered boring and "out of sight, out of mind" mentality).

Wow. . . Disgusting. Gotta feel for the birds. Terrible way to go. Death-by-garbage

Not just the birds; sea turtles, fish, mammals, there are countless organisms affected by this. They all view the plastic "droplets" (for lack of a better word) as food.

That is horrible.
Few years back I switched from drinking pepsi all day (sipping it) to water. My teeth thanked me, but I imagine all the plastic bottles I would have contributed to that 'island' in that time. My RO/DI unit is my hero.

I hope you do not use RO/DI water as your sole means of H2O consumption. RO/DI water lacks minerals and basically all the stuff in it that your body requires from water. Side not - while I dislike pepsi (and any soda for that matter) because of the insane sugar content, you could use a straw and avoid the staining of your teeth.

Even one peice of trash in the ocean is too much, exaggerated or not.... disgusting, and yes, all of our's fault...

So true, I hate seeing people litter. Everytime I see it I want to take a spike and pick up the litter and hurl it into their car :blown:

IMO bottled water should be outlawed. That has got to be one of the dumbest of man's ideas. I have a two stage filter under my kichen sink and get the same quality drinking water without the cost and all of that wasted plastic.

Video for you on why it caught on http://video.adultswim.com/robot-chicken/water-fountain.html

Right off, let me say ,I'm not looking for a fight and I applaud everyones green efforts. However; has anyone seen a satilite photo of this " island " ? A few more rounds on the internet and it will be the size of the pacific itself! Did this guy take that canoe all the way to this " island " ? More likely some backwater area. (discusting enough ) . Some people belive what they want to belive. As far as reckless and stupid, I find rash generalities evidence of such.

You might like this picture:

Happily, I don't think it is yet visible from space. But, much of the plastic is thumbnail size or smaller.

What's more is that while plastics photodegrade, they don't biodegrade. So, they might break down to smaller bits - just small enough for a turtle, bird or other ocean-going animal to ingest.

Fix the problems, not the symptoms.

Cheers
Mike

I agree completely with fix the problems, not the symptoms. Also, a lot of the plastics will break down into tiny, almost microscopic size plastic "droplets," remaining in the water for centuries.

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

The "problem" isn't plastic in the ocean, it's the complete disregard for real science when the real science refutes presuppositions.



So answer this: What beside it is there is the problem? If it is a "very real problem" surely it must be responsible for global warming or an ozone hole or two, something. Mount Rushmore is a problem in as much as it is.

Before this goes too far, I do admire your zeal. You find interesting stories. I just don't agree with your conclusions.

Like I said everyone is welcome to their opinion, and we all know what they say about those.

 

[James77]

Yes, that trash in the ocean is disgusting. Its not one big solid mass of plastic, which is what comes to mind the way it is sometimes discussed. It is a huge area of water that is very heavily polluted with bits of partially decomposed and full plastic.

Even recycling is not the source of the problem, that still uses energy. Reducing the need for throw-a-way everything in our lives is ideal.

IMO bottled water should be outlawed. That has got to be one of the dumbest of man's ideas.

Yes, what was supposed to be a here-and-there convenience has turned into an attachment on our bodies.The convenience and versatility can be had with reusable plastic bottles and filtereing your tap water with a standard water faucet attachment. I am lucky enough to have the 2nd best tap water in the country, and it costs $2.15 for 750 gallons of it.

Only thing I dislike about my tap water is the chlorine and flouride....but my RO pulls them out, and I have an additional membrane piggybacked to cut waste in half.

^ agree.
My gf won't use the water I give her and her kids to drink. They use bottled water because it is there, cheap, and easier. Only way to stop this is to outlaw it and definitely plastic bags from the grocery stores.

Do the math for her, she will be suprised at the massive markup there is on bottled water....from sources that are most likely the same as yours . A gallon of bottled water- at wholesale club prices- is still almost 450 times times the cost as my tap.

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

"There is a lot of plastic trash floating in the Pacific Ocean, but claims that the "œGreat Garbage Patch" between California and Japan is twice the size of Texas are grossly exaggerated, according to an analysis by an Oregon State University scientist."

I think I will take the word of the National Geographic Society over that of a lone unnamed Oregon State scientist.

"So answer this: What beside it is there is the problem? If it is a "very real problem" surely it must be responsible for global warming or an ozone hole or two, something. Mount Rushmore is a problem in as much as it is. "

Do you have trouble reading?

"Plant life grows on it, but, this is NOT a good thing. Animals are eating it"¦over a million sea birds dying from eating it"¦and it is destroying plant life below the surface needed to feed the fish. It blocks the sunlight and further destroys the life beneath it."

 

[jeff@zina.com]

The problem with assigning a size to the Pacific patch is that it always changes. It's not a stable island, it's a floating conglomeration caught in the currents.

FWIW, the one in the Atlantic has been there a thousand years or more. It's usually referred to as the Sargasso Sea.

Jeff

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

Funny guy.
Some of you obviously don't care a whole lot about the environment and think a problem like this is better left ignored, human ostriches if you will.

The Sargasso Sea is natural and not man made.
Plastic was only invented in 1862 so in less than 150 years plastic has gone from it's invention to polluting every major ocean on the planet.
If that is not proof positive that human being are reckless and stupid, I don't know what is.
By the way I am a human being, and include myself among the reckless and stupid.

 

[TLXB]

Does anyone have an aerial photograph that proves the size of this patch is anywhere near as large as claimed? All I've found are tear-jerking closeups.

 

[James77]

I hope you do not use RO/DI water as your sole means of H2O consumption. RO/DI water lacks minerals and basically all the stuff in it that your body requires from water. Side not - while I dislike pepsi (and any soda for that matter) because of the insane sugar content, you could use a straw and avoid the staining of your teeth.

I would imagine we get far more minerals than we would ever get from water through our food. Drinking rainwater would be considered healthy as well( sans modern pollutants), and that has been stripped of minerals as well.
I've also read there has been no proof of RO/DI water leeching minerals from your body.

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

Does anyone have an aerial photograph that proves the size of this patch is anywhere near as large as claimed? All I've found are tear-jerking closeups.

Read the thread.

 

[organism]

What does it matter how big it is? It's like telling someone yes, you did get shot, but not with a shotgun like someone said, it was just with this 9mm so stop complaining. If you can call it an "island" and assign it a size that's any percentage at all the size of Texas without using a decimal point then it's too big.

I agree with what a lot of people said though, it's our own faults for wanting food packed on a plastic tray, wrapped in plastic, then put into a box where we take it home in a plastic bag. Sometimes it seems like we actively try to throw plastic on anything, for instance

 

[KafudaFish]

"There is a lot of plastic trash floating in the Pacific Ocean, but claims that the "œGreat Garbage Patch" between California and Japan is twice the size of Texas are grossly exaggerated, according to an analysis by an Oregon State University scientist."

I think I will take the word of the National Geographic Society over that of a lone unnamed Oregon State scientist.

"So answer this: What beside it is there is the problem? If it is a "very real problem" surely it must be responsible for global warming or an ozone hole or two, something. Mount Rushmore is a problem in as much as it is. "

Do you have trouble reading?

"Plant life grows on it, but, this is NOT a good thing. Animals are eating it"¦over a million sea birds dying from eating it"¦and it is destroying plant life below the surface needed to feed the fish. It blocks the sunlight and further destroys the life beneath it."

What if the OSU professor is a respected and recognized expert on the subject such as physical oceanography or GIS mapping?

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

What if the OSU professor is a respected and recognized expert on the subject such as physical oceanography or GIS mapping?

I still think I will stick with NGS and CNN.
If you want to play "what if".
What if he is an unrespected iodiot that chases skirts and gets high when he should be teaching?:hmm5:

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

And lets' remember people that this is just what has found its way into the sea. This does not even take into account what is buried in landfills and will be there for a minimum of 1,000 years.
Of the over 100 billion (with a B) pounds of plastic produced in the US alone only a small percentage of that gets recycled.

http://www.ehhi.org/plastics/pr_plastics_report08.shtml

http://www.thegreenestdollar.com/2009/05/how-long-our-garbage-lasts/

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/04/06/eco.plastics/index.html

 

[on the spot]

Seadiscovery.com
pointed out Angelicque "œAngel" White...

Who can't read?

What if the OSU professor is a respected and recognized expert on the subject such as physical oceanography or GIS mapping?

Actually, this wasn't the what if it seems to be, but a real live clue. Again, that reading thing.

If you prefer to be stupid and reckless, have at it.

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

Read the post above yours.
I stand by the stupid and reckless statement.

If you choose to take the word of a single individual over that of countless others that have actually visted the site and studied it, you have the reckless and stupid market pretty much cornered and I couldn't begin to compete with you.

Have a nice weekend Fonz.:love1:

 

[GhostCon1]

I would imagine we get far more minerals than we would ever get from water through our food. Drinking rainwater would be considered healthy as well( sans modern pollutants), and that has been stripped of minerals as well.
I've also read there has been no proof of RO/DI water leeching minerals from your body.

I am not sure I get your last statement. Did my post seem like I was saying RO/DI water did that? If so, that is not what I was trying to get across. I was just saying that RO/DI water is pure H20, with (depending on how old your filters are!) barely any other elements in it.

 

[on the spot]

If you choose to take the word of a single individual over that of countless others that have actually visted the site and studied it, you have the reckless and stupid market pretty much cornered and I couldn't begin to compete with you.

Have a nice weekend Fonz.:love1:

White has pored over published literature and participated in one of the few expeditions solely aimed at understanding the abundance of plastic debris and the associated impact of plastic on microbial communities. That expedition was part of research funded by the National Science Foundation through C-MORE, the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education.

link to quote

Been there.

:frog:

She is smarter than you currently believe her to be.


Secondly, I am not as cool as the Fonz.
:sad1:

 

[James77]

I am not sure I get your last statement. Did my post seem like I was saying RO/DI water did that? If so, that is not what I was trying to get across. I was just saying that RO/DI water is pure H20, with (depending on how old your filters are!) barely any other elements in it.

No, I know you didn't say anything like what I stated at the end of the post, I just kind of threw that on top of it. When others say that RO has no minerals in it, they say how it pulls minerals out of your body. i meant to add "I know you dindn't say it, but..." .

 

[syrinx]

Should be able to google earth it and be settled as to size quite quickly.

 

[KafudaFish]

I still think I will stick with NGS and CNN.
If you want to play "what if".
What if he is an unrespected iodiot that chases skirts and gets high when he should be teaching?:hmm5:

Who can't read?



Actually, this wasn't the what if it seems to be, but a real live clue. Again, that reading thing.

If you prefer to be stupid and reckless, have at it.

Neither one of you answered my question.
Where have I stated that the data are incorrect?
Did I?
Did you read what I wrote?
I asked a simple question. What if the person who stated that the size of the plastic island was smaller than estimated? What if 10 scientists from 10 different universities stated that the size estimate was wrong?
I asked what if a respected scientist stated that the data were wrong based upon his or her research.

Your responses included he is a dope smoking skirt chasing idiot and you basically told me that I was stupid because I asked a simple question and some how that struck a nerve with the both of you. Why was that?


Usually when people can no longer communicate they resort to name calling because they have nothing else.

Fonzie would never call anyone stupid because that is not cool.


Right now you are on a soap box and very emotional. You came on here to post this information and to convince people of the facts. If you want to get others on board there are better ways than insulting people.

I am sure you will have some snappy comeback and insult me again.

Perhaps a mod will read it before I get a chance to respond and close this thread.

If I get back before the lock I look forward to continue a discussion.

Now if you will excuse me I have to go because tomorrow I am leading 100 volunteers on a creek clean up. We expect to remove several hundred pounds of trash from the creeks and lake. Our number one item is plastic bottles.

You know the same thing that has gotten you upset.

What are you doing on Saturday?