Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives), Joel Evan (singer/actor/model)
Project Kaisei will head out in August on their second expedition in efforts to make a dent in cleaning up the debris, a task many are skeptical can even make an impact.
According to Schrage, it’s estimated that it will take $2.4 million for two ships to make the trip for one month, clearing out multiple barges full of garbage.
“We believe we can,” Project Kaisei’s Co-Founder, Mary Crowley said.
Presented among the Malibu Lumber Yard’s lavish outdoor setting, live-auction, open bars, premium cuisine, and live entertainment was a trailer for Angela Sun’s documentary, which focuses on the devastation of the Gyre.
Sun, an enthusiastic diver and surfer used her love for the ocean to create the passion project. The documentary is five years in the making, three of which were spent achieving a grant to make the trip possible.
Ellen Hollman (Skateland, Medium), Louise Griffiths (Tekken)
“The point of our documentary is to get young people aware and for young people to understand that every piece of plastic since its creation in the 1860’s is still around… it’s not gone,” Sun said. “It’s not just about recycling, it’s about making people aware and lowering our consumption.”
The trailer was a showcase of alarming film footage, graphic photos, and disturbing facts from Sun’s government granted expedition to the floating plastic junkyard.
Bridgetta Tomarchio (Californication), Sasha Cohen (figure skater)
Plastics, which just continue to break apart instead of biodegrade, are responsible for the death of one million sea creatures every year. The material is also made out of petroleum, a sensitive subject in wake of the recent BP oil spill in the Gulf. In direct result of polluting plastic into the ocean, pieces of broken plastic have scattered the ecosystem and are now being found in the fish we consume on a regular basis.
“It’s unfortunate that it takes finding plastic in fish to really give a rip,” Sun said.
Recently, the movement against plastic has been making headway. On June 2, the Calif. State Assembly passed a Bill that would ban the use of plastic bags in consumer stores beginning in 2012, forcing people to buy and reuse their own environmentally friendly bags.
“I think that it’s one step forward,” said Sun. “If we tax people (on plastic bags) we’re going to be more motivated to bring our own.”
Adam Gaynor (former Matchbox 20 Guitarist) & Ashley Kirschner; Carlos R. Ramirez (actor/producer) & guest
Other environmental professionals attending My Ocean Planet agree with the ban.
“Hopefully we do get a statewide plastic ban,” said Dr. Marcus Eriksen, a founder of the 5 Gyre Project. “Incrementally we change the world.”
The Sirens Society: Heather Lounsbury, Jodi Fung, Hollie Stenson (All About Steve, Two and a Half Men)
Although the efforts to reduce the consumption of plastic is a main focus, the vitality and usefulness of plastic is recognized as well.
“We’re not anti-plastic,” said Crowley. “But it shouldn’t be used for stuff that we throw away. Soon there won’t be places to swim or surf without running into plastic.”
The Malibu Lumber Yard is located at 3939 Cross Creek Road, Malibu, Calif.
Photos by Mandy Rodgers.
