BROADCASTS.com

No doubt you have heard a lot about what is going on with the world\u2019s oceans, especially all the junk floating around in them. Perhaps the most famous example in recent memory was the sea turtle with the straw sticking out of its nose. I\u2019m also old enough to remember concern over fish and other ocean critters getting caught in the plastic six-pack holders that were almost all over the place. Now you hardly see them anymore, showing that sometimes you can get something changed, even if it is something small.\xa0

Marcus Eriksen is one of those people trying to get a whole lot changed. Marcus is an environmental scientist who has been working for years to not just bring awareness, but actual change that will reduce the number of plastics in our water. While there are many accomplishments we could list here, his most well-known endeavor was sailing from California to Hawaii back in 2008 on his homemade raft, lovingly named JUNK. Why? Because it was literally made out of junk, including 15,000 bottles and a Cessna fuselage for a cabin. He published a book about the experience named Junk Raft, published in 2017.\xa0

When asked why he does unusual things like that, the scientist points out that just the science, the raw data, doesn\u2019t reach as large of an audience as art, or a good story like sailing across the ocean on a raft of junk. Those things have a much larger impact on people. There is a reason Plato wrote dialogues. Aesop wrote fables, and the Bible is full of parables instead of systematized theology, these things hold the attention better than numbers, graphs, and syllogisms.\xa0

Speaking of things that get attention, when asked why he cares so much about the ocean, Marcus brings up a video he made during his Pacific voyage. Having fished a fish, he was getting ready to clean it and noticed the stomach was weird. He touched it with his fillet knife and the stomach popped open, revealing seventeen bits of plastic. Yes, that\u2019s a bit gross. On the subject of plastic in stomachs, he has also examined camels with plastic bags in their guts just outside of Dubai. A local vet had a lot to say about the suffering of the camels. It doesn\u2019t matter who you talk to, that is not a good thing.\xa0

What kind of plastics are getting found in the oceans? Where do they come from? Not surprisingly, they largely come from fishing activities. Buoys, nets, bottles, fishing line, and anything else associated with fishing is found in abundance in the ocean. Now, that doesn\u2019t mean that those things are just carelessly tossed overboard, but lines break, a bleach bottle bounces out in rough seas, and things get lost. There are plenty of other things out there too, car tires, textiles, and more are currently littering the oceans of the world. How much of it is actually out there? Up to a quarter-million tons according to a 2014 study. What is it now? Marcus doesn\u2019t have another weight estimate but the trends are that the problem is getting much, much worse.\xa0

So, what do we do about it? The standard response has always been to just go clean it up. However, that is not necessarily the best use of resources. The best bang for the buck, and where the trend is finally heading is to focus on prevention. If we can convince people not to use so much plastic in the first place, or dispose of and reuse it in a responsible way, then we don\u2019t have to worry so much about cleaning them up at all. That reflects a circular economy, one that has little waste, instead of our highly inefficient linear economy. Fortunately, there is a lot of innovation and out-of-the-box thinking going on that fits in the circular mindset. That is happening on the corporate and the individual level. Just think of the brisk second-hand business that happens on Craigslist. Or I just saw a backpacking video where a company is repurposing gelato containers as cold soak jars. Make the space for some innovation and a little profit and it\u2019s amazing the different solutions people will come up with.\xa0

Naturally, there isn\u2019t anyone silver bullet solution. This is exactly why Marcus works so hard to let people know what is going on, sharing the solutions that people have found, and encouraging others to find even more. Perhaps together, we can actually work to get this done.

What\u2019s your plastic worth? www.tartle.co

\xa0

Tcast is brought to you by TARTLE. A global personal data marketplace that allows users to sell their personal information anonymously when they want to, while allowing buyers to access clean ready to analyze data sets on digital identities from all across the globe.

\xa0

The show is hosted by Co-Founder and Source Data Pioneer Alexander McCaig and Head of Conscious Marketing Jason Rigby.

\xa0

What's your data worth?

\xa0

Find out at: https://tartle.co/

\xa0

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TARTLE

\xa0

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TARTLEofficial/

\xa0

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tartle_official/

\xa0

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TARTLEofficial

\xa0

Spread the word!