Friend Of Sirens

““The Great Pacific Garbage Patch can now be cleaned,” announced Dutch entrepreneur Boyan Slat, the wonderkid inventor who’s spent a decade inventing systems for waterborne litter collection.

Recent tests on his Ocean Cleanup rig called System 002, invented to tackle the 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic pollution, were a success, leading Slat to predict that most of the oceanic garbage patches could be removed by 2040.

Intersections of ocean currents have created the massive floating islands of plastic trash—five slow-moving whirlpools that pull litter from thousands of miles away into a single radius.

The largest one sits between California and Hawaii, and 27-year-old Slat has been designing and testing his systems out there, launching from San Francisco since 2013.

GNN has reported on his original design for the floating device, but his engineering team improved upon it. System 002, nicknamed “Jenny,” successfully netted 9,000 kilograms, or around 20,000 pounds in its first trial.

It’s carbon-neutral, able to capture microplastics as small as 1 millimeter in diameter, and was designed to pose absolutely no threat to wildlife thanks to its wide capture area, slow motion, alerts, and camera monitors that allow operators to spy any overly-curious marine life…

 If you’re local to the Monterey Bay area, check out these organizations that are engaged in climate action to get involved!

1️⃣ Regeneración Pajaro Valley 

2️⃣ Communities for a Sustainable Monterey County

3️⃣ Watsonville Wetlands Watch

4️⃣ Monterey Bay Climate Justice Collaborative

5️⃣ Central Coast Climate Collaborative (C4)

6️⃣ MILPA Collective

7️⃣ Puentes

Today we released a statement opposing the Trump Administration’s newly proposed leasing plan for offshore oil and gas drilling. The plan would open up our backyard and the entire California coast for consideration for drilling that we and many communities have long fought. 

Healthy, intact ecosystems support thriving wildlife, clean air, and stable weather—all essential for people and nature to flourish. Our ocean and our communities are better off without the threat of devastating oil spills from drilling activity lurking off of the California coast.

In the face of this challenge, our commitments remain clear:

💡Centering science in the fight against climate change. Preventing opportunities for new oil and gas development will help the U.S. limit greenhouse gas emissions, improving the health and resilience of humans and nature. 

📢 Giving a voice to marine wildlife that depend on a clean, thriving ocean. On behalf of important ocean species—”NO” to offshore drilling! 

🤝 Building on restoration efforts still underway after past oil spill catastrophes and keeping up the critical work to protect all of us and our communities in the future. We all have a right to a healthy ocean, and our ecosystems, coastal economy, and livelihoods depend on it.