A guest post from Anna Cummins (photo at right), education advisor of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.
 The average Emerald City reader has likely heard of the infamous "Pacific Garbage Patch," that mythical swath of debris in the Pacific, the size of Texas. Or was it two Texases or wait, twice the size of the moon?
Having recently returned from a month-long research trip through this massive marine landfill, I'll clear up a few misconceptions:
• The garbage does indeed exist. HOWEVER it is not a "patch" of garbage, nor a trash island. It's more like a huge bowl of dilute plastic soup, from California to Japan.
• We can't clean it up, net it away, or sieve it out. It's an area twice the size of the United States, and the debris is too spread out. Imagine a handful of plastic cornflakes sprinkled over a football field. Now imagine 9 million football fields in the Pacific Ocean.
12 years ago, Captain Charles Moore accidentally "discovered" the plastic debris debacle in the North Pacific while sailing an infrequently traveled route from Hawaii to Los Angeles. Stunned by the endless river of plastic junk he found -– toothbrushes, bottle caps, wrappers, fragments –- Moore decided to return with research tools and scientific sampling methods, to better understand what he saw.
In 1999, Moore et al. published the groundbreaking study, 4,200 miles across the Pacific, collecting surface samples the entire way.
What we found this year: the problem has gotten much, much worse. Though our samples are still being processed, Captain Moore guesstimates a fivefold increase in 10 years, bumping plastic to plankton ratios up to 30:1.
And still, we tear through plastic bags and bottles like they're going out of style...
Actually, we'd love to see disposable plastics go out of style. So to bring public attention to the junk in our ocean, we're sailing from Long Beach to Hawaii -- on Junk (photo below).
For the last few months, Dr. Marcus Eriksen, Joel Paschal and myself have been creating Junk -– a raft made of 15,000 plastic bottles, an old Cessna 310 airplane, and other assorted junk, to sail from Long Beach to Hawaii.
Marcus and Joel will set sail on June 1 from the Long Beach Aquarium, carrying hundreds of individual messages about plastic debris, to be delivered to D.C. legislators next winter. I'll be charting their daily progress from land, keeping up the blog, and praying for gentle, steady winds.
Come on board! To support our mission, write your message in a bottle here. And to see history in the making -- the first ever plastic bottle boat cross the Pacific -- come on down for the June 1 launch party, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Long Beach Aquarium.
Follow the journey at the JUNK blog. And for information, e-mail me at annacummins@gmail.com.
Top photo by Joel Paschal; bottom photo by Peter Bennett
On Saturday, I took advantage of the free valet bicycle parking at "Revel With a Cause," the eco-themed Santa Monica Festival happening at Clover Park. There's my chainless white bike to the right, being rolled away to be locked and guarded. I got a raffle ticket too, for my chance to win an unspecified prize.
Children seemed to be having the most fun, making recycled crafts in what seemed like every other booth.
Most trash stations had a volunteer letting people know what to throw where, though
whoever was supposed to be watching this one must have taken a break.
I left too early to win the raffle. But I collected my bike right after this very cute bicycling father-daughter duo (or uncle-niece or big bro-lil' sis). You can't tell very well from this picture, but both were expertly biking one-handedly while holding Icees in their left hands.
Photos by Siel
 Want a free buck? GreenDimes, a service for reducing the junk mail you receive, will now pay you to join their service. In fact, GreenDimes is offering $1 to the first 5 MILLION people who sign up for its FREE service.
Too good to be true? Well, sort of. The free subscribers won't get the full service that GreenDimes offers. What freeloaders will receive: Do-it-yourself removal from common junk mail and catalog lists. If you want GreenDimes to do the work for you -- for ex., auto-removing your name from lists and monitoring your junk mail -- you'll need to fork over $20.
You may ask how exactly GreenDimes is providing a free service when you have to, you know, do the work yourself. That's a fair question. In fact, the "service" GreenDimes is offering for free now is already offered free by Catalog Choice and ProQuo (reviewed here).
However, no company besides GreenDimes will actually PAY you to reduce junk mail, to my knowledge. Even if you're not that impressed by the free "service" GreenDimes is offering, you can still sign up to get that dollar. If you prefer, you can elect to have a tree planted on your behalf, or get a free trial issue of Plenty magazine, in lieu of the buck.
Perhaps that dollar incentive will entice some people who wouldn't have bothered to reduce junk mail otherwise. If all of them seriously take advantage of even just free service, we'd reduce paper waste fairly significantly.
I guess GreenDimes is betting some people will come on the site to sign up for the $20 or $35 services they offer, instead of just taking their free buck. I just hope this green company doesn't just end up $5 million in the red...
Earlier: Get the 'Do Not Mail' registry started
In case you missed the news, the city of L.A. is aiming to drastically reduce its trash. The goal: A 70% recycling rate by 2015, eventually getting to zero waste within 2 decades. Doable? I hope so, because landfilling's costing us a lot of money -- and we're running out of room.
L.A.'s Zero Waste Plan, also known as SWIRP (Solid Waste Integrated Resources Plan), kicked off last August with a number of public outreach efforts. So far, we've had numerous regional workshops and two big public Zero Waste Conferences.
From those efforts, the city's come up with 12 guiding principles for the zero waste effort, which will be used to create an action plan to eliminate landfilling -- after which we'll actually start taking action. Yes, it's a very long process, a.k.a. "a 6-year stakeholder-driven planning effort."
But for now, the public's invited to a third Citywide Zero Waste conference (PDF), where said 12 guiding principles will be announced and "confirmed":
When: Saturday, May 3, 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Where: The Center at Cathedral Plaza, 2nd Fl. Ballroom, 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles
RSVP: Call Vikki Zale at (310) 822-2010 or email vikkizale@aol.com
In exchange for your time and input, you'll get complimentary meals and free parking -- though really, de-car-ing's recommended. Early birds can get there before the rush for an optional Zero Waste Film Festival from 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
 So many beaches and parks, only one Earth Day. If you like to get your hands dirty, then get up early join fellow environmentalists to clean up our parks and beaches this Saturday, April 19. You've got three locations to pick from:
- Heal the Bay will have its own “Nothin' But Sand” Beach Cleanup. Show up to work from 10 a.m. to noon, just south of the pier near the Ainsworth lifeguard tower in Redondo Beach.
- Help restore a watershed at Rio de Los Angeles Park by pitching in at Earth Day at Rio. You'll clean up the park, plant trees, and even distribute free trees at this kid-friendly event. The fun happens from 9 a.m. to noon at Rio de Los Angeles Park, 1900 San Fernando Rd., Los Angeles.
Remember to wear sunscreen!Thanks for making our beaches and parks pretty before Earth Day rolls around on April 22.
Image courtesy of calparks.org
 If you do one thing for this Earth Day, I'd advise this for your own sanity as well as financial benefit -- in addition to environmental goodness: Get a Bring Your Own Bag system in place once and for all, so you're never caught empty handed.
First, let me go into why this one action will prevent stress and save you money. Then I'll show you how easy it is to be bag-ready at all times.
Plastic bags are slowly becoming a relic in California. The disposables have already been banned in San Francisco and Oakland, for one. Santa Monica's well on its way to enacting its own ban. And Bakersfield, Berkeley, and Santa Cruz are considering similar measures. Even the Calif. assembly's considering a bag fee.
Besides the state and local government initiatives, there's the corporate ones. As of this Earth Day, Whole Foods will no longer offer plastic bags. IKEA will getting rid of all disposable bags, period, come August 2008. And while most grocery stores will still be saying "paper or plastic" for a while, many of these -- including Ralphs -- will still give you a nickel back for bringing your own bag.
So adapt now to prevent headaches -- and to avoid getting nickeled and dimed -- later. Here's how:
1. Put most of your reusable bags in the vehicle you use to get to and from your grocery shopping. For most of you, this will be your car. For the more intrepid of you, this'll be that trailer attached to your bike, or the "basket on wheels" type thing you roll over to your farmers' market. This vehicle needs to be where the bags "belong."
Do NOT have a spot in the house where you keep the reusable bags; not having a designated in-house spot will remind you to always "return" the bags to your vehicle after you unload your groceries.
 2. Keep one minimizable bag in your purse or other favorite bag, like a laptop bag or backpack. Organic cotton tote bags are great, but they're rather bulky, and it's the rare person who'll tote one of those around everywhere. Instead, invest in one bag that converts into a teeny object, and keep that in your purse or bag as a standard item, like a lipstick or condoms.
The one downside of these bags is that they tend to be made of synthetic materials. This is why I advise you just get one of these -- and reuse it forever and maybe even pass it down to future generations :P A few options:
flip & tumble. (above left) Made of ripstop nylon, this cute bag can be "flipped" into a cute ball-shaped object -- great for an impromptu game of catch or for juggling, if you have a couple of them.
 Envirosax. Made of polyester, Envirosax fold up into what the company describes as "the size of a piece of sushi." This is the bag that sits folded and buttoned up at the bottom of my purse. I unfurl it when I need it -- like I did today at Co-opportunity.
ChicoBags. (below left) Made of nylon, ChocoBags can be stuffed into its "integrated pouch." The bags come with a carabiner, so you can attach the pouch to your beltloop, if that look jives with your personal style. ChicoBags also notes on its website that it has a recycling program to repurposed old bags into door mats, dog beds and prayer flags -- but I can't find any info about where to send the old bags on the website.
I know the boys are gonna say they don't carry purses (though I've noticed that more of you guys do these days) and usually don't carry other bags either. I feel your pain -- and encourage you to use this awesome business idea of mine: Create a bag that folds flat into the shape of a short stack of bills, which can be fit into any regular wallet -- maybe even a recycled Jimi.
Make millions as plastic bag bans gain popularity around the world, then email and thank me --
Top photo courtesy of envirowoman
Get your hands dirty in preparation for Earth Day! Join thousands of Cali residents from all over the state to pretty up the parks in your own communities on Saturday, April 19.
The 11th annual California State Parks Foundation’s Earth Day 2008 Restoration & Cleanup event invites all to "help restore the beauty of California’s treasured state parks." Volunteers will plant trees and community gardens, repair fences and boardwalks, restore trails and wildlife habitats, and remove trash and debris.
A bizzaro aspect of this event is that Chevron's an associate sponsor. I hope the irony of an oil company known for polluting California's own land and waterways -- and fighting tooth and nail so as not to have to pay to clean it up -- trying to align itself with a cleanup event done for free by volunteers, isn't lost on anyone.
In any case -- Let not the involvement of Chevron sully your eco-experience. You might consider taking alternative transportation to the park, keeping your money away from the oil companies. Unfortunately, the Cali State Parks Foundation provides only driving directions.... Hmmm....
Two separate events are planned for L.A. County, so check out the details and pick between the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve or Malibu Creek State Park. Remember to sign up; space is limited!
Orange and San Bernadino counties have their own sites too. See you in the park --
Green advice givers are all talking about diapers this week. Both Slate's Green Lantern and Salon's Pablo tackle the subject -- and give conflicting advice.
The Lantern says that cloth diapers are greener -- but that he uses disposables themselves due to time management issues, and will consider switching to cloth or flushable gDiapers later on.
Pablo too says cloth diapers are greener -- but is not so keen on the gDiapers -- and recommends diaper services that'll launder the dirty diapers for you.
In an earlier column, Umbra of Grist concluded that "the disposable vs. reusable diaper fight is in a stalemate for the foreseeable future," and suggests diaperless parenting -- an option Pablo deems impractical.
I'm more psyched than ever that I don't have to deal with diaper issues, but having read all these diaper articles in detail, Pablo's option sounds like the most practical green option, assuming you can afford a diaper washing service -- something you likely can do if you can afford to buy disposable diapers at a buck a pop.
Any green parents got more practical advice or stories?
Photo of baby in gDiaper by Donna D via Flickr
Your eco-questions, answered:
Question: Hi. I am trying to figure out if Los Angeles accepts compostable food scraps in its green bins. I gather from it's website it does not, but i am hoping, perhaps, it is out of date?? Thanks, Tracy
Answer: Yes, you can put food scraps in the green bins -- as long as they come from fruits, veggies, and grains. Don't put any food scraps that contain animal products, even if it's just milk, eggs, or cheese. Your green bin's vegan!
Other things that can go in your green bin: grass, leaves, weeds, tree branches, and clean wood (no nails, etc.).
Unfortunately, compostable food containers, bags, and forks that look like their plastic counterparts cannot go into the green bin, as our composting facilities are not set up to handle these newfangled disposables. Paul Gomez in the L.A. Department of Public Works says plastic-like compostables still need to go in the black bin, though the city is "looking at various aspects" to change that in the future.
And just as an FYI: Here's what goes in the blue bins. Don't have one yet? Get one -- Apartment dwellers can get blue bins too!
Photo by Leo Reynolds via Flickr
There are two types of junk mail haters. The first type want it all gone. They may wage a personal, time-consuming war against it -- or even hire companies to wage that anti-junk mail war for them. Either way, they get their mailboxes cleaned up in 4 - 12 weeks, letting unfelled trees breathe a collective green sigh of relief.
The second type are the kind that say they hate junk mail but don't actually do anything to get rid of it -- usually because there's one piece of junk mail they want to keep getting. It's amazing what people will put up with -- and what they're willing to do to the environment -- simply for a coupon for free iced tea with a pad thai order.
But enough eco-guilting: Now you can get your free iced tea and downsize your mailbox too -- easily. ProQuo, a FREE anti-junk mail website, lets you quickly opt out of -- or opt in to -- mailing lists.
ProQuo reduces all different types of junk mail, from weekly circulars to marketing lists to ValPak envelopes. All you have to do is create a profile, and you'll get a full screen of different lists you can opt out of:
For most lists, simply clicking on the "stop" button will let you ditch that mailer. But some lists do annoyingly require you to either mail in a printed form, or go to their site to input your info again. In these cases, ProQuo will give you a little "Action Required" popup that either lets you download a PDF letter you can just print or send, or gives you a link to send you to that outside site.
How is this awesome service free, you ask? Well, the key thing here is that ProQuo lets you opt IN, as well as opt out. If you click over to the catalog section, you'll see a whole lot of popular catalogs. If you simply want to opt out, you can -- but if the Victoria's Secret catalog lures you into getting more junk mail, well then you can opt in too. The opt-inners' contact info's then sent to that mag -- and ProQuo makes money in the exchange.
That said, your contact info will NOT be sent to any random magazines. To get on Vicky's list, you have to specifically select and hit "I want to start receiving this catalog" for Vicky's.
If that opt in OR out option bothers you, there's also Catalog Choice, which lets you just opt out of catalogs you don't want. However, while this site does let you get rid of catalogs at a click, Catalog Choice doesn't remove your name from general junk mail directories or get rid of any of the non-catalog flyers and mailers.
Whatever method you opt for, remember that it'll take one to three months for your mail box to really clear up. Next up: How to get rid of junk mail with even less effort than ProQuo -- for a price.
|
|
The average Emerald City reader has likely heard of the infamous "Pacific Garbage Patch," that mythical swath of debris in the Pacific, the size of Texas. Or was it two Texases or wait, twice the size of the moon? 
Emerald City calendar