Plastic Ocean: How a Sea Captain's Chance Discovery Launched a Determined Quest to Save the Oceans

by Charles Moore

A prominent seafaring environmentalist and researcher shares his shocking discovery of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and inspires a fundamental rethinking of the Plastic Age.

In the summer of 1997, Charles Moore set sail from Honolulu returning home after competing in a trans-Pacific race. To get to California, he and his crew took a shortcut through the seldom-traversed North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a vast “oceanic desert” where winds are slack and sailing ships languish. There, Moore realized his catamaran was surrounded by a “plastic soup.”  He had stumbled upon the largest garbage dump on the planet—a spiral nebula where plastic outweighed zooplankton, the ocean’s food base, by a factor of six to one.

In Plastic Ocean, Moore recounts his ominous findings and unveils the secret life and hidden proper ties of plastics. From milk jugs to polymer molecules small enough  to penetrate human skin or be unknowingly inhaled, plastic is now suspected  of contributing to a host of ailments, including  infertility, autism, thyroid  dysfunction, and some cancers. An urgent call to action, Moore’s sobering revelations will be embraced by activists, concerned  parents, and anyone concerned about the deadly impact and implications of this man-made blight.

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment, Science, Memoir, Sustainability, Nature, Biology

400 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2011

Reviews

[Book Him Danno · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can argue about the environment, whether the crisis is manmade or natural, and what we should do about it until you are blue in the face. The problem most of the green movement is faith based and is actually volatile to true science. But trash is an exception. Trash is clearly a man-made object, and as humans we are terrible at disposing of it in a consistent, efficient, and clean manner. Any walk about your community or even a local nature area will demonstrate how we fail at this, with litter accumulating everywhere you look.

But this book is not about trash in general, rather it focuses on the world of disposable plastic and how it works it way into our water supply, especially the Pacific Ocean. Captain Moore starts out talking about sailing with his family as a youth and experiencing clean oceans; that it would be rare to see any floating trash. Fast forward to getting stuck in the gyre (I am not an ocean guy, but I took this to mean the part of the ocean that is not in the currents, thus relatively “trapped” sections the size of very large states) and noticing lots of debris; mainly plastic as it tends to float. This began the personal mission that would fill up his life; Why is there so much plastic in the ocean, and where did it come from?

The mistakes I think most people make when talking about plastic is they believe it is easily recyclable. The truth is a lot more complicated as you cannot take a bottle and make another bottle; rather you make something less down the chain. And that all plastic is recyclable while the truth is there are thousands of varieties of plastic and more being invented all the time. Also plastic never really breaks down, it just becomes small and smaller insomuch sea creatures begin ingesting it, and then so do we. And the sheer volume of plastic in our world today is staggering. I am sitting here using a chair, computer, keyboard, Ipod, water bottle, watch, desk, phone all containing plastic materials right now. Even my shirt buttons are plastic. It is truly everywhere.

We are literally killing ourselves with plastic in our disposable age, and it seems no one cares. No when I read this book I do come away with the desire to completely remove all plastics from life, besides that would be impossible. Take travel for instance, you would be unable to drive a car or take an airplane anymore. In situations like these I look to the pragmatic steps we can take right now. Number one plastic polluter – disposable shopping bags. We can all take steps to reduce our usage right there for a start. Then start looking for more areas where plastic makes inroads to your disposable lifestyle and start implementing small changes. Use real dishes and utensils, buy products based on less packaging material or even non-plastic materials, buy larger size containers of items you do use that the non-plastic choice isn’t readily available (i.e shampoo, etc), and please, please, please clean up your own mess and your communities whenever you can.

You probably won’t change the world, but you can significantly alter your little corner of it. The only knock on the book is it is a little dry and not accessible to the average reader. When you read the book you will get the irony because Captain Moore recounts the years it took him to get more academic to be taken seriously by the scientific community. But the audience here is just regular concerned citizens and the book could have used a lot more anecdotes to fill out the statistics. For example, he mentions the sinking of a cruise ship, losing all aboard, due to the propeller getting caught in a abandon plastic fishing net only in passing. A few paragraphs on that could have awakened a whole population of cruise go-ers to the possible dangers.

[Kerry Shoji · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was both enlightening and scary. Well written and presented. Given all the scientific information contained in the book, it was not a difficult read and presented the facts in laymen's terms. It brought home the point of the vastness of the plastics in the gyre, its harm to sea life and human life, and the urgency to take action to prevent further marine debris from being generated and the clean-up of the growing gyre.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm doing an average here -- 2 stars for writing style, 4 stars for topic/nature of the book.

The first third of the book was quite hard for me to get into -- I thought there was a lot of extra info that didn't need to be in the book (did not care about boat details and all the "salty sailor" lingo). And his writing style grated on my nerves -- he constantly fluctuated between present tense and past tense. It made it tough to read.

But, overall, super important topic, and it inspired a lot of thought and conversation ... and further learning. And in the end, that counts for a lot more than his ability to write.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the plastics ever manufactured, still exists. Plastics absorb & concentrates toxins. Ultimately billions of tons of plastic finds its way into our ocean and is consumed by marine life. As horrifying as this is, it gets worse. Plastic bits eventually blanket the ocean floor in a type of plastic sand, creating a barrier to the natural oceanic carbon sink which naturally absorbs 25% of the carbon in our atmosphere. In other words, plastics accelerate global warming, with no chance of biodegradability in 100 years or more. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEKohT...

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a mess we’ve made. Once I thought capitalism was to blame. Now I fear it’s humans.

[R.d. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating, if not depressing, book about the pollution of our oceans by plastic products. It seems there's no end to man's ability to muck up perfectly pristine environments. The book is a bit heavy on the side of factoids, but I suppose Captain Moore would rather err on the side of overkill than let us think things aren't truly dire beneath the waves and filtering through our fishy food chain. If we are what we eat, then in no time we, too, will be made of plastic! What a pleasant thought.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh! What a book! It is very upsetting to read of our destruction of the oceans with plastics. There was one spot in the book where I had to turn away for awhile until I could continue reading. I highly recommend this and also recommend learning to say no to plastic.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book stutters a bit at the outset, first laying down a bit of the author's past, and his trusty conveyance. It's a bit meandering; that section needs shaving.

Shortly after that, however, the book grows teeth, and the small and big pictures grow grimmer and grimmer and more devastating as he goes along.

We have really @#%$ed things up, is the most elegant way to put things.

What's inspiring is that this wasn't his path. He was simply a boat captain, but it became a calling, and he gains respect and attention as he goes along. He also gains little teeny-tiny victories, politicially and practically, here there and everywhere, which hopefully will amount to much, and hopefully spells for large positive outcomes in the future.

[Jacquelyn Casazza · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this was a dense read, it’s critical to the understanding of the plastic problem. The book raises many important questions and blows apart myths we have about plastics. I found the information about the development of the industry itself fascinating as well as questions like - why don’t we put more pressure on producers to be responsible? Why is it the consumer who must so diligently wash plastics (I do) to be recycled - when in reality so little of our plastics are actually recycled? We need to stem the usage of single use plastics, put pressure on the fishing and packaging industries and change our consumer habits, or we will destroy our ocean - if we haven’t already.

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is my first one star rating this year. I don't have many of these low ratings, plus this one even landed on my DNF pile which is very rare for me. I was more than half way through and I just couldn't do it any more. It was so dry and the beginning was filled with so much minutia that I kept saying to myself, "I'll just give it 30 more minutes." Then I'd repeat that time and time again. Finally when I started answering back, "Why do you want to?" I had to let it go.

I think this is a much needed message that needs to be heard, I just couldn't get past the delivery.

[Lorraine Akemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this book five stars because it's not often that you read a book that changes your course of action. This one did. The author was well written, well referenced, and well intentioned.

[Chelsea Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, final chapter got me emotional. Captain Moore’s experience of falling into activism resonated with me (though I’m at the early stages), and I liked seeing how one thing led to another in his life.

Parts of the book were simply devastating- the excess of packaging and disposable goods, the toxicity of ocean plastic and how it works its way up the food chain, the impossibility of cleaning up the ocean, the unequal distribution of consequences to the most vulnerable... but awareness is the first step to change. The book personally inspired me to take action as I’ve been going on trash pickups in my neighborhood (and I think to myself that I’m saving some poor sea creature from eating whatever item I pick up). Plus, change and action aside, I often think of a quote from one of the people in a book I read about the Syrian civil war where she says that the least she could do was bear witness.

I agree with some of Captain’s Moore’s final thoughts about how we’ll need to fundamentally alter the focus of capitalism to effect real change. “The economic system that brought us fabulous wealth and unprecedented growth can’t give us a healthy planet. The arc that has carried us this far is foundering, and it can’t take us the rest of the way.” Sacred Economics is a good book on that subject, and I have on my to-read list the recent Nobel prize winning Good Economics for Hard Times. Finally, I liked his idea of "The Great Refusal... the refusal to be an uncritical part of the economy."

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it's definitely on my re-read list. I quite like Charles Moore's style. He's one of those scientists I'd love to meet.

Here are some of this things that really stood out to me:

"But this story has never been only about plastics. It's about an epic shift from austerity and frugality to abundance and profligacy" (97).

*"You may think it's wrong to knock large corporations for their green efforts. You may think they will lead the way to a greener way of life. And while greening efforts are to be encouraged no matter who makes them, they will not be genuine until a company begs you to reduce consumption of their product. And that will never happen" (141).

"That plastics are hydrocarbons, derived from oil, means they harbor the potential for toxicity, because oil, as we know, is inherently toxic" (184).

Now this would make an excellent piece of science fiction (I wouldn't be surprised if it's been done already): "We're all a little taken aback when Ebbesmeyer declares for the camera that the human race may well be doomed by plastics. He gives us a few generations before hormonal toxicants in plastics render us chemical eunuchs" (209).

"The third halogen is bromine... Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) work on the premise that heat causes their molecules to break apart and release bromine that snuffs the flame" (257). I found that interesting.

Oh, here's another good sci-fi story waiting to happen (similar in consequence, perhaps, if not in cause, to Idiocracy: "Since then, the document has gained more than two hundred signatories, most of them prominent scientists and doctors, from thirty countries. These include European countries where BFRs are already banned. Why should they bother? Because our flame retardants affect their ecosystems, and the global food chain. These scientists list among their concerns not only the diseases and disorders already noted but no less than the erosion of human intelligence... Literally dumbed down, a society loses talent, productivity, competitiveness, and possibly the ability to organize politically to combat its own decline" (262). As amusing as Idiocracy was, this book could be elegantly frightening.

"There comes a tipping point when a chemical's purported benefits cannot justify what appear to be harmful unintended consequences" (264).

"BPA is a mildly estrogenic synthetic phenol..." (264). Oh, Science, how you continue to provide fodder for the eager pen. If only I knew remotely anything about chemistry. What effect would widespread, transmittable estrogen have on a population?

"Phthalates and BPA...don't persist and don't bioaccumulate" (263). This isn't a particularly stellar quote, but it will be good to remember.

Regarding large companies 'going green' and wanting 'to educate people about the impacts of their behavior': "It's this kind of moralist scolding from an uber-perpetrator—the one who passes out the weapons and then blames 'irresponsible people' when someone gets hurt—that almost stirs in me a sense of wonder for its sheer audacity" (286).

"The numbers 1 to 6 inside the chasing arrows indicate the base polymer type, but not all are collected in recycling programs. Number 7 simply means 'not 1 to 6.' But even the 'in-demand' resins—typically 1, polyethylene terephthalate (PET); 2, high-density polyethylene (HDPE); and, to a lesser extent, 4 and 5, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polypropylene (PP)—aren't always recyclable or recycled once they're collected. Of the number 1s and number 2s that are sorted, baled, and sold, the winning bidder is usually the one selling to concerns located where labor costs are low—typically China. If no one bids, the pallets of sorted plastics are headed for the landfill anyway. Much of recycling is an elaborate charade" (294).

"The messages Americans hear loud and clear are 'Don't litter' and 'Recycle,' which burden the consumer with trash management. Less loud and clear are the other two Rs: 'Reduce' and 'Reuse,' which carry the faint aroma of subversion" (300).

"In order for a plastic to disappear in the ocean, it must be marine degradable, essentially undergoing the same processes as organic materials in a terrestrial compost pile. Just because a plastic will completely biodegrade in a compost pile doesn't mean it will biodegrade in the ocean. The ocean is much colder than a compost pile..." (302).

"The tipping point may still be distant, but a consumer groundswell against plastics is the most potent weapon in the change agent's arsenal" (314).

"In the United States, where too many people with political clout view environmental restrictions on business as akin to burning the American flag, the movement is necessarily diffuse and often focused on local policy" (314-315).

"We are faced with a fundamental contradiction. The economic system that brought us fabulous wealth and unprecedented growth can't give us, as a basic return on our investment of lives, labor, and loyalty, a healthy planet" (330).

"In the United States... we find ourselves with 10 million workers unemployed, yet supermarket shelves are full, Internet orders for anything you want arrive in a couple of days, and you can get your dog's nails done while you choose from an assortment of treats for your best friend, based on the dog's age and physical characteristics. What are the 14 million supposed to do? Enlarge the services sector? We've got everything we need and much, much more available" (333).

Yes, definitely an excellent read.

[Feisty Harriet · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Stop buying single-use plastic, stop ruining the planet. And here are hundreds of pages of first-hand experience and research and proof, just in case you need it. For being published almost 10 years ago (2011), it is REMARKABLY current.

[Polly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Moore, like the sea captain he is, masterfully reels in readers; spinning a yarn of thirteen years of personal experiences into a shared quest for truth about the state of the Earth's Oceans. More gripping than the Odyssey, Charles walks with readers along beaches,through ancient still waters and across the silent parts of the planet.
What does a carpenter do with his childhood love of the ocean, and some inheritance in his pocket? He builds a boat, get's a captains license, and asks questions about what he sees in the ocean. He sees little bits of plastic. He asks more questions. There is nothing apparently that can stop a question by Charles Moore. He is like the boy who asks about the Emperor's new clothes. Any soul who reads this journey will find their heart inexplicably set sail on a quest to change the world.
What are some things I've experienced from this book?
*Windrows are a natural phenomenon of the ocean weaving and spinning plant life into great patterns, now spun with plastic nets and debris.
*Seventy to two hundred pounds of plastic shopping bags pulled from the stomachs of deceased whales, cows, and camels. Whales dying from swallowing the trash they strain from the ocean in search of food.
*Birds feeding their young red and blue bottle caps instead of marine life and unintentionally killing their young. Nests made of plastic.
*US Beef and Poultry being legally fed plastic bits in place of fiber.
*Plastic bits floating in salt water pulling toxins to themselves like magnets to a box of straight pins. Plastics' chemical formula breaking into toxic strands and infiltrating every part of human existence-- including brain function, and cellular health,and metabolism.
*Starving Monk Seals in Hawaii who can't compete with fishermen and so consume more plastic.
*Ghost nets and netburgs from plastic fishing nets dumped overboard after every catch of fish; collecting in the oceans daily at the rate of paper napkins from a fast food joint.
*Recycled Plastic being bid on by foreign markets and shipped (back) overseas, or dumped if no one wants to process it that day.
*"The ocean has gone from smooth to chunky."
*Kids becoming Marine scientists so they can help.
*Kids counting grains of sand verses grains of plastic on their beaches and finding sand is the loser.
*Parents starting environmental charter schools.
*Kids being born with less potential because of the effects of plastic based fire retardants.
*Photographers giving careers over to shooting trash instead of marine life.
*Artists giving over to creating art from trash instead of other mediums.
*Scientists giving up on plans to recycle plastic from the ocean because the pace of the influx is too fast.
*A new motto: reduce, reuse, refuse, recycle

This book is a must read for everyone. I know I didn't forget my cloth bags and the grocery store yesterday. I remembered to go back and get them out of the trunk. And I bought my milk in glass bottles. If I learned one thing from this book it's that recycling my plastic milk carton is one thing, but I don't want to drink milk from a cow that eat's plastic. My metabolism is already slow enough. And to me that means: every drop in the ocean is just as important as every every cell of my body. They are interconnected, just as we all are with every part of life on the planet. If Charles Moore's friends, and even the little children's book I found on coral, says we only have til 2050. Let's take the next forty years the ocean has left and refuse plastic. We have a lot to clean up. And we can start at home, right in our own back yard.

[R.Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most informative book that I've read in a long time! Captain Moore gives an entire picture of what is happening to the oceans, the shorelines, and even creatures such as fish and humans, both of which ingest more chemicals from plastic than we realize. Did you know that among the little triangles that supposedly show how to recycle your plastics, the #7 just means "other stuff." If you are using plastic baby bottles to feed your baby, stop now! Chemicals from every type of plastic leach into the systems of the babies (and everyone) who is exposed, causing all sorts of impairments, such as reduced intellectual capability. What have we done? To the planet? To the oceans? To ourselves? To our children and their futures? The invention of plastic in all its forms has transformed our lives, made life easier and more convenient, that is a given, and it's not going away. It doesn't have to if we, the citizens of earth, plan more responsibly on how it's produced, how its used, with full disclosure about what the ingredients and their effects are, and above all, how to dispose of it or re-use it when we no longer need it. We may be at a tipping point, and which way planet life tilts is up to us.

[Taran Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just read the paperback edition (pub 2012) and it was an extraordinarily interesting read. Captain "Charlie" has done some really first class research into not only the plastic that has collected in the East Pacific Gyre, but also into the history and use of plastics over the last fifty or so years. The book provides a fascinating insight into the way American society (in particular) has become fixated on a world that is dominated by the throwaway attitudes that have developed from the 100,000 or so different plastics that are used in practically everything that we buy. It should be essential reading for anyone who has the slightest scepticism about the harm that plastics are doing to the world. For those who, like myself, are already seriously worried about the way this consumerist society is headed, it provides plenty of evidence to support our thinking.

[Sariene Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was disturbing. It's one thing to know we have a plastics problem, it's another to have so clearly spelled out by someone who's spent decades chasing it around the ocean. I'm certainly even more motivated to reduce my household plastic use now. The only thing I can fault him for is briefly stepping far beyond the consensus and the evidence to assert that autism and autoimmune disorders are caused by our environmental contamination. The fact is we don't know that, and I was a little disappointed to see him claim it. But this was a pretty brief sidebar, and as near as I can tell the rest of the book is sound.

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Factoid: Over the course of two years of plastics production, the weight of those plastics equals the collective weight of every man, woman, and child on this planet.

Depressing as hell . . . a must read, especially for those of us who want good, quality arguments for reducing/eliminating our addiction to oil and oil-based products, which of course plastic is. We need to stop using the ocean as a convenient dump, for a variety of reasons, not least our moral obligation to the future of all creatures on earth.
This book goes hand in hand with other books on, say global warming.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Turned out to be a page turner/accessible book about a scientist turned activist's path to discovering the magnitude of plastic pollution in the ocean. Really changed my views on recycling, plastics in general and what the focus of my own environmental activism should be. It is getting a lot of attention in the environmental media, but I thought it was a very readable book.

One of the best books I've read this year. Found myself waking up early to read before the school day hustle!

[Marita · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first exposure of this problem was when the Indonesian airplane went down and can't be found because of all the debris in the oceans. So I picked this up from the library to learn some more of the subject, and boy was I blown away!! How terrible we humans are in pursue of profit and ease. The question should not be of how big of a carbon footprint are you leaving behind, but how big of a PLASTIC one!! Wow.

[Dawn Wynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Moore is a pioneer discovering what is consider to be the garbage patches in our oceans. He clearly explains why plastic is so harmful and why our only solution is to eliminate our dependence on plastic. Recycling is not enough. A must read to truly understand this devastating epidemic we are faced with.

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book all of us plastic consumers would benefit from reading. Or rather the Earth and future us would benefit from us reading. It provides a tragic look into what plastic is doing to the environment—us included. One of my favorite take-aways is adding “REFUSE” to the front of “reduce, reuse, recycle.”

[Siobhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bottom line: There is no piece of plastic too small to have a devastating effect on ourselves and the environment, and our consumption (and disposal) of plastic is totally out of control. Highly recommended.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was phenomenal. It was extremely informative talking about more than a plastic ocean and more than just his journey. Lots of great information and background history. all i can say is very interesting, enlightening, and inspiring. we gotta make changes.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a MUST read. I am definitely going to make an effort to use a lot less plastic. I hope Plastic Ocean sparks a movement amongst consumers to protest the use of plastic.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

good!

[Matteo Negro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esiste un luogo sul pianeta Terra dove la ferita inferta dal nostro sistema di sviluppo incontrollato, basato sulla fede della crescita indefinita, risulta particolarmente evidente. Non si tratta di un area metropolitana densamente popolata o di una zona portuale inquinata dal traffico incessante delle imbarcazioni ma di una vastissima porzione di oceano a mille miglia di distanza dalla terraferma; uno dei luoghi più isolati che possiamo immaginare. Pressappoco a metà strada tra le isole Hawaii e la costa della California un enorme accumulo di materiale plastico ha formato quello che viene chiamato Great Pacific Garbage Patch (Grande Chiazza di Rifiuti del Pacifico) che si estende per una superficie di circa 2.000.000 di Km2 (circa la superficie del Canada). Nei primi giorni di agosto del 1997 Charles Moore, capitano di una piccola imbarcazione diretta in California si imbatté in quel mare di rifiuti. La sconvolgente scoperta influenzò a tal punto la sua esistenza tanto da indurlo a dedicare gli anni successivi alla ricerca delle cause e soprattutto delle conseguenze di quell’insolito fenomeno. Il Great Pacific Garbage Patch crebbe sensibilmente a partire dalla fine della seconda guerra mondiale periodo in cui il massiccio impiego di polimeri plastici spinse l’espansione dell’industria degli imballaggi e degli oggetti usa e getta. Al giorno d’oggi la produzione mondiale di materiali plastici ammonta a 300 milioni di tonnellate l’anno, una cifra incredibile ed inimmaginabile. Un’elevata frazione di questa plastica prodotta viene dispersa negli ecosistemi naturali e successivamente, a causa della sua persistenza, raggiunge gli oceani. Ma l’inquinamento proveniente dalla terraferma non è l’unica sorgente. Altre importanti fonti di rifiuti di plastica sono le milioni di navi mercantili, navi da pesca, navi militari e da crociera. Infine i violenti disastri naturali quali tsunami, tifoni, uragani e terremoti possono disperdere in mare tonnellate di materiale plastico. Per lungo tempo gli oceanografi di tutto il mondo si sono domandati quale sia la ragione per la quale questo materiale si accumuli nel vortice del pacifico. Recentemente si è scoperto che la distribuzione delle principali correnti oceaniche favorisce l’accumulo del materiale plastico in quella remota area. Il materiale plastico immerso nell’oceano non si degrada ma va incontro ad una progressiva frammentazione così da impattare a tutti i livelli della rete trofica. Sacchetti di plastica, accendini usa e getta, spazzolini per denti, ecc possono essere ingoiati da diversi animali causando il soffocamento. Particolarmente triste è la storia degli Albatri di Laysan che nidificano nelle remote isole Midway. Questi sontuosi uccelli, con una apertura alare che raggiunge i due metri, scambiano i frammenti di plastica variopinti come succulenti crostacei e pertanto li utilizzano come alimentano per i loro pulli che muoiono dopo poco tempo. L’impatto della plastica non si ferma qui. I microscopici frammenti, sminuzzati in particelle microscopiche dall’azione meccanica delle onde vengono assunti anche dal plancton filtratore con conseguenze disastrose. Si è calcolato che nel centro del vortice il rapporto tra particelle di plastica e plancton è di circa 6 a 1!! Che cosa possiamo fare per contrastare tutto questo? Dobbiamo necessariamente ripensare al nostro stile di vita basato sull’approccio usa e getta di un’infinità di prodotti. Ridurre al minimo l’utilizzo degli imballaggi e la pratica del riciclo sono la via per ridurre questa profonda ferita che abbiamo inferto al nostro pianeta!

[Brian Umholtz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sobering account of the conditions of our oceans. Spoiler alert: we're screwed. The EPA has no teeth to affect change in regards to setting guidelines and best practices- it can only assess any damages chemicals have wrought and enforce punishment. Captain Moore lays out in this book what his organization is doing to both raise awareness and actually put a dent in the problem, but it's not as simple as it may seem before you read it. Boogeyman corporations aside, sometimes our worst enemy is overzealous lawmakers that legislate with feelings and job security in mind rather than science. California has both a nurgle and a fire retardant chemical problem and features some of the most polluted human beings in the world; yet it simultaneously has some of the most stringent anti-pollution laws in our country. Food for thought.

The main takeaway for me is twofold: human beings on dry land are just as bad as those on commercial ocean-going vessels. At some point, the situation we're in will only be helped when the average citizen starts taking responsibility for the litter they create throwing their McDonalds bags, empty Newport cigarettes, and Bud Light cans out of their cars. Organizing beach cleanups and river walks for instagram likes and hashtag visibility is adorable, but I'd rather see people take charge of their own trash before it ends up roadside in the first place. While it is important we have stringent laws governing the industrial sector to prevent as much pollution as possible (with some falling laughingly short), I'm starting to believe the ones on roadsides warning against littering and the fines associated with doing so are just for show.

It took a while to get through because I forgot I was reading it! I kept saying, "maybe later," as I passed it on my way to or from the kitchen or bathroom while it lay out on the end table beckoning me to read it before it became late from the library. It is a denser read because of all the fact citing and depressing statistics, but not nearly as much as Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms & a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories. Neither is a bad book by any means, but it was important that I could fully concentrate to understand some of the finer details. Pandora's 'Classical Music for Studying' channel helped tremendously.

I recommend reading this book. It is an important journal that lays out the understanding of the processes creating this pollution, its origins, evidence of the shockingly huge problem, and what solutions people and scientists are investigating to help further reduce the damage over time. There are no browbeating political soapbox rants, there are no unmitigated leaps of logic or opinionated blame games. It's just filled with information, observation, and actual science. Captain Moore didn't have to convince me: I have been going above and beyond for nearly two decades to rinse out and properly dispose of everything recycleable that my county has services for; including batteries, bike inner tubes, and obsolete electronics. I only hope that Lowes is actually recycling my bread and grocery bags instead of just throwing it all in the dumpster.

[Lindon Maddox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love buying and reading these types of books.
Boats, yachts, historical events and books about the sea are generally excellent. If there are sequels in your series, I would love to read them.

The beauties of owning the books of important authors cannot be discussed. I'm looking forward to your new books.

For friends who want to read this book, I leave the importance of reading a book here. I wish good luck to the sellers and customers...

Top 10 benefits of reading for all ages:

1. Reading Exercises the Brain

As we read, we need to remember the different characters and settings of a particular story. Even if you enjoy reading a book in one sitting, you need to remember the details during the time you devote to reading the book. Therefore, reading is an exercise for your brain that improves memory function.

2. Reading Is a (free) Form of Entertainment

Did you know that most of the popular TV series and movies are based on books? So why not indulge in the original form of entertainment by immersing yourself in reading? Most importantly, it's free with your Markham Public Library card.

3. Reading Improves Concentration and Focus

We all agree that there can be no reading without focus, and we need to concentrate on every page we read to fully understand the story. In a world where gadgets only speed up and shorten our attention span, we must constantly practice concentration and focus. Reading is one of the few activities that requires your undivided attention, so it improves your ability to concentrate.

4. Reading Improves Literacy

Have you ever read a book where you come across a word you don't know? Books have the power to improve your vocabulary by introducing you to new words. The more you read, the more your vocabulary will improve as well as your ability to communicate effectively. Also, reading improves writing skills by helping the reader understand and learn different writing styles.

5. Reading Improves Sleep

By creating a bedtime routine that includes reading, you can signal to your body that it's time to sleep. Now more than ever, we rely on increased screen time to get through the day. That's why you put your phone away and pick up a book and tell your brain it's time to calm down. Also, since reading helps you relieve stress, reading right before bed helps calm your mind and anxiety and improve your sleep quality.

6. Reading Increases General Knowledge

Books are always full of fun and interesting facts. Whether we read fiction or non-fiction, books have the ability to provide us with information we might not otherwise know. Reading various topics can make you a more knowledgeable person and therefore improve your speaking skills.

7. Reading Is Motivating

By reading books about heroes overcoming adversity, we are often encouraged to do the same. Whether it's a romance novel or a self-help book, the right book can motivate you to never give up and stay positive.

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