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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0064.111 2010-2012 Pi COUNCT4 http: / /www.hawaiifreepress.com /main... http: / /www.hawaiifreepress.com /main... http: / /www.hawaiifreepress.com /main... gru.rt /COMM.64 Saturday, February 05, 2011 Sen Schumer Deman ds Tr1Ves Reusable Bags Contain Harmful Chemicals and Harbor Bacteria By News Release @ 10:33 AM :: 83 Views,::. Big Island News, Big Island Politics, Kauai News, Kauai Politics, Maui Politics, Maui News, Hawaii State News, Hawaii State Politics, National News, National Politics Majority of Americans Unaware Their Reusable Baas Contain Harmful Chemicals and Harbor Bacteria New California Ad Campaign Raises Awareness Of Food Safety Concerns Surrounding Reusable Bags Today the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, is running junior full -page ads in three major California newspapers, kicking off a campaign to educate consumers and politicians about the potential dangers of increased importation and distribution of certain reusable shopping bags. According to a new Opinion Research Corporation poll commissioned by CCF, 56% of Americans are not at all aware that their reusable grocery bags may contain lead and bacteria, which explains why— according to the same poll -68% of reusable bag owners have either never washed their bag or only washed it once in the last year. Some reusable shopping bags sold or given away by stores all over the country contain lead levels above what is allowable by many state laws. Federal and state regulatory agencies including the Food and Drug Administration, Consumer Protection Safety Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency have been called on by Senator Charles Schumer (D -NY) to investigate a report that showed that nearly half of all reusable bags tested exceed many state laws regarding toxins in packaging. In addition to calling for a federal investigation, Senator Schumer stated, "When our families go to the grocery store looking for safe and healthy foods to feed their kids, the last thing they should have to worry about are toxic bags." "Demonizing, taxing, or banning plastic bags —as they have in San Francisco, Los Angeles County and San Jose —is a perfect example of knee -jerk, feel -good regulation that brings with it myriad unintended consequences," said CCF Senior Research Analyst J. Justin Wilson. "Politicians often respond to activist- driven junk science by demonizing, banning or taxing products without giving any thought to what people will use instead. Now recent research demonstrates that some of these bags contain lead and can be a breeding ground for bacteria. In the end, the new alternative can end up being worse than its replacement." The newspaper ads are running today in the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Orange County Register. The text of the ad reads: What your family needs to know about reusable bags imported from China Did you know that many reusable bags imported from China frequently have excessive levels of lead? China is the number one supplier of reusable bags in the United States, sending almost half a billion into our homes each year. Recent investigations by the Tampa Tribune and consumer protection groups uncovered high levels of lead and heavy metals in reusable bags sold by multiple national and regional retailers. Senator Charles Schumer and other congressional leaders have called on government safety agencies to investigate why such elevated 'levels of lead are coming into contact with our food and leaching into the environment. Perhaps even more alarming, a University of Arizona study S Li InlTr e ' : WALIrP MUC �l`f t /// 5 Comm. No. • 1 of 2 �A�to - MUM f3E R ; 5 5 7 -5 (7 1 Ref. TO ►e>teiMe eeuk4 / 2/5/11 10:17 PM Raf. Dote FEB 16 2011 http: / /www.hawaiifreepress.com /main... http: / /www.hawaiifreepress.com /main... http: / /www.hawaiifreepress.com /main... found fecal coliform bacteria and E. coli in some of the bags. Wilson added: "When you tax soda, people drink non -soda beverages which can contain more calories. When you restrict salt levels in prepared foods, people over -salt the bland result. When butter was demonized in the '90s, food companies switched to transfats like margarine as a healthier alternative. And when you ban and tax disposable shopping bags, people use Chinese - manufactured reusable bags that contain excessive levels of lead and bacteria. The only way to avoid these unintended consequences is to let consumers, rather than regulators or lawmakers, decide for themselves." The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies, and consumers, working together to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices RELATED: KTA, Safeway, Walgreens: Excessive Amounts of Lead Found in Reusable Grocery Bags 1 Y 2 of 2 2/5/11 10:17 PM http: / /www.hawaiifreepress.com /main... http: / /www.hawaiifreepress.com /main... http: / /www.hawaiifreepress.com /main... Saturday, February 05, 2011 KTA, Safeway, Walgreens: Excessive Amounts of Lead Found in Reusable Grocery Bags By News Release @ 10:29 AM :: 180 Views :: Big Island News, Big Island Politics, Kauai News, Kauai Politics, Maui Politics, Maui News, Hawaii State News, Hawaii State Politics, National News, National Politics Excessive Amounts of Lead Found in Reusable Grocery Bags Supplied by Major Retailers Bans And Fees On Paper And Plastic Bags Have Unintended Consequences For Consumers Switching �„ bd ''''-'1 ' ' . .. LEAD .. AD ► LEAD Mile ' LEAD LEAD ? Y l "�l�' 1 .:„.4.9 y q 'I ),1;;;'.'::,,,;:,.,1,.,.,, t "' dr t loc t" Y l a i � � � � � r � � , ! r , . ` a _ olgrrt>*i+ iili>s ai iK1A Super SI S {hired) U afeIse+ Cenlen*a>y Ager4Y ' EPA standard for lead in packaging materials is 100ppm. Safeway tests 6.72 times the EPA limit. Walgreens is 2.98 times, KTA Superstores 2.85 times, and Defense Comissary Agency tests 2.35 times the EPA standard. »Click here to read the report Washington, DC January 23, 2011 — Today, the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) released new lab results showing that a number of major retailers' reusable shopping bags contained excessive levels of lead. Of the 44 organizations whose bags were tested, 16 are selling or distributing reusable bags containing lead in amounts greater than 100 ppm (parts per million), which is where many states set the limit for heavy metals in packaging. National chains such as CVS, Safeway, Bloom, and Walgreens were among those with high levels of lead found in their reusable bags. CVS and Safeway led the pack with 697 and 672 ppm respectively; both were nearly seven times the 100 ppm limit. To date, CVS is the only store that tested above 100 ppm to have recalled their bags. Previously Lululemon Athletica, Sears - Canada, and Wegmans have all recalled bags due to high levels of lead. "Across the country legislators are proposing bills to ban or tax paper and plastic bags, but the unintended consequence of such legislation is that people are using reusable bags, which independent testing shows can often contain excessive levels of lead" said CCF Senior Research Analyst J. Justin Wilson. "As an advocate for consumer choice I believe consumers should have the option of using lead -free plastic and paper bags when they're bringing home their groceries." Other retailers testing positive for excessive levels of lead included Staples, Giant Eagle, Piggly Wiggly, Giant, Gerbes, KTA Superstore, Brookshire Brothers, Stater Bros., and, ironically, the District of Columbia Department of Environment. CCF collected bags during December 2010 and sorted them on the basis of which ones represented grocery chains, national brands, and other brands likely to be recognized by a wide variety of the general public. We made no attempt to homogenize the sample geographically across the United States. Bags that had already been in use by consumers were discarded. Plastic and plastic- coated rigid inserts (which are included in the bottoms of some bags for added stability) were tested separately from the bags themselves, and their heavy -metal concentrations were reported along with the other lab results. CCF focused on testing bags that were constructed from "nonwoven polypropylene," which is the most commonly used material in reusable grocery bags. The material is typically made in China and can be produced in a variety of ways that either include or exclude toxic heavy metals. The testing was conducted by Frontier Global Sciences, a fully accredited testing lab based in Seattle, which handled the samples and established the chain of custody. "Environmental activists are trying to have it both ways. They've spent decades campaigning against lead in paint, toys, and a II 1 of 2 2/5/11 10:17 PM http: / /www.hawaiifreepress.com /main... http: / /www.hawaiifreepress.com /main... http: / /www.hawaiifreepress.com /main... even packaging, but when it comes to their own sacred cow, they seem willing to ignore the issue," concluded Wilson. "In the end, retailers shouldn't have been goaded into selling these bags in the first place. They were merely doing their best to respond to environmental activists' demands." For more information or to view CCF's report on the new testing, visit www.ConsumerFreedom.com. RELATED: Sen Schumer Demands Investigation: Reusable Bags Contain Harmful Chemicals and Harbor Bacteria 2of2 2/5/11 10:17 PM ahout: blai htto://thegardenisland.com/news/local/govt-and-pol i tics/article 15d86e84- 2e9h- 11e0 -b7dd 001cc4c002e0.1 N H { Y � Rapozo to introduce amendment exempting food service establishments Possible rev i n plastic bag ban Leo Azambuja - The Garden Island The Garden Island I Posted: Tuesday, February 1, 2011 11:45 pm I (1 6) Comments `W `� 4 AS � 4 , &,, r 3 fpm 3A ,, o M, J Leo Azambuja/The Garden Island Council "' 1 4 member Mel Rapozo, left, plans to introduce next week ku 41.21,1r,_ ; i4 " an amendmen exempting food - service establishments ,r ,'1'' ',, " t, from the p bag ban, which went into effect Jan. 11. 72 r ' F r Dickie Chang, right, said that when the bill was crafted, le l. i; ,, food- safety issues never made it to the discussions. c , . ' ,, " ' w ., V ' LIHU`E — More than a year apparently wasn't enough i r I time to catch an obvious mismatch: Paper and gravy. '� M. ;r- A new law banning checkout plastic bags went into effect U,, " ' ' h ' , ,1 `, L three weeks ago, but many food service establishments j ._, r i ;,�� t , , ;'; are allegedly already complaining of food breaking 1 through paper bags and possible contamination. z >) "The brown paper bags were not designed for holding these food items," said Councilman Dickie Chang, explaining that when food spills from a to -go container, it causes the bags to break. "It can't even hold an apple. Ordinance 885 was adopted in October 2009, and went into effect Jan. 11. Councilman Mel Rapozo --, said he intends to address some of the i ssues by introducing an amendment to the bill. 1 "It's going to exempt the food service establishments from the bill," Rapozo said. J c? Rapozo's main concern was with food- safety issues, despite also pointing out that the bags rip shortly after contact with food. sQ "I received a few calls from some of the restaurants that were concerned about food safety," said > Rapozo, noting that there's a growing concern that food -borne bacteria could transfer to food from V reusable bags that customers bring in. t As a result, he said, the establishment could end up with the blame in a case of food - poisoning. i • "The purpose really is the food - safety issue, not so much the paper issue. It's the fact that they are I concerned about the transfer of food -borne bacteria," Rapozo said. Chang said that when the bill was crafted, the food - safety issue never made it to the discussion. "If people don't mention stuff to us, we don't know," said Chang, adding that the thinks the reason is that most people involved in the food- service industry "did not realize the bill pertained to them, that's 1 of 2 2/2/11 12:42 PM shout: filar the kind of feedback that I'm getting from the public." Councilman Tim Bynum, who co- authored the original bill with then - Councilwoman Lani Kawahara, said there were no food - service concerns when the bill was discussed. Bynum said he doesn't feel there's a need for an amendment, but he is in support of council members introducing amendments whenever they wish. "I'm willing to work into anything," he said. Rapozo said the amendment will likely be introduced on the agenda of the Feb. 9 County Council meeting. 2of2 2/2/1 1 12:42 PM Climate change: the burning issues -Times Online 2/2/11 8:37 At •rlll�; uvn; 1 "rim St1Ni)AY TIrvtl3S I Timm+ Please enjoy this article from The Times 8, The Sunday Times archives. For full access to our content, please subscribe here From rile Tirnes MY PROFILE Mach 8. 200s Climate change: the burning issues Thoughtful use of solid science ,must underpin environmental protection Climate change is one of the unfolding calamities of our times. It is our moral responsibility as a country, and as individuals, to address the global threat that may engulf our children. We are compelled to make difficult choices and change our lifestyles. It is essential that we make changes based on reason, but not group - think. There is a danger that the green herd, in pursuit of a good cause, stumbles into misguided campaigns. Analysis without facts is guesswork. Sloppy analysis of bad science is worse. Poor interpretation of good science wastes time and impedes the fight against obnoxious behaviour. There is no place for bad science, or weak analysis, in the search for credible answers to difficult questions. The most troubling recent example of bad science is Andrew Wakefield's allegation, subsequently comprehensively quashed, of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. History is sadly overpopulated with other examples. In 1995 environmental lobbyists obliged Shell, the oil giant, to abandon plans to scupper its Brent Spar platform in the Atlantic and instead tow it to a Norwegian fjord to be dismantled. Break -up came at a high energy cost. and was subsequently shown to be a greater risk to marine pollution. Airliners are accused of speeding climate change by fouling the upper atmosphere. But cold analysis of hard facts shows that the damage done is more perceived than real. Imports of cut flowers from Africa were subject to a vociferous consumer campaign because it was assumed that the air freight cost was scandalous. A 2007 report published by Cranfield University showed that imported fiov,.ers created just 17 per cent of the carbon emissions of Dutch growers using heated greenhouses. Hilary Benn, as Secretary of State for international Development, said British shoppers should buy African flowers because it helped to sustain African livelihoods. The ellvitorirl'leritai benefits of biofiaeis have been exaggerated. By using and that might otherwise be used to gravy' dib1 c -ops, bia,e .awe created . o ? - on c; price rises. Brazilian rainforest is also endangered, as additional fi t modified (GM) disease-resistant crops vias pie .r7! s5jv imp ierf � °, a.y +405 no scientific evidence exists to support the scaremongering atC,Lit c nuCLe&•I- Climaty change: the burning issues -Times Online 2/2/11 8:37 AP simultaneously pandering to wrong- headed populism. In this case an apparently fair piece of scientific research has been dragooned into the attack. In 1997 David Laist, an American, published a paper suggesting that every year 100,000 sea animals, and one million birds, meet an untimely end thanks to plastic pollution. Dr Laist never suggested this was an incontrovertible fact. But the assertion was, and is, respected as a reasonable estimate. Upon this unassuming foundation, however, is built an edifice of mistaken assumptions. Plastic nets entrap animals arid off -cuts from the manufacture of everything from credit cards to watering cans poison or choke. Another piece of work, analysing 243 dead albatrosses, suggests that 90 per cent had come into contact with plastic but only one had died because of a plastic bag. Plastic bags are objectionable because they make litter, but containers, such as water bottles, are a greater evil because they degrade more slowly. Plastic bags create some emissions but on this really large concern they are marginal. Carbon emissions will only come under control with fundamental shifts in domestic, corporate industrial and agricultural practice. Little good will come from fiddling with the small things while burning issues are ignored. Contact us 1 Terms and Conditions I Privacy Policy I Site Map 1 FAQ I Syndication I Advertising © Times Newspapers Ltd 2010 Registered in England No. 894646 Registered office: 1 Virginia Street, London, E98 1XY http : / /www.timesonline.co.uk /tol /comment/ leading _article /article3508113.ece Page 2 of 2 Save The Plastic Bag (..'UUlflion SUMMARY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT ON BANNING PLASTIC CARRYOUT BAGS After completing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance on November 16, 2010 banning plastic carryout bags and imposing a 10 -cent fee on paper carryout bags. • The EIR adopted the findings of the Ecobilan Report and the Scottish Report. Those reports determined that even after taking into account that paper bags hold more than plastic bags, the life cycle of a paper bag results in: ➢ 3.3 times more greenhouse gas emissions than a plastic bag. ➢ 1.1 times more consumption of nonrenewable energy than a plastic bag. ➢ 4.0 times more consumption of water than a plastic bag. Y 1.9 times more acid rain than a plastic bag. ➢ 1.3 times more negative air quality than a plastic bag. ➢ 14.0 times more water body eutrophication than a plastic bag. ➢ 2.7 times more solid waste production than a plastic bag. • Based on the Ecobilan and Scottish Reports, the County decided to impose a 10 -cent fee on paper bags because a straight switch from plastic to paper bags would have significant negative environmental impacts. • The EIR determined that even a 10 -cent fee on paper bags and promoting and distributing reusable bags would not be sufficient to prevent significant negative environmental rr c impacts causec! by a shift from plastic to paper. The EIR states: � "Based on a conservative analysis, the County has determined that cumulative indir GHG [ greenhouse gas] emissions resulting f m i p, t of th indirect [greenhouse ,_. , . s from implementation recommended ordinances will have the potential to result in significant unavoidable impacts even with impleme of [a paper hag fee and promotion and distribution of reusable bags], which will be expected to reduce significant adverse impacts to •GHG emissions to the maximum extent feasible." (EIR at IV -11 1 All of the relevant LA County environmental documents, including the Final EIR and the ordinance, can be downloaded at: http:/ jdow lacounty, gov Lepd /aboutthebag /ordinance.cfm. `The EIR states that the Ecobilan Report was used as the basis for the findings regarding parer has and polyethylene reusable bags "because it is relatively recent; contains relatively sophisticated modeling and data processing cessing technioues; considers a wide range of environmental indicators; considers paper, plastic, and reusable bags; was critically reviewed by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency; and contains detailed emission data for individual pollutants." (EIR at 3.1 -15.) The Scottish Report is based entirely on the Ecobilan Report. (EIR at 4 -8, 4- 47.) The Scottish Report is at http://www.scotland,gov.ukfResource/Doc/57346/0016899,0f. The Ecobilan table of the relative impacts of plastic and paper bags is at page 23 of the Scottish Report. s The County applied a method for determining applicable significance thresholds. (EIR at 3.3 -14 to 15.) 'I I i Save The Plastic Bag 4 "`O whtim? • The EIR determined that polypropylene and cotton reusable bags must be used at least 104 times before delivering environmental benefits compared to plastic carryout bags. (Table at EIR at 12 -21 and repeated in text throughout EIR.) • The EIR determined that reusable bags made from polyethylene must be used at least three times before delivering environmental benefits compared to plastic carryout bags. (EIR at 4 -49 to 50, 12 -52 to 53.) This is far better than the 104 times that polypropylene or cotton reusable bags must be used to deliver environmental benefits. The County had initially proposed to ban reusable bags made of polyethylene as they are made of plastic. However, after completing the EIR, the County decided that such bags will be permitted under the ordinance. • As banning plastic bags, imposing a fee on paper bags, and promoting and distributing reusable bags would not avoid significant negative environmental impacts, the Board of Supervisors adopted a "Statement of Overriding Considerations" finding that the alleged benefits of the ordinance outweighed the significant negative environmental impacts of the ordinance. (EIR at IV -1.) • The principal alleged benefit; identified by the County in the Statement of Overriding Considerations is assisting in reducing litter cleanup costs by $4 million throughout the County. (EIR at IX -3.) The County declined to explain how this figure was calculated, despite the fact that the Save The Plastic Bag Coalition pointed out that the same areas would still have to be cleared as plastic bags are only a fraction of total litter and that no money would be saved. • The Save The Plastic Bag Coalition contended that the "North Pacific Garbage Patch" does not exist and that there is no island of plastic trash. The EIR states that the County does not claim that North Pacific Gyre has a visible patch or "island" of plastic debris. (EIR at 13 -37.) The EIR calls such claims made by environmental groups "misleading." (EIR at 13 -38.) There are many deficiencies in the EIR, including sweeping and inaccurate statements designed to justify a plastic carryout bag ban. Nevertheless, the County was unable to avoid acknowledging that the ordinance will have significant negative environmental impacts. The Save The Plastic Bag Coalition's demands for an EIR before banning plastic carryout bags have been completely justified. Stephen Joseph, Counsel Phone: (415) 577 -6660 E -mail: savetheplasticbag @earthlink.net Website: www.savetheplasticbag.com 4 See httpJ[ www_ sav etheplasticbag ,com /UploadedFiles( Marine %20myths %20and %20plastic% 20bags.pdf. paJasai sl46u Ily{.Wedwoo aouwnsul sr) algelInb3 yxv G 40Z ®WBWdop I7 IS THERE A "GARBAGE PATCH "? OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELEASE OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELEASE OREGONIAN ARTICLE PLASTIC IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN 1 -4 -11 CORVALLIS, Ore. - There is a lot of plastic trash floating in the Pacific Ocean, but claims that the "Great Garbage Patch" between California and Japan is twice the size of Texas are grossly exaggerated, according Search to an analysis by an Oregon State University scientist. Further claims that the oceans are filled with more plastic than HOME plankton, and that the patch has been growing tenfold each decade since the 1950s are equally misleading, pointed out ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES an assistant professor of at Oregon State. SAN FRANCISCO SURVEY "There is no doubt that the amount of plastic in the world's oceans is PAPER BAGS AND CO2 troubling, but this kind of exaggeration undermines the credibility of scientists," White said. "We have data that allow us to make reasonable PAPER BAGS IN LANDFILLS estimates; we don't need the hyperbole. Given the observed concentration of plastic in the North Pacific, it is simply inaccurate to PAPER BAGS AND ROACHES state that plastic outweighs plankton, or that we have observed an exponential increase in plastic." THE TRUTH ABOUT LITTER White has pored over published literature and participated in one of the THE FAMOUS TURTLE PICTURE few expeditions solely aimed at understanding the abundance of plastic debris and the associated impact of plastic on microbial communities. "SERIES OF BLUNDERS" ARTICLE That expedition was part of research funded by the National Science Foundation through the Center for Microbial Oceanography: IS THERE A "GARBAGE PATCH "? Research and Education. THE VOYAGE OF THE "JUNK" The studies have shown is that if you look at the actual area of the plastic itself, rather than the entire North Pacific subtropical gyre, the THE OIL MYTH hypothetically "cohesive" plastic patch is actually less than 1 percent of the geographic size of Texas. LA COUNTY SPREADING MYTHS "The amount of plastic out there isn't trivial," White said. "But using WHOLE FOODS GREENWASHING the highest concentrations ever reported by scientists produces a patch that is a small fraction of the state of Texas, not twice the size." BERKELEY BOWL'S SOLUTION Another way to look at it, White said, is to compare the amount of PLASTIC BAG RECYCLING BINS plastic found to the amount of water in which it was found. "If we were to filter the surface area of the ocean equivalent to a football field in LITIGATION waters having the highest concentration (of plastic) ever recorded," she said, "the amount of plastic recovered would not even extend to the ABOUT US 1 -inch line." CONTACT US Recent research by scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution found that the amount of plastic, at least in the Atlantic Ocean, hasn't increased since the mid -1980s - despite greater production and consumption of materials made from plastic, she pointed out. "Are we doing a better job of preventing plastics from getting into the ocean ?" White said. "Is more plastic sinking out of the surface waters? Or is it being more efficiently broken down? We just don't know. But the data on hand simply do not suggest that 'plastic patches' have increased in size. This is certainly an unexpected conclusion, but it may in part reflect the high spatial and temporal variability of plastic concentrations in the ocean and the limited number of samples that have been collected." The hyperbole about plastic patches saturating the media rankles White, who says such exaggeration can drive a wedge between the public and the scientific community. One recent claim that the garbage patch is as deep as the Golden Gate Bridge is tall is completely unfounded, she said. "Most plastics either sink or float," White pointed out. "Plastic isn't likely to be evenly distributed through the top 100 feet of the water column." White says there is growing interest in removing plastic from the ocean, but such efforts will be costly, inefficient, and may have unforeseen consequences. It would be difficult, for example, to "corral" and remove plastic particles from ocean waters without inadvertently removing phytoplankton, zooplankton, and small surface- dwelling aquatic creatures. "These small organisms are the heartbeat of the ocean," she said. "They are the foundation of healthy ocean food chains and immensely more abundant than plastic debris." The relationship between microbes and plastic is what drew White and her C -MORE colleagues to their analysis in the first place. During a recent expedition, they discovered that photosynthetic microbes were thriving on many plastic particles, in essence confirming that plastic is prime real estate for certain microbes. White also noted that while plastic may be beneficial to some organisms, it can also be toxic. Specifically, it is well -known that plastic debris can adsorb toxins such as PCB. "On one hand, these plastics may help remove toxins from the water," she said "On the other hand, these same toxin -laden particles may be ingested by fish and seabirds. Plastic clearly does not belong in the ocean." Among other findings, which White believes should be part of the public dialogue on ocean trash: Calculations show that the amount of energy it would take to remove plastics from the ocean is roughly 250 times the mass of the plastic itself; Plastic also covers the ocean floor, particularly offshore of large population centers. A recent survey from the state of California found that 3 percent of the southern California Bight's ocean floor was covered with plastic - roughly half the amount of ocean floor covered by lost fishing gear in the same location. But little, overall, is known about how much plastic has accumulated at the bottom of the ocean, and how far offshore this debris field extends; It is a common misperception that you can see or quantify plastic from space. There are no tropical plastic islands out there and, in fact, most of the plastic isn't even visible from the deck of a boat; There are areas of the ocean largely unpolluted by plastic. A recent trawl White conducted in a remote section of water between Easter Island and Chile pulled in no plastic at all. There are other issues with plastic, White said, including the possibility that floating debris may act as a vector for introducing invasive species into sensitive habitats. "If there is a takeaway message, it's that we should consider it good news that the 'garbage patch' doesn't seem to be as bad as advertised," White said, "but since it would be prohibitively costly to remove the plastic, we need to focus our efforts on preventing more trash from fouling our oceans in the first place." About the OSU College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences: COAS is internationally recognized for its faculty, research and facilities, including state -of -the -art computing infrastructure to support real -time ocean /atmosphere observation and prediction. The college is a leader in the study of the Earth as an integrated system, providing scientific understanding to address complex environmental challenges http: / /oregonstate.edu /ua /ncs /archives /2011 /jan /oceanic - "garbage patch"- not - nearly - big - portrayed -media back to for OREGONiAN ARTiC Reports of Pacific Ocean's plastic patch being Texas -sized are grossly exaggerated, Oregon State University professor says Published: Tuesday, January 04, 2011, 8:11 PM Updated: Thursday, January 06, 2011, 9:48 AM Q .` '" By Scott Learn, The Oregonian • Remember that Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the pile of floating plastic and other debris "twice the E s t r"' fe "n r i ` ` 'r " 14 4'0 4 *, z size of Texas" or more a q Now comes Oregon State University assistant professor - Angelicque "Angel" White to say that estimate is "grossly exaggerated." ,' � White, who participated in a 2008 scientific expedition to survey 4 + plastic debris, figures the size of a hypothetically cohesive Pacific plastic "patch" is actually less than * 4E' ' -S ` 1 percent the geographic size of Texas. What's more, the oceanography professor says the data suggest that plastic contamination hasn't increased dramatically -- or perhaps not at all -- in recent decades, despite greater use of plastic. SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY There's definitely too much plastic There's plenty of trash in the Pacific Ocean, plastic and otherwise. But an Oregon State University professor says the extent of the problem is in the ocean -- it "doesn't belong "grossly exaggerated." there," White says, and many varieties degrade slowly. But the hyperbole about the problem undermines scientific credibility, she says, and drives a wedge between the public and scientists. Media references to a Texas - plus sized patch of debris and plastic "islands" have been far - ranging in recent years, from Oprah to the Russian newspaper Pravda to a plastic cleanup article by a certain environmental reporter at The Oregonian (mea culpa). White said she saw firsthand on an expedition funded by the National Science Foundation that the word picture that's been painted is unrealistic." The contamination is dispersed in the water, typically beneath the surface. Her estimate, she says, uses the highest plastic concentrations in ocean water ever reported by scientists. "I had heard 'twice the size of Texas,' '300 feet deep,' the scariest thing Oprah had ever seen, and then you go out there and you don't see it," White says. "Plastic in the ocean is not a good thing, but it's not as bad as It's being portrayed." Claims that the ocean has more plastic than plankton or that the patch has grown tenfold each decade since the 1950s are equally misleading, White says. The expedition found that photosynthetic microbes such as algae were thriving on many tiny plastic particles, and plastic can absorb some toxins. But those same toxin -laden particles can be eaten by fish and seabirds, entering the food chain. And birds and marine mammals are drawn to eat larger pieces of bright plastic, which can harm them, White says. The Algalita Marine Research Foudatlon in California, founded by sea captain Charles Moore, first spotlighted the ocean pollution. After a 1999 expedition, it reported a garbage patch of mostly plastic that could be the size of Texas, Executive Director Marieta Francis says. Foundation expeditions have since found plastic in ocean samples out to the international date line, Francis says, showing that the extent of contamination is actually much larger than first estimated. But "it's not really a patch," Francis agreed. "Unfortunately, we were kind of responsible for some of that at first," she says. "It gives the general public a visual, but it also gives people a (false) impression of a solid mat that we could go clean up " Oregon's Legislature will consider a ban on plastic checkout bags this year, backed by grocers, paper bag makers and environmental groups, including the Oregon chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. Gus Gates, Surfrider's Oregon policy coordinator, says he tries to avoid the Texas comparison. But beach and river cleanups find plenty of plastic trash, Gates says, from bags to water bottles to fishing gear to polystyrene foam. When heavy winds broke up the North Pacific gyre of rotating ocean currents last spring, he says, "We saw a huge volume of trash washing up on our beaches." As a scientist, White says she sticks to "conceptualizing the problem in a way that makes sense to me." As an Oregonian, she chooses to use cloth bags. "I think this is actually a hopeful story," she says. If we stop using so much plastic and wasting it now, we can make sure we don't have any plastic islands in the future." -- Scott Learn http: / /www.oregonlive.com /environment /index.ssf / 20 11 / 01 / reports _of_pacific_oceans_plas_ Back, to tor PLASTIC IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN The Sea Education Association based in Woods Hole, Massachusetts (which is not affiliated with the plastic industry in any way) has surveyed plastic debris in the Atlantic Ocean for the past 22 years. They are now reporting that the concentration of plastic in the Atlantic Ocean has not increased over the past 22 years, despite the increased production of plastics during that period. They were surprised to find that there was no overall change in the amount of plastic snared from 1986 to 2008. Karen Lavender, an oceanographer at the Sea Education Association said: "1 expected to see the line go right up. It took us a good year to decide no, we have not seen an increase, no matter how you slice it. Each half -hour trawl in the area where the concentration was the highest typically turned up just 20 tiny pieces, equivalent to about 0.3 grams in all. By comparison, a U.S. nickel weighs 5 grams. Click here and here to read about the Sea Education Association's findings. We acknowledge that a plastic bag was photographed in the Atlantic Ocean, near to the location of the Titanic. Click here for the article. Back to top Site By Spirit a 2008 -11 Save The Plastic Bag Coalition. All rights reserved. • k ' 17 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES THE SCOTTISH REPORT THE SCOTTISH REPORT THE BOUSTEAD REPORT THE ULS REPORT THE U.S. EPA STATEMENT REGARDING TREES THE ENVIRONMENTAL PAPER NETWORK REPORT THE FRIENDS OF THE EARTH REPORT THE ROYAL SOCIETY REPORT ON OCEAN ACIDIFICATION Search The he Scottish HOME Government ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES In 2005, the Scottish Government issued a full environment impact assessment report on the effects of a proposed plastic bag fee (the "Scottish Report "). This is the most comprehensive environmental report SAN FRANCISCO SURVEY ever conducted comparing plastic bags and paper bags. The report states (at page 31): • PAPER BAGS AND CO2 [Al paper bag has a more adverse impact than a plastic bag for most of the environmental issues PAPER BAGS IN LANDFILLS considered. Areas where paper bags score particularly badly include water consumption, atmospheric acidification (which can have effects on human health, sensitive ecosystems, forest PAPER BAGS AND ROACHES dectine and acidification of lakes) and eutrophication* of water bodies (which can lead to growth of THE TRUTH ABOUT LITTER algae and depletion of oxygen). - THE FAMOUS TURTLE PICTURE Paper bags are anywhere between six to ten times heavier than lightweight plastic carrier bags and, "SERIES OF BLUNDERS" ARTICLE as such, require more transport and its associated costs. They would also take up more room in a landfill if they were not recycled. IS THERE A "GARBAGE PATCH "? The `Scottish Report contains the comparison in the table below (at page 23). The lightweight plastic hag THE VOYAGE OF THE "JUNK" was given a score of 1 in all categories as a reference point. A score greater than 1 indicates that another THE OIL MYTI I bag makes more contribution to the environmental problem than a lightweight plastic bag when normalised against the volume of shopping carried. The indicators take account of emissions which occur LA COUNTY SPREADING MYTHS over the whole lifecycle. • WHOLE FOODS GREENWASHING Plastic BERKELEY BOWL'S SOLUTION bag Paper bag PLASTIC BAG RECYCLING BINS INDICATOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT HDPE lightweight LITIGATION Consumption of nonrenewable primary energy 1.0 II 1.1 ABOUT US Consumption of water 1.0 II 4.0 CONTACT US I Climate change (emission of greenhouse gases) II 1.0 II 3.3 [Acid rain (atmospheric acidification) II 1.0 [ 1.9 Air q ualit y (ground level ozone formation) II 1.0 II 1.3 Eutrophication of water bodies * I 1.0 II 14.0 Solid waste production II 1.0 II 2.7 Risk of litter — _ 1.0 I[_ 0.2 J Eutrophication means the process by which a body of water becomes rich in dissolved nutrients, thereby encouraging the growth and decomposition of oxygen - depleting plant life and resulting in harm to other organisms. Bad( to for THE BOUSTEAD REPORT The 2007 Boustead report is an extremely thorough and detailed life cycle assessment of the environmental impacts of plastic and paper carryout bags in the United States. It is packed with data,. It studied the types of plastic and paper carryout bags commonly used in the United States. (The paper bags had 30% post- consumer content.) The recycling scenarios in the Boustead report are 5.2% for plastic bags and 21% for paper bags. The report took into account that a paper bag holds more than a plastic bag and applied an adjustment factor. The Boustead includes the following findings based on carrying capacity equivalent to 1000 paper bags: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT BASED ON EQUALIZED Plastic bags Paper bags CARRYING CAPACITY OF 1,000 PAPER BAGS with 30% recycled content Total energy use in megajoules II 763 II 2622 I Fossil fuel use in kilograms 14.9 — 1 I 23.2 Municipal solid waste in kilograms II 7.0 II 33.9 Greenhouse gas emissions in CO2 equiv. tons 0.04 0.08 Fresh water usage in gallons 58 II 1004 I The Boustead report was commissioned by Progressive Bag Affiliates, a plastic bag industry organization. It was peer reviewed by an independent third party, a Professor of Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University. He is an expert on life cycle analysis with extensive experience in the field. He commented that the Boustead report "provides both a sound technical descriptions (sic) of the grocery bag products and the processes of life cycle use.... Whatever the goals of the policy makers, these need to be far more explicit that general environmental improvement, since the life cycle story is consistent in favor of recyclable plastic bags." The professor reviewed every single one of the figures in the report and disagreed with some of them. The Boustead report was amended to the extent that the Boustead author agreed with the professor's comments. For example, the figure "103" for electricity in Table 9B was corrected to "154." Rack to top THE ULS REPORT f, A' 0 sr• 6 ti 11 ''..' :' -: . ' :'' . i7 eT e u3 6 0 r7 4) Use -Less- Stuff.com ( "ULS ") has issued a report comparing plastic and paper grocery hags. ULS made the following findings (at pages 3 -4): 1. Plastic bags generate 39% less greenhouse gas emissions than uncomposted paper bags, and 68% less greenhouse gas emissions than composted paper bags. The plastic bags generate 4,645 tons of CO2 equivalents per 150 million bags; while uncomposted paper bags generate 7,621 tons, and composted paper bags generate 14,558 tons, per 100 million bags produced. 2. Plastic bags consume less than 6% of the water needed to make paper bags. It takes 1004 gallons of water to produce 1000 paper bags and 58 gallons of water to produce 1500 plastic bags. 3. Plastic grocery bags consume 71% less energy during production than paper bags. Significantly, even though traditional disposable plastic bags are produced from fossil fuels, the total non- renewable energy consumed during their lifecycle is up to 36% less than the non - renewable energy consumed during the tifecycle of paper bags and up to 64% less than that consumed by biodegradable plastic bags. 4. Using paper sacks generates almost five times more solid waste than using plastic bags. 5. After four or more uses, reusable plastic bags are superior to all types of disposable bags -- paper, polyethylene and compostable plastic -- across all significant environmental indicators. The ULS report concludes as follows (at page 5): Legislation designed to reduce environmental impacts and litter by outlawing grocery bags based on the material from which they are produced will not deliver the intended results. While some litter reduction might take place, it would be outweighed by the disadvantages that would subsequently occur (increased solid waste and greenhouse gas emissions). Ironically, reducing the use of traditional plastic bags would not even reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, as paper and biodegradable plastic bags consume at least as much non - renewable energy during their full lifecycle. Back to top THE U.S. EPA STATEMENT REGARDING TREES The EPA has stated that it takes 13 to 17 trees to make one ton of paper bags and that 955,000 tons of paper bags were used in the United States in 1997. That's 13 to 17 million trees per year. The EPA webpage has been removed. We have been unable to determine the reason and we do not know whether the EPA figure is correct. Flack to rop THE ENVIRONMENTAL PAPER NETWORK REPORT Environmental Paper Network: The Environmental Paper Network (EPN) has published a comprehensive report entitled: "The State of the Paper Industry." The EPN states in the report as follows: [T]he paper industry's activities - and our individual use and disposal of paper in our daily lives —have enormous impacts. These include loss and degradation of forests that moderate climate change, destruction of habitat for countless plant and animal species, pollution of air and water with toxic chemicals such as mercury and dioxin, and production of methane —a potent greenhouse gas —as paper decomposes in landfills, to name just a few. (Page iv) One of the most significant, and perhaps least understood, impacts of the paper industry is climate change. Every phase of paper's lifecycte contributes to global warming, from harvesting trees to production of pulp and paper to eventual disposal. (Page v) The climate change effects of paper carry all the way through to disposal. If paper is landfilled rather than recycled, it decomposes and produces methane, a greenhouse gas with 23 times the heat - trapping power of carbon dioxide. More than one -third of municipal solid waste is paper, and municipal landfills account for 34 percent of human related methane emissions to the atmosphere, making landfills the single largest source of such emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified the decomposition of paper as among the most significant sources of landfill methane. (Page v) According to the report at page 3: • Plastics contribute 4% of toxic emissions • Paper contributes 12% of toxic emissions According to the report at page 5, discards in the U.S. Municipal solid waste streams by material are as follows: • Plastics 16% • Paper and paperboard 25% The Daily Green has suim„arized the EPN report. Some of its observations are as follows: 1. Forests store 50% of the world's terrestrial carbon. (In other words, they are awfully important "carbon sinks" that hold onto pollution that would otherwise lead to global warming.) 2. Half the world's forests have already been cleared or burned, and 80% of what's left has been seriously degraded. 3. 42% of the industrial wood harvest is used to make paper. 4. The paper industry is the 4th largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions among United States manufacturing industries, and contributes 9% of the manufacturing sector's carbon emissions. 5. If the United States cut office paper use by just 10% it would prevent the emission of 1.6 million tons of greenhouse gases -- the equivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road. 6. Paper accounts for 25% of landfill waste (and one third of municipal landfill waste). 7. Municipal landfills account for one third of human - related methane emissions (and methane is 23 -times more potent a greenhouse gas than is carbon dioxide). Hack to top THE FRIENDS OF THE EARTH REPORT Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth has published a report entitled "Forests And Climate Change." This is the most balanced report we could find on the paper industry and deforestation. We believe that it does not overstate or understate the impact of logging. The report contains the following findings: • Deforestation in the tropics is the second most important source of greenhouse gas emissions. • Fossil fuel consumption is the greatest source of greenhouse gas emission. • The forest industry's claims that they are "combating climate change" are over - stated and provide no justification for the intensive forest management practices and timber /paper production of the industry, or the continued wasteful consumption of wood and paper products. Back to lop THE ROYAL SOCIETY REPORT ON OCEAN ACIDIFICATION Switching to paper bags instead of plastic bags will result in increased CO2 emissions. The oceans act as a sponge, taking up CO2 from the atmosphere which dissolves and forms an acid in the seawater. According to a report by the Royal Society of Great Britain, sea creatures such as corals, shell fish, sea urchins and star fish are likely to suffer the most because higher levels of acidity makes it difficult for them to form and maintain their hard calcium carbonate skeletons and shells. For example, even under the 'low' predictions for future carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, the combined effects of climate change and ocean acidification mean that corals could be rare on tropical and subtropical reefs, such as the Great Barrier Reef, by 2050. This will have major ramifications for hundreds of thousands of other species that dwell in the reefs as well as for the people that depend upon them, both for food and to help to protect coastal areas from, for example, tsunamis. The report says that changes in ocean chemistry, caused by ocean acidification, means that we can predict that some creatures in the Antarctic Ocean will be among the first to be affected. For example, some types of plankton a major source of food for fish and other animals may be unable to make their calcium carbonate shells by 2100. This may have significant consequences for entire food webs in the region, although the overall impact of this is unclear. Higher concentrations of carbon dioxide may also make it harder for some larger marine animals to obtain oxygen from seawater. For example, squid are particularly sensitive because they move by jet propulsion this is very energy - demanding and requires a good supply of oxygen. The London Times reported as follows on the Royal Society's findings: [Dr. Halt - Spencer of the University of Plymouth, who led the Royal Society study, stated:] Our observations verify concerns, based on laboratory experiments and model predictions, that marine food webs will be severely disrupted and major ecological tipping- points are likely if human CO2 emissions continue unabated." This appraisal of life in a more acidic ocean was if anything conservative, Dr Hall- Spencer said, because it mimicked future ecosystems only partially. The acidity around carbon dioxide vents can be reduced by rough conditions, which dilute the water - something that would not happen if the whole ocean was highly acidic. The researchers also noted that white fish continued to swim through more acidic waters, they avoided breeding or spawning in them. "That isn't a problem at the moment, as they can go elsewhere," Dr Hall- Spencer said. "But in a more acidic ocean there wilt be no escape." Global warming will also have an independent impact on sea life, by raising ocean temperatures. When considering whether to ban plastic bags in favor of paper bags, the impact of greater CO2 emissions on the oceans must not be disregarded. Click hem for a BBC article about the huge destruction of coral reefs caused by global warming, i fi a THE VOYAGE OF THE "JUNK" THE VOYAGE OF THE JUNK THE VOYAGE OF THE JUNK WATCH VIDEO A: THE 24 HR TRAWL In June 2008, a boat made out of waste materials, set sail from Los Angeles to Hawaii. The name of the COMMENTS ON VIDEO A vessel was the JUNK. The vessel arrived in Hawaii at the end of August 2008 after a three month voyage. WATCH VIDEO B: JUNK MEETS ROZ SAVAGE COMMENTS ON VIDEO B # �� Search "a HOME ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES SAN FRANCISCO SURVEY r ' PAPER BAGS AND CO2 PAPER BAGS IN LANDFILLS : E PAPER BAGS AND ROACHES t t THE TRUTH ABOUT LITTER witF • . THE FAMOUS TURTLE PICTURE "SERIES OF BLUNDERS" ARTICLE • IS THERE A "GARBAGE PATCH "? THE VOYAGE OF THE "JUNK' " The North Pacific Gyre is an area of ocean where the worlds highest concentration of marine debris has THE OIL MYTH accumulated, because of a vortex created by converging currents. The purpose of the voyage was to LA COUNTY SPREADING MYTHS demonstrate to the world that the North Pacific Gyre is full of all sorts of plastic debris and to support the case for banning plastic bags. WHOLE FOODS GREENWASHING The sponsors of the project created a blog that includes videos of the voyage. You can view two of the BERKELEY BOWL'S SOLUTION videos below. PLASTIC BAG RECYCLING BINS What the videos show is that if you drop a trawl in the Gyre and drag it through the water for 24 hours LITIGATION over a distance of about 50 miles, you will recover about as much plastic as it takes to fill the palm of ABOUT US your hand. CONTACT US After the JUNK arrived in Hawaii, one of the crew members wrote in the bioo as follows: 1 presented our last gyre sample from our marine debris trawl. In a glass peanut butter jar were hundreds of fragments of plastic and zooplankton floating around. "This is what you get when you skim the ocean surface. 2 /3rds of the earth is ocean, and is now a plastic soup." It is a misrepresentation to say: 'This is what you get when you skim the ocean surface." They should have said: "This is what you g et when you skim the ocean surface for 24 hours over a distance of about 50 miles." After three months at sea, they appear to have caught one fish with plastic fragments in its stomach. Onel In our comments below on the two videos, we expose some highly deceptive editing, which calls into question the scientific integrity of the project. (See comments on images 83 and 84 below.) I he voyage WA' supposed to Slppoe thF' r for is nnin 11 a+.hteu'ti rho 8> at' Opp 'site 11 demonstrated that there a e no plash: : hags and very 3lttle plastir dobris in I he fivr • Bari, to top WATCH VIREO A: THE 24 HR TRAWL. Od x -#- Bach to tnp COMMENTS ON VIDE() A o M e , .., .. }c Noma JUNK -n -Gyre a d s s h. y P � U 4 dk {s Al j4 .20 s 1 *01 I?x ' IMAGE Al Image Al above is the trawl that the crew used to find ocean debris in the North Pacific Gyre. i_OOK AT THE OCEAN, WE (A14NOT SEE ANY MARINE. Dr BR1S WHAff OE.VEk. NO PI ASTI4. flAGSI Home V:<iecs CSC JUNK -n -Gyre 1hours tat t- d ,, d A r c t� ., i + �t. , , t u ' y % ,a r" y� J ,� 'µ � y F m FT a ` y { , t f A ti E @� , f,'.. lit IMAGE A2 Image a w l 24 rs. According te bg„ e traveled A2 as bove much as show 5 8 the miles cre in 24 hours. removing the Howevertraw, after at various hou times the vessel o traveled thto siow the vess We can [Iterefin thare iassueome that the trawl collected debris over a di of a 50 miles during the 24 l hours e vd. ,'f q X 4sk19 , Home Videos Ch JUNK -n -Gyre � ' ' 441 �d aG fi . .,„ is ,, a W4 4@ i .. b i 4I.* .e,� < MYa x r e y �. A r 73 '.} � J, 3r 11 .. -. � .. ._ o Zb 108 .0-Iii P i'D F ii "., IMAGE A3 Image A3 above shows the trawl being pulled on board the vessel, after being dragged through the ocean for 24 hours and about 50 miles. You Home Videos Ch JUNK -n -Gyre a sk 4 r �e � 1 • x r r �g t w e�arra?esav!v.w.wt ;r+ �rret3'Y^j • , .: o ,' r 1 09 n , (, { IMAGE A4 Image A4 above shows the crew showing us inside the trawl. There appears to be a tiny amount of debris at the bottom of the trawl. EMhh Home Videos Ch ' 4'idee JUNK -n -Gyre tl i x. a rh j I 7 n lr'✓�'1ty',p,,�3# "fir y� "i4'� ��.,;' , 1. vT}r,�t'vC'u. - . -. ;!, 0:3811.08 1.411 IMAGE A5 Image A5 above shows the debris from inside the trawl being deposited in a pan. THE AMOUNT IS PATH €fIC:AM.1.Y SMALL. AFTEP A 50 MAtti: 'CRAW i'HltCiilf.H THE 41YRE:, 'i'iiE WORU,i?'S HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF PLASTIC DEBRIS. ^ , -. E+ 0i;L YOU it,i L 33 Home videos cP+ JUNK -n -Gyre e :. f ' •r . l':' ,,” -' ,,, 4144,!;,t .:-;',:''.41 • ,,:;,*,,,,,,,:?,.:4- .‘.,,,,,,,..,...„, .„_. ,i-„,.,.._„,,,,-,,,,,,,,,.„ ,..... .,,,,,_,,,..„.:„....,_- ., . _ ,...,..._. __,.,_...,,,,,,...,..._„- • lot . , .,., , i , la 's . ,,,::':',fr, , , .„,;.•,,‘‘':.. ., , „' t R + X44 : ''::," "�t x ,:;12..';':0'4-1.,:7,:,:'''., ! t 1 - ,, ssa tik? a w�+aasuvr it 0 <:; 1 9 •If II Fxr> IMAGE A6 Image A6 above shows the debris inside a glass jar. It appears that the floating debris includes two or mor+s fish. The voice of the video mentions that the plastic was found among " jellyfish and lantern fish" which implies ggesting that that they they came are from at in the jar. The itemre are four p of dark blue hard plastic or plastic fi lm su single . i Iiirc: s'i lNv nv ad3E d`#prP' d.'W ; 1'. 1 C ATMEFtt`T[T r i1 A ^,:l miLf FRAWl A Ri ACC - .N TO i`.rs rgov A i�r -�- M / sti,s,. ssd i;; >xsR1 . 4 (iO41 P1OPl.E% e \\\\) Fade to too WATCH VIDEO El: JUNK MEETS ROZ SAVAGE 6 ;ri.z (A / � I '� t� '�J YY x .. s i n { `s py„ 1 y ' . ' Y , f• . Back to top COMMENTS ON VIDEO 8 IOU Home ciec,s Ch JUNK meets Roz Savage! iS " ' . i serer r:aa C: 4,+i, 6..40 IMAGE B1 Image BI shows Roz Savage's boat which the JUNK met up with in the Gyre. Note the lack of any floating plastic or other debris. i ts , q mrJx'R ,� Home Viriacs Jule_. JUNK meets Roz Savage! dooy ' s 1 Ag teH '+ ,� t • r 4- 0,17■IntalkVA V` "r I IMAGE B2 Image B2 shows Roz Savage after she climbed on board the JUNK. ¥ou } rI i1c F t iisl Home videos Ch JUNK meets Roz Savage! 1 an 'V *P ;eft 444 � F r s • • ion ,� : o C _ ;, IMAGE B3 While image 83 above is being shown on the video, the voice on the video states: "We hauled in our surface trawl to show Roz what the marine debris issue looks like in the North Pacific Gyre." NOTE THAT THIS IS EXACTLY THE SAME IMAGE AS IMAGE A3 IN VIDEO A. THAT MEANS THAT ROZ SAVAGE WAS SHOWN THE RESULTS OF A 24 HOUR TRAWL. WHY IS THERE NO MENTION IN VICIEO 8 THAT THIS WAS A 24 HOUR TRAWL? THE OMISSION MAKES THE VIDEO MISLEADING, 1 OII " A �i - G :jlt5h Home Videos Ch Video JUNK meets Roz Savage! P A i1.Y ? ✓tu `+�. V i t � t4 a t, .,,2 z zip rrM . t y y `r`Gdauy '4 u +3 f 4 ■4 Ro P4I J `+' j '� ye lx a 5v4vi ,?,, a ?i ; a e ; IMAGE B4 In image B4 above, we are allegedly shown inside the glass jar where the marine debris has been deposited. WE HAVE SEEN THAI IMAGES A3 AND 83 ARE EXACTLY THE SAME. F [BEFORE, 1 INSIDE OF THE JAR SHOWN H4 IMAGE B4 ABOVE SHOULD BE THE SAME AS THE INSIDE OF THE JAR SHOWN IN IMAGE A6. IT ISN'T. WHAT IS GOING ON? Enh -h � r Home Videos Fide_ JUNK meets Roz Savage! y i1M 1gry 41 aY »t+td a ii a i y s4N r � �rtii } r✓r Nyrt�I �" w � c �' � � 1 ° l� ,,y '' � t ° i (�i' ` G! r l'r r z a t pw Faa rte s,■ 0:4 IMAGE B5 While image 135 above is being shown on the video, the voice on the video states: "Meanwhile Joel hauled in the mahi mahi that he had promised her over the radio. We had a great meal together, traded food and water, took a few photographs, as the sun set we parted ways." iF 'rIlt FISH IN THE 1:;'vRE EAT PLASTIC DEBRIS, WHY DID THE CREW AND ROZ SAVAGE EAT THIS FISH? fri, 1 tup Sae By Spirit Cn 2008 -11 Save The Plastic Bag Coalition. All rights reserved.