Plastic In Our Oceans
Bill Schubat VPR about plastic in the oceansvideo on the garbage in the oceans.
Swimm
Do You contribute to Ocean Pollution? Let's find out!
Boyan Slat
video on his new design of his system that was deployed off the coast of CA
video on his new design of his system that was deployed off the coast of CA
Interceptor 007 faces rain event in LA
Interceptor 006 Guatemala
First Product Created of Plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
ASSIGNMENT
As we discuss the realizations, Engineers and Scientists may have not considered the impacts and Downstream affects of critical decisions, consider the actions which have led to the extreme pollution across the world, answer the following questions.
Post your answers in the comment section to below questions.
In your observations of the videos identify obstacles which would hold back or hinder the collection process of the ocean clean up and the interceptors
Take a stance on whether these types of collection devices are serving the symptom or the cause in the fight against pollution and environmental inequality for some across the world?
Some obstacles that would hold back or hinder the collection process of the ocean clean up and interceptors are that if there is a lot of rain or bad weather the interceptors could easily be over flooded by trash. They could also be hindered by strong storms like hurricanes which could destroy them.
ReplyDeleteThese collection devices are only serving to fix the symptoms of the problem because the only way they can fully fix the problem is if they were to focus more on rivers rather than focusing on the ocean because all the trash comes from the rivers.
I believe that a big obstacle is how much plastic is entering the ocean and if they are cleaning the ocean faster than it is being polluted. One of the symptom's is when the cleanup system broke and I believe the cause is the fact that the ocean and the plastic is not specifically anyone's problem but at the same time it's everyone's problem because it's affecting the whole world. I think if everyone fully understood the effects of plastic in the ocean they would care more and be more mindful of what they do with plastic and whether or not they purchase it.
ReplyDeletethe ships that go out to get the trash. use so much fuel so its trading one pollution for another
ReplyDeletethe collector are not a premiant solution and only fix's the symptom. more focus on the rivers and streams
DeleteI dont like Cheese
ReplyDelete1. As far as the ocean cleanup, the first major obstacle is the weather. The ocean is harsh in the great garbage patch, and designing something that can stand up to the conditions is a struggle. We saw an example of that with system 001 when it split in two. the next main issue is the location of the patch, which is over 1,000 miles offshore. Having boats make long trips to and from the patch is not super sustainable, and this hinders the collection process. Another obstacle is the fact that the garbage patch is absolutely massive. Even if their newest system sweeps over 2km at a time, its a small percentage of the main patch.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the interceptors, they seem to be easier to refine due to the better conditions and proximity to shore. However, trash was able to escape along the edges of the booms. This means the system is not as effective as it could be and should be solved. The storage capacity of the interceptors could be increased as well, since it seemed like they had to be offloaded quite often.
2. These systems are some of the most successful waterway plastic collection systems out there, and and are definitely aiding in the fight against pollution. While it is also a symptom of the bad situation in oceans and rivers, they are bringing awareness around the world. In CA there were so many examples of people who had been educated by just seeing an interceptor in the river. We need more of these systems around the world in order to help raise awareness and prevent more pollution.
I feel as though tropical storms and hurricanes would destroy the different interceptors and the nets. Fishing boats could risk damage done to the net, causing damage that would hinder Wilson useless. Putting different lights onto the Wilson would reduce this risk.
ReplyDeleteThese collection systems are serving a symptom of pollution. The trash they are collecting is a symptom of all the pollution we cause, and that is the portion they are trying to fix.
A potential obstacle I thought of is a lack of resources as the company grows and begins launching multiple large-scale projects. Currently, each ocean clean up system requires a lot of man power between the ship's crew, project team, and collection team. Soon the company will want to send out more and more systems, but they may not be able to find enough workers or resources to fund that. I also see a problem with the seeming lack of a solution for the unrecyclable garbage they collect.
ReplyDeleteWhile these systems are taking a lot of trash out of the ocean, they are still causing pollution simply by being in the ocean. Their boats, planes, and helicopters burn gas and trash is bound to fall off those vehicles and wind up in the ocean.
Question#1 -
ReplyDeleteIn those Ocean Cleanup videos, there are issues with the weather messing things up, big and small junks of plastics being tricky to grab. and sometimes sea animals getting in the way or being captured accidentally (which they don't show in the videos). Plus, the ocean being all wild can make it a bit tough. They got to keep tweaking the tech to deal with all that stuff.
Question#2 -
Boyan Slat's cleanup boats help tackle the problem of plastic already in the ocean, but to really fix things, we also need to cut down on using plastic and improve how we handle waste everywhere. It's about both cleaning up the mess and stopping it from happening in the first place. So, in simple words his aim is to address the symptoms in the fight against pollution.
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ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest obstacles I can see being an issue during ocean clean up is the amount of trash going in vs the amount coming out. Although they are taking out a tone of trash every single day, their is no way for them to get the man power and resources to keep the same pace as trash going in without funding from higher ups. Another obstacle could be the weather. The ocean can be a very violent and harsh place and certain weather could prevent trash removal. I believe the whole operation is fighting the symptoms of the pollution. This is because although it is helping the ocean stay clean by removing trash, the operation has no way of preventing the trash from getting into the ocean in the first place.
ReplyDeleteEzra Magnan
ReplyDelete1. Moving plastics, Small micro plastics, escaping plastics, separating trash and organic material, moving plastics thousands of miles
2. I believe this is fixing the symptom and not the solution. This is because the trash in oceans and rivers is the symptom of human waste and people not having a place to put that waste. In addiction having landfills near the ocean and rivers that wash off into them.
Liam Patenaude
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1: Some obstacles that would hold back the collection process would be flooding as high water levels would push lots of trash over the collector and into the ocean.
Question 2: These devices are serving symptoms for pollution across the world because in the overall picture there are a lot more rivers that are polluting. It's helpful but it's not the overall solution.
In my opinion there are a few different obstacles that could hinder the collection process. The first one is rain or bad weather, then another could be the materials and resources that are available. A spurt of bad weather could destroy or interrupt the devices. Also as a company grows there will be a lack of resources.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion these clean ups are solving the symptom and not the cause. I feel this way because in order to solve the cause they would have to stop the plastic from getting into these bodies of water which is a whole different problem