Solution Ideas, Evaluating those ideas and then ultimately creating an Action Plan that you will develop and communicate to an authentic audience.
The beauty of this project is that you have the opportunity to take it in what ever direction you feel is the most appropriate. We will work together to fulfill some of the basic requirements of the project, but ultimately YOU will choose what vehicle you will use to communicate your Action Plan. You will work in small groups to complete the project and will be assessed on:
1. the depth and quality of your research
2. your collaboration skills
3. application of the problem solving process
4. the creativity, quality and impact of your culminating project.
THE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
How did the plastic get there?
What are the effects of the plastic on the biosphere?
How can we change the way WE recycle to keep the plastic out of the ocean?
Although all of these questions will drive your research, the final question will ultimately serve as the charge of your real world scenario. These are the essential questions I have posed for you, but I want to hear how you define the problem, as well as what you feel are the essential driving questions of this topic.
Your task is to use what you have learned so far about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to:
Your task is to use what you have learned so far about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to:
1. define the problem (in five to seven COMPLETE SENTENCES)
2. create 5 quality questions that display the depth and complexity I know all of you are capable of.
Define your challenge and write your questions, post them here AND send them via e-mail to MLeuchtm@columbia.k12.mo.us
The assignment is due on Thursday, February 21st for B day students and Friday, February 22nd for A day students.
The assignment is due on Thursday, February 21st for B day students and Friday, February 22nd for A day students.
Your post should look something like this:
Matt Leuchtmann
Class: 6B
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has turned one of our most valuable resources into the largest garbage dump in the world. Plastic products along with other waste that does not easily biodegrade are caught up in the gyres of the Pacific Ocean. Because these products are caught up in powerful ocean currents they have been concentrated into an area that is double the land area of Texas, and that reaches a depth of over 100 feet. This toxic Ocean Soup has a devastating impact on all aspects of our diverse marine ecosystem. We need to do what we can to address this challenging issue.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has turned one of our most valuable resources into the largest garbage dump in the world. Plastic products along with other waste that does not easily biodegrade are caught up in the gyres of the Pacific Ocean. Because these products are caught up in powerful ocean currents they have been concentrated into an area that is double the land area of Texas, and that reaches a depth of over 100 feet. This toxic Ocean Soup has a devastating impact on all aspects of our diverse marine ecosystem. We need to do what we can to address this challenging issue.
1. To what extent does our current model of recycling contribute to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP)?
2. Are there better alternatives to our current disposable consumer society?
3. Is there anyway to use the Pacific Gyres to our advantage when considering solutions to the GPGP?
4. How can we lessen the impact plastic toxins have on organisms in our marine ecosystem?
5. Would it be possible to alter the chemical structure of our plastics to create a more enviornmentally friendly product?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOpps! I forgot the spaces between the questions :).
DeleteDzung Nguyen
ReplyDeleteClass: 5A
Because of humanity overconsumption of plastic since it was first introduced in the 1860s, the amount of plastic waste had increased dramatically and formed a never-ending cycle of environmental destruction. The currents of the North Pacific Gyre (NPG) are now homes to million tons of plastic trash of various sizes, but none of which is degradable. Marine organisms from the biggest fish to the smallest zooplankton are ingesting these artificial particles that can concentrate Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) at levels up to one million times greater than the ocean water. Based on the concept of biomagnification, these toxic chemicals increase as they travel through the food chain, some can eventually end up on our dinner tables. Due to the lack of recycle and the use of environmental friendly products, we are deepening the problem and pushing away from our reach. The question that we should be asking is not “How can we save the Earth?” but “How can we save our future generations from facing the same – if not ten times greater - environmental issues that we are currently facing and make the Earth a more livable place to its marine inhabitants?”.
1. Is there an alternative to plastic that is degradable once released into the environment and just as efficient for human consumers (cheap and easy to produce)?
2. How can we raise public awareness about pollution of the seas and increase the amount of recycled plastic?
3. Is putting trash in landfills really a better alternative than leaving them in the oceans?
4. How can we define the difference between “human-friendly products” and “environmental friendly products”?
5. In what ways can we prevent the toxic chemicals (POPs) ingested by marine species from invading our digestive system at their highest potency?
People are seriously contaminating the world's oceans with plastics and trash.Everything from microbeads, to water bottles, to fishnets end up in the ocean. These add on to the problems the ocean is facing with the water, the fish, and even the people who eat the fish becoming poisoned due to chemicals like BPA being released and soaking up POPs concentrating them into a poison pill for the fish consumers. These plastics swirl in gyres and flood the beaches, causing problems in the ocean and on the coasts that need to be addressed.
ReplyDelete1) What is the content of the Pacific Gyres? What types of materials are in them besides plastics?
2) Is it feasible to use the gyres to our advantage?
3) How could we best ensure that fish that will be eaten by the public has the least amount of chemicals like BPA and POPs in them?
4) How long does it take for different types of plastics to degrade in the ocean?
5) Is there any biological species that we could use to clean the gyres?
People are seriously contaminating the world's oceans with plastics and trash.Everything from microbeads, to water bottles, to fishnets end up in the ocean. These add on to the problems the ocean is facing with the water, the fish, and even the people who eat the fish becoming poisoned due to chemicals like BPA being released and soaking up POPs concentrating them into a poison pill for the fish consumers. These plastics swirl in gyres and flood the beaches, causing problems in the ocean and on the coasts that need to be addressed.
ReplyDelete1) What is the content of the Pacific Gyres? What types of materials are in them besides plastics?
2) Is it feasible to use the gyres to our advantage?
3) How could we best ensure that fish that will be eaten by the public has the least amount of chemicals like BPA and POPs in them?
4) How long does it take for different types of plastics to degrade in the ocean?
5) Is there any biological species that we could use to clean the gyres?
Sydney Timmerman
ReplyDelete6A
People are seriously contaminating the world's oceans with plastics and trash.Everything from microbeads, to water bottles, to fishnets end up in the ocean. These add on to the problems the ocean is facing with the water, the fish, and even the people who eat the fish becoming poisoned due to chemicals like BPA being released and soaking up POPs concentrating them into a poison pill for the fish consumers. These plastics swirl in gyres and flood the beaches, causing problems in the ocean and on the coasts that need to be addressed.
1) What is the content of the Pacific Gyres? What types of materials are in them besides plastics?
2) Is it feasible to use the gyres to our advantage?
3) How could we best ensure that fish that will be eaten by the public has the least amount of chemicals like BPA and POPs in them?
4) How long does it take for different types of plastics to degrade in the ocean?
5) Is there any biological species that we could use to clean the gyres?
Brittany Smith
ReplyDeleteClass: 6A
Before we even begin to think about the plastics already found in the ocean, we need to stop the constant production of said plastics. Otherwise, even after we get rid of what is in the ocean, it will get just as polluted again. Millions of non-recyclable plastics are created and disposed of every minute world-wide. In fact, less than ten percent of plastics are recyclable and even less are recycled. If we do not stop the production now, the problem will become much too big and uncontrollable in the future.
1. What in certain plastics can we change to make them recyclable?
2. How much of the plastic that is created actually needed? Is any of it needed?
3. Is the general public aware of the damage plastics are doing to the environment?
4. In what ways can we encourage the general public to use alternatives to the non-recyclable plastics that they use so often?
5. Who are the biggest non-recyclable plastic producing companies and are there ways that we can encourage them to (at least) reduce production?
Amanda Sun
ReplyDeleteClass: 5B
The extremely large amounts of plastic that have been manufactured over the last 50 years still remain in existence and except for a small amount, never decompose and go away. This is an immense problem because this toxic plastic pollutes our oceans and also concentrates poisons already found in the ocean. Some sea wildlife mistake the plastic and trash for food, thus exposing themselves to the toxins. When we humans eat this sea life, we too consume the plastic particles and the toxins it contains. Clean up of this poisonous plastic and trash is complicated by the sheer amount of it in the ocean. The clean up efforts largely revolve around clearing the amount of trash input caused by land sources rather than trying to filter the ocean.
1. How might we utilize the plastic in the oceans in a beneficial manner?
2. In what ways will humans be affected if plastic was replaced by a more eco-friendly material?
3. Can we completely recycle our plastic and trash so that none of it enters our oceans?
4. Are there ways to ways to educate the public about the growing crisis of “ocean soup” so that we may use the resources that they have to offer?
5. How will the toxins that have contaminated the oceans affect marine life and humans?
Mariah Doze
ReplyDeleteClass: 5th hour Everyday
The extremely large amounts of plastic that have been manufactured over the last 50 years still remains in existence, and except for an acute amount never decomposes. This is an immense problem, because this toxic plastic pollutes our oceans, and also concentrates poisons already found in the ocean. Since some sea wildlife mistake it for food, it intoxicates them as well. Since we humans eat the sea wildlife as food we too are consuming plastic particles. Obviously we need to stop this plastic crisis, but since a trash island the size of Texas called the North Pacific Gyre is floating between Hawaii and California, clean up could prove to be very difficult. This shows that clean up efforts must largely revolve around clearing the amount of trash input caused by land sources rather than trying to filter the ocean.
1. How might we utilize the plastic in the oceans in a beneficial manner?
2. In what ways will humans be affected if plastic was replaced by a more eco-friendly material?
3. Can we completely recycle our plastic and trash so that none of it enters our oceans?
4. Are there ways to ways to educate the public about the growing crisis of “ocean soup” so that we may use the resources that they have to offer?
5. How will the toxins that have contaminated the oceans affect marine life and humans?
Sloane Scott
ReplyDeleteB days
Humans have none to little regard when considering where their garbage ends up. They do not understand the impact just one person's waster can have on an entire ecosystem. Ultimately, what does not go into dumps finds itself in a gyrating mass of trash in the Ocean. This wrecks havoc on the lives of many marine animals, as well as all industries supported by what lives in our waters. There is no clear solution as what to do, resulting in a feeling of helplessness by citizens wishing for reform.
1. What is the projected number of marine wildlife deaths (so far) caused by the great garbage patches?
2. What is the projected revenue loss (in billions) to all industries supported by waters if the above mentioned number keeps growing?
3. How many lbs. of thrash does the average middle class person of the world contribute to these garbage patches?
4. What are ways this number can be effectively and swiftly reduced?
5. What are the projected future impact on the Ocean if we continue to contribute a the rate we are?
Julia Bower
ReplyDeleteB days
The Great Pacific Garbage patch is an area of the ocean where life is unsustainable. As humans we pollute the ocean every day of our lives. By consuming products then disposing of them, the Ocean Soup is continuously added to. There is no way to control this Soup, but only stop disposing waste. The plastic we dispose that goes into ocean, degrades into smaller pieces and is swallowed by creature, affected them dramatically.
1. How many years would it take to clear the ocean of all waste?
2. Due to the fact that ocean waste is unenvironmentally sound, where else can trash be stored in the world?
3. How can we design products that will be more environmentally friendly and sustainable for the Earth?
4. What can be done to persuade people away from consumerism?
5. If we continue at the rate we are disposing at could the entire ocean eventually be swallowed by this "Ocean Soup"?
David Song 6B
ReplyDeleteAll of the plastic in the world are still on Earth. From plastic bags to plastic caps. Most of the plastics end up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and not much gets recycled. The plastics are harmful to the animals and to us. The plastics release dangerous particles in to the water which harms the animals. We need to address this problem immediately.
1. What material can we use in place of plastic that will be less harmful?
2. Is there any way to convince everybody in the world to recycle?
3. Is it possible to alter the contents of plastic so they can degrade easier?
4. How can we get rid of all the plastics currently in the ocean?
5. What will we do if the entire ocean is filled with plastics?
Andrew Han
ReplyDeleteClass:6B
Plastic is one of the many goods we manufacture and use. It is practically in lots of things we take for granted. However where does all that plastic go to when we throw it away? The answer is the great pacific garbage patch. A landmass floating smack dab in the north pacific. That's where all our plastics end up in. It's also uninhabitable and with more plastics being thrown away it becomes even more pollutable.
1.How much plastic is thrown into the ocean every year?
2.How could we prevent the garbage patch from getting bigger?
3.What can we do to make products that are not plastic?
4.How much of the marine life died from this patch?
5.Could plastics from this patch ultimately harm human life?
The Great Pacific Garbage patch is a swirling mass of plastic waste and other human waste that is caught in the pacific gyre. This mass is destroying our underwater ecosystems killing off many fish and birds alike. Mass usage of disposable plastic products and corporate waste is causing the majority of the problem. Plastic does not degrade fast enough to be disposed in the oceans, disposables are destroying the planet and yet we are still mass producing it to date. The impact of this problem has reached far beyond the gyre itself unto surrounding shores where it has been responsible for causing major harm to populations of albatross and other endangered wildlife. If this problem is not resolved soon then it will cause irrevocable harm to many major ecosystems in the ocean and on land.
ReplyDelete5 Questions:
1. How might we stop the mass dumping of plastic waste into the ocean?
2. In what ways might sealife be made resilient to the effects of plastic waste.
3. How long can the aquatic life forms sustain themselves while the garbage patch still exists?
4. How will we be able to get the waste products out of the ocean without causing harm to any life in the area?
5. How can the materials of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch be repurposed as useful resources for humanity?
Joseph Katz
Isabel Dyke, 6B
ReplyDeleteThe Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a part of the Pacific Ocean where no aquatic animals can live. This is due to all of the garbage that humans have been producing over the 75 (or so) years. We have been depositing this detritus in the ocean ever since it has become too much for the landfills. We have been consuming tons of garbage since its invention, and not enough of it is recyclable or biodegradable. Due to all of this plastic consumption there is a large amount of waste that overwhelms the landfills. That is what leads to the disposal of human garbage in the ocean.
1) If people were to go about removing the garbage from the ocean, what would be the most thourough and efficient way to do it?
2) If humans were to go about removing the garbage from the ocean, how long would it take to completely finish?
3) Is there an above ground place to store garbage so that we do not pollute the earth or the oceans?
4) How can we convince people to buy recyclable plastics?
5) How can we raiseawareness about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
"No aquatic animals"?... are you sure?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteJackson Keller
ReplyDelete6A/B
The Great Pacific Garbage patch is a swirling mass of plastic waste and other human waste that is caught in the pacific gyre. This mass is destroying our underwater ecosystems killing off many fish and birds alike. Mass usage of disposable plastic products and corporate waste is causing the majority of the problem. Plastic does not degrade fast enough to be disposed in the oceans, disposables are destroying the planet and yet we are still mass producing it to date. The impact of this problem has reached far beyond the gyre itself unto surrounding shores where it has been responsible for causing major harm to populations of albatross and other endangered wildlife. If this problem is not resolved soon then it will cause irrevocable harm to many major ecosystems in the ocean and on land.
5 Questions:
1. How might we stop the mass dumping of plastic waste into the ocean?
2. In what ways might sealife be made resilient to the effects of plastic waste.
3. How long can the aquatic life forms sustain themselves while the garbage patch still exists?
4. How will we be able to get the waste products out of the ocean without causing harm to any life in the area?
5. How can the materials of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch be repurposed as useful resources for humanity?
Megha Verma
ReplyDelete6B
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the dumping place for many pieces of garbage. Humans have used the Garbage Patch as an easy way of disposal for over 50 years. Not only does this harm the environment, but it also destroys the natural habitat. Due to the amount of plastic, many fish are consuming it. The disease passes down the food chain and affects more organisms. This is the affect of garbage disposal in the Garbage Patch.
1)What are some ways to reduce garbage disposal in the Garbage Patch?
2)How long will it take to salvage the Garbage Patch?
3)How does the disposal of garbage affect organisms?
4)How much time will igt take people to stop disposing garbage in the Patch?
5)Does recycling help the condition of the Patch?
Anna Vaclavek
ReplyDeletePeriod: 5A
When considering the techniques used to expunge plastic from the environment, there are many flaws that become prominent after further investigation. For instance, small plastic nurdles –polymer resins compacted to the size of lentils –are lost by the millions every year, and being lightweight eventually end up finding their way to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. We must also take into account the fact that it is difficult for most people to properly recycle, and this results in plastic “drifters” that roam until they hit the water. This plastic accumulation is a result of a disposable, single-use lifestyle that is supposedly easier to deal with (however not in the long run). Finally, we realize it is the virgin plastic that entices plastic producers as it is 40% less expensive than its eco-friendly counterpart –however if more, say, hydro-biodegradable plastics were used, the flotsam in the ocean may not be such an environmental disruption.
1. Would it be possible to produce a more eco-friendly/biodegradable plastic at a price closer to that of the virgin plastic?
2. Is there an alternative form of disposal for non-biodegradable plastics rather than landfills or the more destructive Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
3. Would plastic producers be more inclined to alter the environmental impact the majority of plastics have if more people were better informed and decided to act on it?
4. Is there any way to determine the effect bio-accumulation has had on certain fish in order to reduce the possible toxins stored in fish used for consumption?
5. If the production of certain harmful plastics did in fact cease, will the Great Pacific Garbage Patch ever fully disappear and allow the ocean to be restored?
Claire Cheek
ReplyDeletePeriod: 6B
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a large pile of trash and debris sitting in the North Pacific Ocean, and is about the size of Texas. The litter comes from all over the world, swept by a system of currents called the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The fish and wildlife in the ocean are badly affected by all the garbage. Some of them mistake the plastic microbeads and bottle caps for food and end up dying from eating it. Since plastic takes along time to degrade, a lot of the trash floating in the ocean will still be there in many, many years. Marine life is becoming more and more unbearable and the ecosystems are being destroyed. This problem seriously needs to be addressed if we want to save our oceans.
1. How can we raise awareness about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch around the world?
2. How much would it cost the government to clean up all the debris and trash in the ocean?
3. Are there any materials we could use instead of plastic that would be less harmful to the ecosystems?
4. How hard would it be to convince people to by recyclable plastics?
5. If we keep on polluting the ocean, how long will the wildlife be able to sustain itself?
Montiera Ferrell-Nelson
ReplyDeletePeriod: 1B
The Pacific Ocean which is the largest ocean on planet earth has become a dumping ground full of plastic. Plastic is known for having a toxic chemical makeup. These chemicals are making our ocean and its creatures sick and poisoned. This problem is known as the great pacific garbage patch. This issue is becoming more relevant with the increase of population meaning the food sources are going to increase, but with the oceans fish and there predators mistaking plastic for food and causing them to die or be filled with toxic chemical. The fishing industries will have a problem with supplying enough non-toxic fish for the growing populations.
1.) What material could we replace plastic with that may disintegrate in water without harming it?
2.) How could recycling programs make the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) more internationally known and aware to all people on the planet earth?
3.) What material or robot might be created to eat the plastic and clean the GPGP?
4.) How might we at a rapid pace be able to detect certain marine life that has consumed plastic?
5.) What might we create in order to reduce the amount of debris that flow into the ocean after hurricanes and tsunamis?
•The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
ReplyDelete•The GPGP has become a problem due to the fact that it has caused plastic pellets to get into the fish of the sea. Another problem is that these pellets contain toxic chemicals that harm the creatures of the sea. Another problem is that Bio-accumulation causes each layer of the food chain to be more impacted by the toxic chemicals. Guess who’s at the top of the food chain? US! The chemicals can cause Vomiting, Infertility, Hormone Disruption, and exploding face syndrome! Ok, not the last one, but still, that sucks. Anyway, where does this stuff come from? It comes from the plastic that you and everybody use. So what can you do? Look below.
•How can I personally stop contributing to the GPGP?
•Is it possible to fix the damage we have done?
•What sort of ecological damage have we caused on a long term scale?
•When did The plastic pollution start, & why?
•How are animals affected by the chemical pollutants emitted by our plastics?
The Great Pacific Garbarge Patch is a bigger problem than most people think, it's larger than two texas' and grows everyday. As we speak plastic is building up in the pacific ocean in the gyre and the sealife is bioaccumulating all these harmful substances. The GPGP is not an actual island, but a giant sea of trash that kills our wildlife everyday. The GPGP is largely made up of plastics and other waste that we throw away daily, instead of recycling them, we let them sit in our ocean and kill helpless wildlife. How can we change this? If we used more biodegradable and toxin free products this wouldn't be as much of a problem, but it's called great for a reason.
ReplyDelete1.How exponentially does the GPGP grow?
2.What if we poured enough dye into the GPGP to change the color of all the trash so that the sea life knows not to eat it and wont mistake it for food?
3.What if every country put forth an amount of money related to population to a drive which would help clean up the GPGP?
4.Could we develop a virus or form of nanotechnology to eat or degrade the trash?
5.In what ways could we reduce the amount of trash introduced into the pacific ocean?
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the biggest patch of trash in the ocean. Plastic bags are some of the main pollutants for the ocean, the thing about plastic is that it won’t break down easily, and when it does, it releases toxic chemicals. One in 10 fish had plastic in their stomachs, they get confused and think that plastic is food. They eat it, it won’t break down in their stomachs, it will eventually kill them. The GPGP is becoming bigger and is becoming a major threat to our environment.
ReplyDelete1. How long will it take for the trash to overcome the ocean?
2. Who is trying to help the situation?
3. How will this affect our environment?
4. Why is it becoming more of a problem?
5. What can we do to help?
Kate Kaufmann, 1B
The Great Pacific Garbarge Patch is a bigger problem than most people think, it's larger than two texas' and grows everyday. As we speak plastic is building up in the pacific ocean in the gyre and the sealife is bioaccumulating all these harmful substances. The GPGP is not an actual island, but a giant sea of trash that kills our wildlife everyday. The GPGP is largely made up of plastics and other waste that we throw away daily, instead of recycling them, we let them sit in our ocean and kill helpless wildlife. How can we change this? If we used more biodegradable and toxin free products this wouldn't be as much of a problem, but it's called great for a reason.
ReplyDelete1.How exponentially does the GPGP grow?
2.What if we poured enough dye into the GPGP to change the color of all the trash so that the sea life knows not to eat it and wont mistake it for food?
3.What if every country put forth an amount of money related to population to a drive which would help clean up the GPGP?
4.Could we develop a virus or form of nanotechnology to eat or degrade the trash?
5.In what ways could we reduce the amount of trash introduced into the pacific ocean?
When plastic was invented, there was good news, and bad news. The good news was, it was strong and almost never went away. The bad news was, it was strong and almost never went away. Over time, a large mass of plastic and other waste have been disposed into the world’s oceans, overtime creating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a garbage mass double the size of the state of Texas. Plastic and other waste in the ocean have been killing off many species of ocean organisms. Sea turtles mistake plastic grocery bags for delicious jelly fish they liked to munch on. Plastic breaks down so far, even microorganism’s mistake plastic for food. We need to do whatever we can to address this issue.
ReplyDelete1. How did a great mass of trash end up in one place?
2. Is there any way to completely eliminate the input of trash into the ocean?
3. How will we replace the fish that is a source of protein for millions?
4. How many cubic feet of plastic is there in the GPGP?
5. How much trash does the average person put in the ocean in a lifetime?
Noah Frick-Alofs
ReplyDeleteThe problem with our throw-away society is that we cannot recycle the things that we dispose of. When we started making these things, we decided to use a durable, cheap, and easy to use material. Sadly, this material called plastic, cannot biodegrade. That means that in our throw-away society, we are constantly wasting our material. This plastic is destroying habitats and animals all over the world. Birds are being choked by bottles, and the dissolved petroleum is poisoning coral reefs. We need to devise a way to stop the ongoing destruction of our planet, before it’s too late.
1. How can we reduce the flow of toxic plastic into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
2. In what ways might we reduce the negative effects of our trash-centered society on Earth?
3. What can we do to change the way we live so that we are beneficial to the environment around us?
4. How can we get rid of the existing plastic and debris in our environment safely and effectively?
5. How can we improve our current recycling system to better recycle plastic?
The problem with our throw-away society is that we cannot recycle the things that we dispose of. When we started making these things, we decided to use a durable, cheap, and easy to use material. Sadly, this material called plastic, cannot biodegrade. That means that in our throw-away society, we are constantly wasting our material. This plastic is destroying habitats and animals all over the world. Birds are being choked by bottles, and the dissolved petroleum is poisoning coral reefs. We need to devise a way to stop the ongoing destruction of our planet, before it’s too late.
ReplyDelete1. How can we reduce the flow of toxic plastic into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
2. In what ways might we reduce the negative effects of our trash-centered society on Earth?
3. What can we do to change the way we live so that we are beneficial to the environment around us?
4. How can we get rid of the existing plastic and debris in our environment safely and effectively?
5. How can we improve our current recycling system to better recycle plastic?
Sarah B
ReplyDelete5A
There is not enough awareness about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Our ocean is becoming a giant dump and harming ocean life. Plastic is verflowing into the ocean and it may take a very long time to clean. Even though plastic is beneficial to our economy, it is very harmful to the environment because plastic takes a very long time to decompose and the substances in plastic are toxic. Animals consume plastic thinking it's food, but in reality, it kills the animals.
1. What are alternatives to plastic?
2. Is there another location where we can store the plastics?
3. How long will it take to clean the plastic?
4. How long would it take plaastics to overflow the ocean?
5. How can we increase awareness of the issue?
Stephanie Zhang
ReplyDelete5A
There is not enough awareness about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Our ocean is becoming a giant dump and harming ocean life. Plastic is verflowing into the ocean and it may take a very long time to clean. Even though plastic is beneficial to our economy, it is very harmful to the environment because plastic takes a very long time to decompose and the substances in plastic are toxic. Animals consume plastic thinking it's food, but in reality, it kills the animals.
1. What are alternatives to plastic?
2. Is there another location where we can store the plastics?
3. How long will it take to clean the plastic?
4. How long would it take plaastics to overflow the ocean?
5. How can we increase awareness of the issue?
The problem with our throw-away society is that we cannot recycle the things that we dispose of. When we started making these things, we decided to use a durable, cheap, and easy to use material. Sadly, this material called plastic, cannot biodegrade. That means that in our throw-away society, we are constantly wasting our material. This plastic is destroying habitats and animals all over the world. Birds are being choked by bottles, and the dissolved petroleum is poisoning coral reefs. We need to devise a way to stop the ongoing destruction of our planet, before it’s too late.
ReplyDelete1. How can we reduce the flow of toxic plastic into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
2. In what ways might we reduce the negative effects of our trash-centered society on Earth?
3. What can we do to change the way we live so that we are beneficial to the environment around us?
4. How can we get rid of the existing plastic and debris in our environment safely and effectively?
5. How can we improve our current recycling system to better recycle plastic?
Micah Remus
ReplyDelete6AB
Ocean Soup is the vast quantities of plastic and garbage floating in gyers. Humans are disposing massive quantities of garbage and plastic into the ocean. Because plastic is not bio-degradable the plastic sits in the ocean and is consumed by numerous organisms. This is killing of aquatic life as well as many birds which may eventually come back to us as we eat a lot of fish. Because of there not being any easy solution are way out humans are ignoring the growing problem. If the problem continues many species will begin going extinct.
1. How can we utilize the advantages of plastic without polluting our oceans?
2. What other resources could we use that could be renewable?
3. How might we isolate the garbage patches so that organisms do not consume plastic and garbage?
4. How might we decrease the production of plastic so that we can get rid of plastic faster than we make it?
5. How might we filter out garbage without harming wildlife?
Heather Edmiston
ReplyDeleteClass: 5A
Plastic is a common material that isn’t found in nature, therefore nature can not break it down in the environment for reuse. Humans make a ton of plastic! Which is a horrible because the plastic ends up in the ocean. Ocean water breaks down the plastic into small, micro pieces, which animals like fish eat. When plastic breaks down, it releases toxics, and when we ingest the fish that ingest the plastic chemicals, it affects us in a negative way. It makes us sick and harms our reproductive system. It’s time for a serious ocean filter.
1) How can we utilize the advantages of plastic without polluting our oceans?
2) What other resources could we use that could be renewable?
3) How might we isolate the garbage patches so that organisms do not consume plastic and garbage?
4) How might we decrease the production of plastic so that we can get rid of plastic faster than we make it?
5) How might we filter out garbage without harming wildlife?
Catherine Ryberg (5th hour A DAYS)
ReplyDeleteThe Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a vortex of trash in the Pacific Ocean filled with trash, majority being made of plastic. This is problem because this plastic is not biodegradeble; causing for a constant buildup to this already huge giant pile of trash. There are tons of abandon trash, but overall, there is a growing number of plastic fishing nets that entangle seals, sea turtles, and many other animals, often causing them to drown. This same problem takes place with sea animals swallowing plastic bags and plastic rings.
1)Is there a way to outlaw use of the uneccasary plastic used by humans daily from now on?
2) Who is the main culprit of this problem?
3) How might we get rid of the plastic that is currently in the GPGP?
4) Is there an alternative to plastic uses?
5) Is there a way to separate the trash from the animals being harmed?
The great Pacific Garbage Patch is home to millions of plastic bottles. But before we even begin to think about the plastic that is already in the Garbage Patch, we need to stop producing the plastic that will end up there. Otherwise the problem will come back after wee dispose of the plastic that is here now. Most types of plastic don’t biodegrade easily and will stay around for centuries. We want to prevent the plastic because its killing animals due to a supposed solution to our everyday problems: PLASTIC
ReplyDelete1. What makes plastic not biodegradable?
2. What about plastic can we change?
3. How fast does plastic travel in the ocean?
4. What does the future of plastic look like?
5. Is there a alternate solution to plastic?
Quinn Fullington
ReplyDelete5A
The problem that we are facing with the Ocean Soup is the over population of earth. The overpopulation is causing us to use more and more plastic. The US is using 2 million plastic bottles every 5 minutes. If we reduce the mass production of plastic on Earth, we can reduce the amount of pollution on Earth. More than one billion tons of plastic have been manufactured in the last 50 years, the amount is still growing.
5 Questions
1) How can we reduce the amount of plastic exposed to our ocean habitats?
2)In what ways can we keep the ocean life safer in the highly polluted areas?
3)How can we clean up the ocean with the technology that we have today?
4)What other less harmful materials can we substitute for plastic?
5)How long would it take for the ocean to be cleaned up once we started?
#YoloSwag
Nathan Mathis
ReplyDeleteClass 6A
The problem that we are facing with ocean soup is the over population of earth. The over population is causing us to use more plastic. The US is using two million plastic bottles every five minutes. If we reduce the mass production of plastic on earth we can reduce the amount of pollution on earth. More than one billion tons of plastic has been manufactured in the last fifty years. The amount is still growing.
Questions-
1.) how can we reduce the amount of plastic exposed to our ocean habitats?
2.) In what ways can we keep the ocean life safer in the high poluted areas?
3.) How can we clean up the ocean with the technology that we have today?
4.) What other less harmful materials can we substitute for plastic?
5.) How long would it take for the ocean to be cleaned up once we started?
Because plastic is newer, cheaper, and more efficient than other materials, it’s being used at epic proportions. Plastic is found in nearly everything- from the computer I’m typing on, to the buttons on your clothes. Plastic is a fabulous invention and innovative concept until it comes to where plastic goes after it’s served its time in the world. Plastic doesn’t decompose, and when it does, it takes hundreds of years. Though the world may seem large, it’s not large enough to safely hide away all of the plastic produced until it seemingly… goes away. So while most people think your water bottle vanishes after you throw it away, it doesn’t, it goes into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This is a problem because slowly the patch will get larger and larger and take over daily lives if the human race neglects to lessen our plastic footprint.
ReplyDelete1. How can we lessen our plastic footprint?
2. What daily activity can we cut or add to our schedule in order to change our plastic footprint?
3. How can the Great Pacific Garbage Patch be dealt with until it does decompose?
4. What ways can we show the world the horrors of plastics?
5. In what ways may we change people’s views on more expensive but more earth friendly materials?
Kat(6th)a-days
ReplyDeleteThe great Pacific Garbage Patch is home to millions of plastic bottles. But before we even begin to think about the plastic that is already in the Garbage Patch, we need to stop producing the plastic that will end up there. Otherwise the problem will come back after wee dispose of the plastic that is here now. Most types of plastic don’t biodegrade easily and will stay around for centuries. We want to prevent the plastic because its killing animals due to a supposed solution to our everyday problems: PLASTIC
1. What makes plastic not biodegradable?
2. What about plastic can we change?
3. How fast does plastic travel in the ocean?
4. What does the future of plastic look like?
5. Is there a alternate solution to plastic?
Adam Xu 5th hour A day.
ReplyDeleteThe Great Pacific Garbage Patch is home to millions of plastic bottles. But before we even begin to think about the plastic that is already in the Garbage Patch, we need to rethink the production of plastics so it doesn't end up in the oceans. Otherwise the problem will come back after we dispose of the plastic that is here now. Most types of plastics don't biodegrade easily and will stay around for years. We want to prevent the plastics because it's killing animals.
Questions:
1. What makes plastics not biodegradable.
2. What about plastics can we change?
3. How fast does the plastic travel in the ocean?
4. Is there a alternate solution to plastic?
5. Is it possible for animals to digest plastics?
There are billions of plastic bottles in the oceans today. Amurica alone produces two million plastic bottles every five minutes. Plastic is extremely hard to biodegrade and it takes a long while. As it does it releases toxins. This is a serious problem.
ReplyDeleteQuestions
1. How do we use less plastic?
2. How do make Bottles more biodegradable?
3. How do we make people more self aware?
4. How do we clean plastic from the ocean?
5. How do we plastic bottles less toxic?
The amounts of plastic pollution in the ocean are enourmous. The problem is that we have nowhere to put the plastic and produce it at a rapid rate. We use 2,000,000 plastic bottles and most of it just ends up in the ocean. If we keep producing plastic, we will kill lots of organisms and pollute our water. We will lose food sources and toxify ourselves.
ReplyDelete1. Is there any efficient way to recycle?
2. How soon will we make a species go extinct?
3. How soon will polluted water cause mass deaths?
4. How many pounds of plastic are put into the ocean every minute?
5. Which country produces the most plastic?
When people hear the term “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, the first thing that comes into mind is a big glob of garbage floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. That is not the case with this issue. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is actually the result of millions of plastic floating and condensing, stretching about 2000 miles long and 1000, so about twice the size of Texas. The Great Pacific Patch is not just a huge island of junk. If it were, the job of cleaning it would be a lot more feasible. It’s as if The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is really The Great Pacific Garbage Bowl of Soup. This creates an epidemic for oceanic/marine creatures and will soon affect us. This trash has already filled our beaches with the tiny particles being ingested by marine animals; it would create a contamination within the food web.
ReplyDeleteHow long has the pollution been going on? How long will it continue to grow?
What kind of major harm has and can this cause?
Will our method of recycling help solve any part of this issue? If so, how?
What might be some of the consequences in cleaning The Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
What was the start of The Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the first place?
Sarah Frost
ReplyDelete5A
The entire world revolves around plastic. We use it in everything from art to transportation to homes to just about anything. It seems great – other than the fact that it never decomposes. We don’t know how to dispose of our plastic efficiently and in an environmentally friendly way. And this is explicit by the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This huge mass of trash is larger than Texas. We need to find either a way to dispose our plastic without hurting the environment or find a new substance that can replace it.
1. Could we ever completely stop using plastic considering the absurd amount circling around in the world, and how much humans depend on it?
2. How is the GPGP going to affect the environment in years to come, along with other garbage patches in the world?
3. Is it possible to modify plastic, on a chemical level, into an environmentally friendly product?
4. How affective is recycling in helping reduce environmental harm?
5. How can we work together globally to reduce the amount of plastic produced, consumed, and wasted?
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an example of good ideas gone wrong. The disposable plastics that make up most of its mass were heralded for their easy disposability, however, that disposability is now threatening to destroy the biodiversity of the oceans. It concentrates dangerous chemicals in one area, killing everything that lives there. This phenomenon is recurring in all of our oceans, and unless we change our throwaway lifestyle, our oceans will become a toxic cesspit.
ReplyDelete1.Why do we embrace a throwaway lifestyle so readily?
2.What is a viable alternative to our throwaway lifestyle?
3.What are the best ways to clean up the GPGP?
4.Who has the means to clean up the GPGP?
5.What is the largest contributor to the extreme pollution in the GPGP?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a bigger problem than most people think, it is twice the size of Texas and is only getting bigger. Right now plastic is building in the pacific ocean and all of the sea life is bio-accumulating all these harmful substances. The GPGP is an island literally made of garbage. It is largely made our of plastic and the waste we produce daily. People say they recycle but they do not as much as they need to. We need to use more biodegradable and toxin free products then we would significantly reduce the amount of trash in the GPGP.
ReplyDelete1. What are they different types of ways that we can get rid of the trash?
2. How long will it take to actually get most of the trash out of the ocean?
3. is it even possible to get all of the garbage in the ocean out of the ocean?
4. Who is the greatest contributor to the pollution of GPGP?
5. Some solutions are stop using plastic all together, how is this possible? seeing how much humans depend on it.
Because humans do not know how toproperly get rid of plastic products, much of it lands in our oceans. In the pacific ocean there is a patch of garbage twice the size of Texas, and is mostly made of small bits of plastic. It is harming the ecosystem there because the animals are eating the plastic by mistake. however it is not only happening in the Pacific Ocean. Every ocean has a current, and that current causes all trash including plastics to gather in every ocean, creating more garbage patches.
ReplyDelete#1: What are people doing to clean up the garbage patches?
#2: If this garbage continues collect in our oceans, how will it affect our future?
#3: Are we going to change the way plastic products are made?
#4: Are the other garbage patches in the other major oceans getting as big as the Pacific Garbage Patch.
#5: If there are large garbage patches in the oter oceans, do they have as much attebtion on them as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Jake Johnson
ReplyDeleteMikhail Bell-Oetting
Emma Davenport
Curran Kirkpatrick
2/28/13
Ocean Soup Task #1
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a giant island like grouping of trash in the Pacific Ocean. It is 100 meters deep and approximately the size of two Texas’s. It is made of 80% land trash (trash that people have thrown out and has gone through drains to the ocean) and 20% from passing ships that lose or throw out trash. This trash is often consumed by the various types of oceanic wildlife that exist. The obvious issue with this is that the plastics not only choke, and maim the creatures, but also absorb the natural and artificial pollutants in the environment. When the plastics absorb the pollutants they become highly toxic to the local wildlife. And of course the creatures have to mistake the plastics for tasty non-deadly snacks and then die by pollution, poison, or being choked out by trash. The thing is, this issue is completely avoidable. He are some simple steps that will help to reduce the expansion of the GPGP in the future, and lead to the continuation of many creatures lives. 1) Use less stuff that needs to be tossed in the trash (reduce). 2) Attempt to reuse as many items as possible (reuse). 3) Recycle as much as possible (recycle). That’s it, that’s all you as an average citizen has to do to help to stop the expansion of the GPGP. After these things, you may notice that the GPGP is still there. That’s were things get tricky. To be rid of the GPGP for good, we would need to filter the entirety of the ocean in that area. That’s a massive area. Though this would take time, the GPGP though huge, will eventually degrade once more and over time (with help from humans) cease to exist. Of course this can only occur if you as a citizen of any nation in existence stop contributing to the problem. Just remember: Reduce, Reuse, And Recycle.
Owen Pasley
ReplyDeleteClass 6B
SUMMARY:
PARAGRAPH:
There are some people who wonder how the plastic in the ocean got there. Well, the plastic in the ocean is as a direct result of human disregard for the well-being of the biosphere. This began with the advent of plasticware and implementation of a “throwaway culture” in the 1950’s and ‘60’s. As this mindset has spread around the world, more and more plastics have ended up polluting our ocean. Exactly how long it takes for plastics to naturally decompose is unknown, but almost all the plastics in the world still exist in their original form. Even the more biodegradable plastics release toxins and oils as they degrade, resulting in more and more dead wildlife in our oceans. Most of the discarded plastics and other trash in the ocean coalesce in five specific spots in the ocean (among them the Great Pacific Garbage Patch). If we want to cut the amount of plastics and other trash we put in our oceans, we need to regulate the amount of plastics produced (or even ban production altogether) and promote the usage of reusable items.
Questions:
1. Could our economy survive a plastics ban?
2. What would happen if their wa any sort of plastic ban?
3.How might we reduce the amount of toxins in our ocean (more so than just stop adding to them)?
4.How could we convince people to help reduce the use of plastics in their lives?
5. What lifestyles should we promote to reduce the pollutants in the ocean?
Stephen Drown
ReplyDelete6b
QUESTIONS:
How did the plastic get there?
What are the effects of the plastic on the biosphere?
How can we change the way WE recycle to keep the plastic out of the ocean?
SUMMARY:
PARAGRAPH:
There are some people who wonder how the plastic in the ocean got there. Well, the plastic in the ocean is as a direct result of human disregard for the well-being of the biosphere. This began with the advent of plasticware and implementation of a “throwaway culture” in the 1950’s and ‘60’s. As this mindset has spread around the world, more and more plastics have ended up polluting our ocean. Exactly how long it takes for plastics to naturally decompose is unknown, but almost all the plastics in the world still exist in their original form. Even the more biodegradable plastics release toxins and oils as they degrade, resulting in more and more dead wildlife in our oceans. Most of the discarded plastics and other trash in the ocean coalesce in five specific spots in the ocean (among them the Great Pacific Garbage Patch). If we want to cut the amount of plastics and other trash we put in our oceans, we need to regulate the amount of plastics produced (or even ban production altogether) and promote the usage of reusable items.
Questions:
1. Could our economy survive a plastics ban?
2. What would happen if their wa any sort of plastic ban?
3.How might we reduce the amount of toxins in our ocean (more so than just stop adding to them)?
4.How could we convince people to help reduce the use of plastics in their lives?
5. What lifestyles should we promote to reduce the pollutants in the ocean?
1. Could our economy survive a plastics ban?
ReplyDelete2. What would happen if their wa any sort of plastic ban?
3.How might we reduce the amount of toxins in our ocean (more so than just stop adding to them)?
4.How could we convince people to help reduce the use of plastics in their lives?
5. What lifestyles should we promote to reduce the pollutants in the ocean?
PARAGRAPH
There are some people who wonder how the plastic in the ocean got there. Well, the plastic in the ocean is as a direct result of human disregard for the well-being of the biosphere. This began with the advent of plasticware and implementation of a “throwaway culture” in the 1950’s and ‘60’s. As this mindset has spread around the world, more and more plastics have ended up polluting our ocean. Exactly how long it takes for plastics to naturally decompose is unknown, but almost all the plastics in the world still exist in their original form. Even the more biodegradable plastics release toxins and oils as they degrade, resulting in more and more dead wildlife in our oceans. Most of the discarded plastics and other trash in the ocean coalesce in five specific spots in the ocean (among them the Great Pacific Garbage Patch). If we want to cut the amount of plastics and other trash we put in our oceans, we need to regulate the amount of plastics produced (or even ban production altogether) and promote the usage of reusable items.
-Brooks Groharing
Lucy Muller
ReplyDelete6th Hour B Days
The people of the world and the U.S. in particular are currently consuming enormous amounts of plastic. One major result of this is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Since plastic takes an extremely long time to break down, this is a long term problem that is affecting many levels of the ecosystem. It is killing many varieties of fish and sea birds as well as working its way into human systems. The longer we let this go unnoticed the bigger the problem will get. It is essential that we reduce the amount of plastic that we throw away by a drastic amount in order to address this problem.
1. What can we do to help the current problem and get plastic out of the ocean?
2. What steps can we take to ensure that garbage will cease to be put in the ocean in the future?
3. How can we expand on the current methods of reusing plastics?
4. What can we do to make sure that the plastic that winds up in the ocean is more biodegradable, less lethal to the ecosystem and all around more eco-friendly?
5. How can we expand the general population’s knowledge of the plastic issue, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and problems of that nature?
Gabriel Calvin
ReplyDeleteB day
The GPGP (Great Pacific Garbage Patch) has been plaguing the Pacific Ocean for many years. Over twice the size as the state of Texas, this floating garbage patch has made almost all life in this area unsustainable. The cause to this floating, accidental manmade island is the current human condition of consumerism. Over the past 50 plus years humans have grown to throw away and consume at an extremely unstable rate. This consumerism has thus led to many different garbage patches throughout the world. Now, it is up to the current generation of humans to bring about a change in our society and the world.
1)
How might humans bring about a change for our society in a constructive and peaceful manner?
2)
In what ways might humans reduce garbage levels in our oceans without creating more pollutants?
3)
What other options for garbage disposal exists rather than just recycle and landfill?
4)
Where might another trash filled locations be on our earth that are affecting our environment?
5)
Why do humans (generally) feel passive on the topic of environmental destruction from human influence?
Jake Johnson
ReplyDelete2/28/13
Ocean Soup Task #1
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a giant island like grouping of trash in the Pacific Ocean. It is 100 meters deep and approximately the size of two Texas’s. It is made of 80% land trash (trash that people have thrown out and has gone through drains to the ocean) and 20% from passing ships that lose or throw out trash. This trash is often consumed by the various types of oceanic wildlife that exist. The obvious issue with this is that the plastics not only choke, and maim the creatures, but also absorb the natural and artificial pollutants in the environment. When the plastics absorb the pollutants they become highly toxic to the local wildlife. And of course the creatures have to mistake the plastics for tasty non-deadly snacks and then die by pollution, poison, or being choked out by trash. The thing is, this issue is completely avoidable. He are some simple steps that will help to reduce the expansion of the GPGP in the future, and lead to the continuation of many creatures lives.
Questions:
• Use less stuff that needs to be tossed in the trash (reduce).
• Attempt to reuse as many items as possible (reuse).
• Recycle as much as possible (recycle). That’s it, that’s all you as an average citizen has to do to help to stop the expansion of the GPGP. After these things, you may notice that the GPGP is still there. That’s were things get tricky. To be rid of the GPGP for good, we would need to filter the entirety of the ocean in that area. That’s a massive area. Though this would take time, the GPGP though huge, will eventually degrade once more and over time (with help from humans) ceases to exist. Of course this can only occur if you as a citizen of any nation in existence stop contributing to the problem. Just remember: Reduce, Reuse, And Recycle.
Emma Davenport
ReplyDelete2/28/13
Ocean Soup Task #1
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a giant island like grouping of trash in the Pacific Ocean. It is 100 meters deep and approximately the size of two Texas’s. It is made of 80% land trash (trash that people have thrown out and has gone through drains to the ocean) and 20% from passing ships that lose or throw out trash. This trash is often consumed by the various types of oceanic wildlife that exist. The obvious issue with this is that the plastics not only choke, and maim the creatures, but also absorb the natural and artificial pollutants in the environment. When the plastics absorb the pollutants they become highly toxic to the local wildlife. And of course the creatures have to mistake the plastics for tasty non-deadly snacks and then die by pollution, poison, or being choked out by trash. The thing is, this issue is completely avoidable. He are some simple steps that will help to reduce the expansion of the GPGP in the future, and lead to the continuation of many creatures lives.
Questions:
1) Use less stuff that needs to be tossed in the trash (reduce).
2) Attempt to reuse as many items as possible (reuse).
3) Recycle as much as possible (recycle).
That’s it, that’s all you as an average citizen has to do to help to stop the expansion of the GPGP. After these things, you may notice that the GPGP is still there. That’s were things get tricky. To be rid of the GPGP for good, we would need to filter the entirety of the ocean in that area. That’s a massive area. Though this would take time, the GPGP though huge, will eventually degrade once more and over time (with help from humans) ceases to exist. Of course this can only occur if you as a citizen of any nation in existence stop contributing to the problem. Just remember: Reduce, Reuse, And Recycle.
Cody Owens hour 5
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the garbage patch is that we keep making it big. Even some of the people that know that this is a problem continue to make the problem bigger. If we all stopped using plastic for at least one whole day every week and replaced that time with cleaning and helping make that garbage patch smaller we could make a change. It would be best to persuade more people to help the environment before it is gone. We should also stop make plastic and replace it with a clean, eco-friendly, recyclable material.
1) At what rate is the garbage patch growing at?
2) Is there a better material than plastic?
3) What do we do with the existing plastic?
4) How much will all this cost if successful?
5) How long will it take if successful?
Nick Peckham- 5
ReplyDeleteThe Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a very large mass of garbage (yes, really) floating in the pacific ocean (yep, also true) that is very bad for the environment and fish. It pollutes the surrounding area with tiny plastic pellets that are highly poisonous, and then fish eat them and die *sadface*. Birds also eat plastic caps of bottles and such thinking that they are food for their young. These birds also die *moar sadface*. The way to stop this is simple: educate the birds and fish to not eat the plastic and filter the ocean with special filters that only take away plastic and leave everything else be. The only bad thing about this answer is that it will very nearly kill all of the plastic-skeletoned fish in the sea.
1. how can we educate fish?
2. how can we educate birds?
3. how does one make a laser plastic filter?
4. how much plastic could said filter withstand before wearing out?
5. what could we do about the stubborn fish and birds that refuse to learn?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe link to our video (Sam,Garrett, and Carter)
ReplyDeletehttp://goanimate.com/videomaker/full/editcheck/0SwNtrzZnkFc
Your video didn't work with this link. Post the embed code here and I will upload it to our website.
DeleteLink to my poster for our thingy. http://leuchtmann.edu.glogster.com/ocean-soup
ReplyDeletegroup: Me, Nila, Kat, Brittany.
6 hour A-days
oh for some reason it won't show up unless you hit the edit this glog button.
DeleteThis is our future scene (Richard Shang, Clay Johnson, Noah Frick-Alofs)for checkpoint 1.
ReplyDeleteSteven stepped out of his door, coughing as he smelled the smell of hot plastic in the tropical air. He groped for his carton shoes, blinking at the bright sun. As he put them on, he realized that the rope made of plastic bags, tying his house to the main island, was starting to come apart. He scrambled for some more bags, tying them together as he secured his house again. He realized that his setup was temporary, but he didn’t want to put the effort into permanently securing his house to the island using hard plastic frames. He swam across to the bank, wincing as a stray computer part scratched him along the arm. He wondered what it was like, living on solid land instead of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
He had been born on the island, in the year 2016. His parents had been some of the first people to realize how easy it would be to scrounge a living from the giant monstrosity of trash that was the GPGP. they could grab fish and birds that had been trapped in the trash for food. They had everything they needed, literally at their doorstep. They could even grow plants, with the airtight plastic being used to evaporate and desalinate the ocean water. With a little practice, the community could use the various bits of plastic to build whatever they wanted.
This morning, he went to the central mound of garbage to scrounge for breakfast. Usually, his family can find a few birds to eat, but for some reason, there were none. When he got back to his house, he picked up the nets that they used to catch sea animals and picked a few fish from them. He then went to their plastic “farm” and pulled up a few vegetables. As he picked, he thought of what to make for breakfast. “A salad would be good, and few seasoned fried fish.” Everyday, Steven made breakfast for his family, as he was the most healthy and fit to go out. When he returned from this morning trek to gather food, he had to feed his family, who were sick from the toxins that the plastic attracted. His mother, who permanently lay in her plastic bed, had to be spoon fed by Steven every morning.
Life was looking pretty bleak for Steven, but that day he found a waterproof plastic radio among the rubble. After opening the watertight compartment, he found instructions on how to use the radio. He flipped the on switch, and he listened, but quickly turned it off when he heard a commercial about plastic products. He wished all this trash would just disappear.
It is your job, Future Problem Solvers, to give these people any more ways to reduce the amount of pollution in the oceans, improving their quality of life.
http://spoonful.com/crafts/carton-wallet
ReplyDeleteSo. Mamie and I are making a book about an orange juice carton, and its lid friend Monsieur Carton. We are going to make a wallet out of a orange juice carton, so TADA! Here's the instructions!
Some evidence of what I did this week:
ReplyDeleteTo:MBeth Winton [BWinton@columbia.k12.mo.us]
Hi, Mrs.Winton, thank for letting our class come and present to yours! we are not exactly sure what day we are going to have the whole project finished but we wanted to make sure it was okay with you first. We are thinking that by the third week of April our project will be finished. Pretty much any days within that week would work for us. We are thinkning that we awant to come to the 8-8:45 time because our school lets out at 2:45 and we aould not be back in time if we stayed until 3. But let us know what days work. Thanks!
Beth WintonHi Carter and Garrett (and Sam)! Of course, your group can present to my class. I have 7th grade daily from 8-8:45 and 2 classes of 6th graders daily from1:28-3:00. Just let me know when you want to come over! Beth Joelle Winton, EdS., NBCT EEE teacher LangeWed 8:51 AM
Wednesday, March 13, 2013 8:51 AMBeth Winton [BWinton@columbia.k12.mo.us]Actions
To:M16CPM01Cc:MGarrett Klenke [allchevygarrett@gmail.com]
You replied on 3/15/2013 8:17 AM.
Hi Carter and Garrett (and Sam)! Of course, your group can present to my class. I have 7th grade daily from 8-8:45 and 2 classes of 6th graders daily from1:28-3:00. Just let me know when you want to come over!
Beth Joelle Winton, EdS., NBCT
EEE teacher
Lange Middle School, 573-214-3250
Jefferson Junior High School, 573-214-3210
16CPM01Hi, Mrs. Winton this is Carter Moore, and me and a few students of yours last year (Sam and Garrett) are working on a project in Mr. Leutchmann's class at Oakland. It is a project concerning the Great Pacific garbage patch. We are finding new and creative waysWed 8:37 AM
Sent ItemsWednesday, March 13, 2013 8:37 AM16CPM01Actions
To:MBeth Winton
Hi, Mrs. Winton this is Carter Moore, and me and a few students of yours last year (Sam and Garrett) are working on a project in Mr. Leutchmann's class at Oakland. It is a project concerning the Great Pacific garbage patch. We are finding new and creative ways to help solve the problem of all of the plastic and garbage in the Pacific Ocean. We were wondering if you had the time for our group to come to Lange and present our project in front of your EEE students. please let me know! thank you.
-Carter Moore
More evidence of what our group did this week:
ReplyDeleteCheckpoint 2 Carter Moore, Sam Speake, Garrett Klenke
The Bot’s arm fell off as it was overloaded with the trash. The winner was the Mustang named Steve, it had beat the Prius in the trash haul-off. Their goal was to see which Bot could bring back the most trash, and with that trash the winning bot would create another Bot from the trash it brought back. This competition was completely controlled and organized by the Bots themselves.
Steve carried his bin of trash back to his building shop, and dumped the trash on the table. His arms moved like lightning as Steve built the new bot from the heap, the works of a car slowly emerged. He had gotten lucky with the trash with a full bottle that he cut down the middle to form a truck bed. This Bot would be impossible to beat.
The next morning Steve woke up early to start training the new bot, as they had to get back to work next week. The new bots name was Hu’Kaisha. He showed her the difference between garbage and sea life, and how to use her different components. She had scissors attached to one of her rotating limbs, to detach pieces of trash that are too large to take at once.
Hu’Kaisha had worked the whole week to become the best bot she could be, and it was time to travel to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and get to work. It was an amazing sight, hundreds of thousands of tiny robotic bugs took off from the roof of the NASA headquarters, and they all headed towards the Pacific Ocean Gyre. When Hu’Kaisha and Steve arrived, there were already thousands of Nano-bots sifting the ocean of debris and trash.
After only a few minutes of work, Steve and Hu’Kaisha’s baskets were full of trash, and they started the journey back. For these bots made with new technology, it only was around an hour to get back home. The bots dumped their trash into their garage and went back for more. They did this constantly for weeks at a time, until they were out of charge, and needing minor repairs. At this point they would go home to their garages, plug into the wall, and start building more bots out of the trash that they picked up. They would end up having collected dozens of tons of trash each, and with swarms of 1000+, it added up.
The whole operation ended up profitable, with the trash that wasn’t used towards making bots, went towards making other products that are needed in everyday life, such as binders, chairs, bottles, shoe soles, etc. NASA sold these products to large companies such as Wal-Mart, Sam’s, Dollar General, and Target.
After a few days of charging and building, the bots would get back to work and start the cycle over again. After a few years of this cycle, the bots would be technologically obsolete, to the point of being completely inefficient. Steve was at this point. He knew he was wasting NASA’s time by even operating, so he drove to the Nano-Technology wing where he was disassembled and rebuilt with new technologically advanced updates. Because of this system, no bots ever really left the swarm, but more and more kept joining. These bots were the size of the tip of a pinkie, and more efficient than a team of astronauts. They were the Nano-Swarm.
Jasmine Jalali Checkpoint One
ReplyDeleteGreat Pacific Garbage Patch paragraph and questions:
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an island in between Hawaii and California; it is estimated to be about two times the size of Texas. This island is essentially a floating landfill. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is filled with lots of plastic trash and “white pollution” such as plastic bags, nurdles, and disposable plastic drink bottles. Plastic substances in the ocean are problematic because of the obscene amount of time they take to degrade in the ocean. When plastic remains in the ocean long enough to break down, pieces of that plastic and the toxins carried with it merge into the water creating an “Ocean Soup”. This “Ocean Soup” is jeopardizing the biodiversity found in the ocean by killing off parts of marine life found on Earth. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is an issue that needs a resolution, or oceanic life could be in danger.
How can we wean citizens off of the encouraged consumerism of products made to be thrown out after a certain time to more ecological products?
In what ways could we engineer plastic to be less harmful to the environment?
What could be used as an alternative to plastic that would be more environmentally friendly?
Which species of marine life are most affected by the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
What advances could be made in the plastic recycling process currently implemented across the world?
Jasmine Jalali
ReplyDeleteFuture Scene
Gilmore inches to the window of his loft in the island Clearia, formerly known as Hawaii. He hasn’t left his house in weeks, since the creatures invaded. Approaching the window he glances outside and catches a glimpse of the disturbing mutant, just another product of the toxins of the polluted oceans surrounding Clearia.
Clearia is not the only land facing this strange phenomena, it has spread worldwide. These strange mutants once started as fish but evolved to a rather disturbing species. Fish began to mutate after consuming obscene amounts of toxic pollution found in the ocean. All the pollution began with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) was once a small accumulation of trash about twice the size of Sector Z—previously known as Texas—but increased with time. The trash found in the GPGP was and is mainly plastic, which takes an abundance of time to degrade in the ocean; once broken down the plastic releases harmful toxins, the source of the up and coming amphibian issues.
These unnatural creatures, known as Ichthyoid Mutatulus (or simply “Ichthies”), began developing in the early 22nd century; astonishing the citizens of the islands that had been invaded. Islanders were clueless on how to deal with such a phenomenal, yet alarming situation. The fish that consumed the toxins released into the ocean by plastic, among other pollutants, have transformed into a creature like no other before. These fish have adapted to not only breathe on land, but have grown arm and leg like appendages that allow them to walk and function very similarly to humans.
Ichthies would not be such a pressing issue if not for their agenda; these monstrosities have developed highly intelligent minds that linked their creation and mutation with the pollution from mankind—thus making revenge on humans the first on their list of priorities. The island invasions have been very brutal; Ichthies began invading islands with the largest amounts of the most toxic pollution. They show no mercy, taking children hostage, torturing anyone and everyone for information on the pollutants.
No one is certain what the sole purpose of the Ichthies quest for knowledge is. Many assume they only want information of our behaviors only to make destroying our inhabitants of the Earth all the more simple, however some choose to believe their search for a deeper understanding is rooted in reversing the damage that the human race has caused. Aside from the reasons for the creatures’ behaviors, they have still showed opposition against the people of the Earth.
The government and people encountering the treacherous Ichthies are looking for any help in war against these mutants; any and all suggestions possible on how to reduce the pollution as well as the impact of these beasts on their peaceful world is greatly appreciated. The Problem Solvers of the World need to unite to conquer the great threat posed by the unwelcome invaders.
Jasmine Jalali Checkpoint Two
ReplyDeleteDear Mr. Giessman,
As you might know in EEE we are currently studying the negative impacts of plastic pollution in our oceans. We are using project based learning to display our understanding of the issue at hand and would like an opportunity to educate others. We would like to be able to come into one of the elementary gifted classrooms to give a presentation on the appalling effects of the trash we deposit into the ocean.
Our presentation would consist of many different ways to educate the gifted students about this dilemma the Earth is facing. We would like to read them fictional stories written by us regarding drastic effects the pollution could eventually cause. Along with these stories we would arrange a craft activity with recycled materials, such as plastic bottles, creating the strange type of fish from our stories. After the creative displays we would sum up the facts and educate them about the ocean pollution. We would also provide snacks.
We would like to know if you would be open to this opportunity for us to share our knowledge. If so, we would need to know which class we would present to, how many kids would be in the class, and when we would be presenting. Thank you for taking this into consideration, we hope this works out!
Sincerely,
Jasmine Jalali and Julia Bower
things me and jasime accomplished this week:
ReplyDelete1. wrote and sent an email to Mr. Giessman
2. constructed a plan for presenting
3. collecting bottles
Mr. Leuchtmann, check your email!
ReplyDelete