5 Gyres
by KABF Director Eric Martincavage
"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came. " ― John F. Kennedy
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For me, the ocean is everything. That’s why I live as close to it as possible. My first memory of a field trip in school is looking at creatures in tide pools. It’s the sandcastle my sister helped me build on the beach that I live near today. It’s the first wave I caught on my boogie board at Seal Beach. And after that exhilarating ride was over, I knew I wanted more. I wanted to be on the ocean, which made deciding to serve in the Coast Guard easy for me. Sailing from the Arctic to the Antarctic, I saw the most beautiful oceans and stunning beaches. They captivated my heart and soul and continue to bring me peace and joy today.
Unfortunately, no matter how far you travel by boat and wherever your destination, you will find garbage washed up on a beach or floating in a harbor. Even at the ends of the earth, there is no escaping plastic. Our friends at the nonprofit 5 Gyres are dedicated to researching the impact of plastic on oceans and the environmental damage that it is causing. Initially, I thought it would be a matter of collecting all the floating plastic bottles and getting them in the trash. I was so wrong. I needed to be educated on the effects of micro plastic and the far-reaching devastation it causes not just to our ocean but to our riverbeds as well. I’ve listened to two presentations by 5 Gyres development director Sara Mais and have studied their website. I’ve learned that 5 Gyres focuses on several primary areas in their fight to stop microplastics: |
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Science & Innovation
Science informs all of 5 Gyres’ work. Their research helps the public better understand the global impact of plastic pollution and vets alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. While the public sees plastic as a singular problem, 5 Gyres understands that there’s more to the story. There are in fact many unique sources of plastic pollution such as microfibers from textiles, microplastics from agricultural practices, floating ocean plastics from fishing gear, and everyday single-use packaging. The solutions for each of these requires specific designs, policy approaches, and innovation.
Education & Outreach
5 Gyres’ Trash Academy integrates education, advocacy, and community science. They recently began teaching a 10-week environmental science course to students in the Los Angeles Unified School District as well as students in San Diego County.
TrashBlitz & Policy
TrashBlitz activates communities and engages diverse stakeholders in capturing a city’s plastic waste “footprint” to identify relevant solutions. Individuals and/or groups can own their robust dataset collected from the TrashBlitz data platform to further campaigns, strengthen legislation and foster environmental stewardship. During Austin’s TrashBlitz in 2021, in just over 3 weeks, 168 volunteers gathered 6,656 pieces of trash and found “Food and Drink” to be the largest identified category with nearly 70% of all trash being plastic. In 2022, 5 Gyres will be working with local organizing partners in Austin, Texas to build an advocacy coalition similar to the REUSE LA Coalition, which was a movement triggered by the first TrashBlitz in Los Angeles.
Advocacy & Policy
The 5 Gyres advocacy team engages in policy work through coalition-building on local, regional, national, and global scales. Through these networks they advocate for better regulation of plastic usage and disposal worldwide by providing scientific data to further policy change. They play a leadership role with Reusable LA, and actively engage with the Clean Seas Coalition, National Reuse Network, Plastic-Free National Parks, and the BreakFreeFromPlastic movement.
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5 Gyres was excited to let me know of several upcoming research projects:
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Easter Island Landfill. Photo by Marcus Eriksen
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I was happy to introduce 5 Gyres to the Kelly Ann Brown Foundation and happier still when we gave 5 Gyres a grant in 2021. To find out more, visit their website: www.5gyres.org.