People Stories

Update: Remember the Young Man With a Plan to Rid Oceans of Plastic?

His massive plan is scheduled to launch this summer

Do you remember the teenager who six years ago invented a machine that he said could get rid of the plastic that was gathering in the ocean? Well, just in time for Earth Day, the young Dutch genius announced that he is almost ready to launch his ground-breaking initiative designed to purge the seas of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

This patch is a massive island of trash drifting halfway between California and Hawaii. Over a trillion pieces of debris have collected there because of the swirling vortex of current—a floating mass roughly twice the size of Texas. After discovering the patch in the 90s, scientists said it would take thousands of years to clean it up—but Boylan Slat said in his TEDx talk that he could do it in less than ten, if he could get his special machinery built.

Though his claim caused many skeptics to raise their eyebrows, Slat dropped out of college so he could bring his plans to life. In addition to crowdfunding $2.2 million for his idea, he […]

More about plastic and water:

Water Warriors and Other People Stories

Recent Posts

Hawaiʻi’s Corals Were Struggling To Survive. Then Came The Mud Floods

Coral reefs already face a litany of threats. Experts say storm runoff from the recent…

1 week ago

What’s Eating Iowa?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xqa0B9r7Y8 Iowa water: Pulitzer Prize winner Art Cullen and award-winning cinematographer Jerry Risius have teamed…

4 months ago

Invisible Threats: Understanding Water Contaminants in the U.S.

Clean water is essential for life, yet millions of Americans unknowingly consume contaminants through their…

1 year ago

High levels of microplastics in human brains appear to be increasing

Human brains contain higher concentrations of microplastics than other organs, according to a new study, and the…

1 year ago

California: executive order to help capture and store more water from severe storms

From the Office of the Governor: In anticipation of a multi-day, significant atmospheric river in Northern California,…

1 year ago

Experts give the real facts on California water

From Governor Newsom: Scientists, water managers, state leaders, and experts throughout the state are calling…

1 year ago