coastal british columbia  

Greetings! Drew Kampion [www.drewkampion.com] here, with a question:Do you remember a time before plastic?

Gerry Lopez does; his recollection is below, and I'm hoping you have a before-and-after story in you, too.

Do you remember when you walked the high-tide line collecting puka shells, bits of glass or maybe even a glass float, twisted sea-smoothed pieces of wood ... all that magical detritus. And then one day you were noticing pieces of plastic lacing that ocean margin - chunks of Styrofoam, frayed lengths of colorful plastic rope, "disposable" lighters, you name it. This was a different kind of detritus, and something in us knew that something important had changed, and something inside of us changed, too, seeing that plastic pollution there on the beach.

Please, read Gerry's story, and, after you do, I'm hoping you'll be inspired to write an account of your own experiences of the coming of the age of plastic pollution.

We're looking for your personal before-and-after story - a glimpse into how your world was before plastic and how you first came to realize that something big had changed. Can be long, can be short, must be true.

1. Email your stories to: story@plasticpollutioncoalition.org
2. Take the pledge to REFUSE single-use plastics - plasticpollutioncoalition.org
3. Join the Plastic Pollution Coalition - plasticpollutioncoalition.org

Like Gerry's, your story could end up on the Patagonia website or in one of their catalogs, or somewhere else where the folks at the Plastic Pollution Coalition can imagine your story having the best possible impact on the global awareness of this extremely toxic and destructive plague that is threatening to overwhelm much of life on Earth.

You never know. Maybe it will be your story that inspires someone to make the small changes in their lives that will create the ripple effect that kicks off a sea change that leads to the paradigm shift that must happen, for the sake of us all. You never know, so ... go for it!
drew

What a Mess

By Gerry Lopez

I spent a lot of time surfing a spot in Indonesia called G-Land. Remotely located on the edge of the Alas Purwo National Park on the southeastern tip of Java, it was, relatively speaking, far from civilization. Actually, as the Indonesian sea-eagle flies, it was only about 15 kilometers from the nearest village but with the terrain and local inhabitants in between, it might as well have been a million miles. Residents of that area included the Java Tiger, herds of wild boars, the Indonesian Wild Water Buffalo, the Komodo Dragon, more deadly snakes than one could shake a stick at ... well, I often wondered what I was doing out there with no more protection that a few surfboards. In the mid to late 1970's, we were permitted to build a temporary camp with some bamboo tree houses and a shack to cook in. The lack of human presence made the beaches, the only area we frequented, absolutely pristine. We brought our drinking water in glass bottles, the only containers available at that time. We dug latrines out in the jungle and burned all our garbage. When the coming of the monsoons heralded the end of the surf season, we left.

When we returned the next year, it was like no one had ever been there. One time, we discovered a mound of rubber slippers in a little nook of one of the rocky sections along the shore. Except for some broken pieces of wood that could have been part of a boat or some huge teak log with sawn ends, there was nothing else to indicate the hand of man. The wood we salvaged to use for our camp and the slippers came in handy to walk out on the exposed reef if we got too impatient to wait for the high tide to come in. I remember how, back in Bali, instead of using tape to secure a package, tied coconut leaves or vines served the purpose. The natural functioning and simplicity of the G-Land camping made me endeavor to leave as few as tracks and as small a wake as possible, in a figurative way of living.

We enjoyed that simplistic surf camp lifestyle for about 3 more seasons. Then one year, the water came in plastic bottles, not the glass ones anymore. In the ferry towns of Banyuwangi and Gilimanuk on the Bali side, we noticed that food sold to those awaiting the ferries, previously wrapped in banana leaf, now came in plastic bags. When we got to the fishing village of Grajagan, we saw the shoreline littered with plastic garbage. A fishing boat dropped us ashore on the far side of the bay and, at first, it looked as though the area around our surf camp was as devoid of humanity as ever. Later on, when we walked further up the beach to paddle out to the break, where the high tide swirled the flotsam and jetsam, we hung our heads in shame. By nautical definition, flotsam is the floating wreckage or cargo of a ship; jetsam is something jettisoned to lighten a ship's load. Either would seem to have a place washed ashore on this Robinson Crusoe-like beach but what we found was neither. Instead, it was simply trash, almost entirely of plastic packaging of some sort. Clear or colored, somehow it seemed infinitely more dirty and unwelcome than the rubber slippers from season's past. When we asked our camp boys to help us gather this rubbish and burn it, they looked at us as if we had completely lost our minds.

The splendid waves of G-Land never seemed to change and we enjoyed surfing them over the next 20 years. It was a surf paradise beyond compare. And it opened my eyes to how quickly an absolutely pristine, totally natural place can become a mess. Plastic is a problem for all of us. It creates toxic pollution during its manufacture, use and disposal. Recycling is not a solution, every bit of plastic made, still exists. Join the Plastic Pollution Coalition and learn about this epidemic. Maybe it's not too late.
© Gerry Lopez, 2011

Interested in the issue of Cosmetic Use of Pesticides & Herbicides across B.C.? Let your voice be heard!

Submit comments to the Special Legislative Committee on Cosmetic Pesticides - it's easy, just fill out a form or submit comments at https://www.leg.bc.ca/pesticidescommittee/learn.htm

Deadline: Friday, December 16th

For several years, the Canadian Cancer Society and its partners have been advocating for strong, province-wide restrictions on the sale or use of pesticides for non-essential purposes. They state that "pesticides have been linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, adult and childhood leukemia, brain, kidney, pancreatic, prostate, and some lung cancers, and studies show the children are more vulnerable". Others argue that the science supporting these claims is weak, and that “the approval system for pesticides uses a precautionary approach that provides a stringent standard of protection to human health and the environment – before a pesticide is allowed to be used or sold in Canada, it must undergo a rigorous scientific assessment process which provides reasonable certainty that no harm will occur when pesticides are used according to label directions.”

The Association of Wetland Stewards for Clayoquot and Barkley Sounds is a non-profit charitable organization aimed at promoting the stewardship of wetlands - bogs, ponds, swamps, marshes and the fringes of large lakes, and the life that these places support. Such life includes microorganisms, special plants, fish, frogs, salamanders, birds, small mammals, and indirectly, humans, of course. Hishuk ish t'sawalk: everything is connected, everything is one. We recommend stopping the use of cosmetic pesticides for many reasons, and especially because it seems people don't always read label directions. Most pesticide product labels state: "do not use near water". Yet, wildlife toxicology studies show that commonly used house and garden pesticides sometimes reach streams and wetlands where they kill fish, cause deformities in frogs and salamanders, and upset the ecosystem. We need to be considerably more cautious than we have been in the past. True precautionary action is to stop the use of pesticides for non-essential cosmetic purposes. We can still use pesticides when necessary to promote ecosystem health and human safety, such as the eradication of invasive species or human diseases, but only after the risks have been weighed. We encourage all levels of government to support research and development of safer alternatives.

The District of Tofino and 35 other municipalities across B.C. have adopted bylaws to ban the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes. The government is considering Province-wide legislation. They are accepting input until Friday December 16th.

Association of Wetland Stewards for Clayoquot and Barkley Sounds
wetlandstewards@gmail.com | www.splatfrogtunnel.blogspot.com

Raincoast Education Society
PO Box 815
Tofino BC V0R 2Z0
tel 250-725-2560
fax 250-725-2435
Website: www.raincoasteducation.org
You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/RaincoastEducation
Photo album: http://picasaweb.google.com/raincoasteducation

Victoria, BC Canada ­ Sitka and Pacific Wild, a non-profit conservation organization, are excited about the release of ‘Tipping Barrels’ ­ a film by Ben Gulliver. ‘Tipping Barrels’ is a unique combination of surfing and environmental journalism that follows surfers Arran and Reid Jackson on a trip into the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest, where they learn more about the region and the issues confronting it.

The main issue presented in the film is Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline, which would pump crude oil from Alberta to Kitimat, on the North Coast of British Columbia. Here it would be loaded onto super tankers bound for markets in Asia and the U.S. Over 225 super tankers a year would transit the narrow waterways that make up the Great Bear Rainforest, putting one of the Earth’s most ecologically sensitive and intact ecosystems at risk of an oil spill.

The video accompanies other efforts by Sitka to bring awareness to the proposed pipeline, such as donating the profits from past clothing designs and an upcoming t-shirt designed with Stan Robinson to the efforts against the proposal. Sitka also recently held a fundraiser in their Victoria shop with photos by Ian McAllister, Thomas Peschak and Michael Reid displayed as part of a silent auction. There will be a similar event in Sitka’s Vancouver store soon.

Sitka and Pacific Wild stand together with First Nations groups and thousands of concerned citizens, in the effort to keep the Great Bear Rainforest oil tanker free. They invite everyone concerned about the future of B.C.’s coast to watch the film and help spread the word. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so through Tides Canada at http://tidescanada.org/support/pacific-wild/.

OceanGybe Presentations

For all of you who are around Vancouver/Victoria, BC, Canada; the OceanGybe crew will be doing a series of public events to help spread our message of plastic pollution in our oceans and raise funds for a western Canada high/junior school tour in the Fall '10. These have been long promised and now they are coming !

An introduction to OceanGybe:

The OceanGybe Expedition is a global sustainable sailing expedition to explore the remote coastlines of the world, in search of adventure and garbage. Our goal is to bring awareness to the vast tracts of undocumented ocean pollution that afflicts every coastline and affects the peoples who depend on them for survival. Over the past two years, Hugh Patterson, Ryan and Bryson Robertson have been sailing around the world documenting the polluted state of our oceans and the isolated beaches due to plastic and other detritus. They have sailed some 45 000 ocean km, visited almost 30 different countries, crossed the three major oceans of the world and presented their findings and ocean conservation message to thousands of school children globally.

Details for Vancouver/Victoria below:

On Oct 21st, we have an exclusive limited-numbers Presentation, Slideshow and Meet/Greet at Delany's Coffee House, Park Royal, North Vancouver. Artisan Farmstead Wines (www.farmsteadwines.com), Delany's fine coffee and treats will be complimentary. Tickets are $25 and available at Delany's Coffee house, hugh.m.patterson@gmail.com This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or at the door. Get them early for this limited numbers event. The show will begin at 7:30pm and will last until questions and stories run out.

On Oct 27th, we will be at Chivana's Resto Launge in Kitsilano (2340 W 4th - above the Apple Shop) for another show. Tickets available through Chivana or hugh.m.patterson@gmail.com This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it for $5; or $8 at the door on the night. We will begin the presentation and slideshow at approximately 7:30pm.

On Nov 4th, we will be in Victoria at the Sitka Surfboards Store (538 Yates Str), and Lucky Bar. The show starts at 6pm at Sitka, where we will be doing a slideshow, auction and meet/greet. This is also the Sitka Customer Appreciation Evening, so good to deals to be found on everything! At 8pm we will be wandering over to Lucky Bar for the OceanGybe Presentation part of the evening. At 10pm , we will slowly slide from the spotlight and the premier of "Modern Collective" will begin. Modern Collective is a new Taylor Steele globe-trotting movie event. Tickets are $10 and available from Sitka, or at the door; includes access to Canadian "Modern Collective" Premier.

Also at each show, we will be auctioning off a Sitka Surfboard and Clothing pack (www.sitkasurfboards.com), a Globe clothing pack (www.globe.tv), a Livity Clothing Pack (www.livity.org), a week of sailing on SV Khulula (www.oceangybe.com) and a series of incredible beautiful pictures from all over the world ! All proceeds will help fund a Western Canada junior/high school tour in the Fall ’10.

Come to learn, come to look, come to listen, come to have a good time...
Thanks
Bryson

OceanGybe Update: August 2010

VICTORIA: In the summer of 2007 three UVic grads began their dream of a three-year circumnavigation of the globe with an aim of raising awareness about plastic pollution in the oceans. It’s been a voyage of exploration, research, education, and epic surfing. Their dream to circumnavigate the globe to document the state of the oceans and beaches they visit, while searching out all the best waves has become reality.

On Monday, July 18th the OceanGybe Expedition will but throwing off dock lines and heading out to The Great Pacific vortex of plastic, and finally home to British Columbia, a blue water journey of approximately 5 000km. In conjunction with the Algulita Foundation, the crew will be performing surface manta trawls, visual observations, and underwater photography/film of the Eastern Garbage Patch. All samples taken and the data recorded will be used by the Algulita Foundation, The 5 Gyres Project researchers, Scripps Institute of Oceanography students and the Surfrider Foundation to update current models detailing the extent of the plastic scourge in this portion of the gyre.

This portion of the expedition will be documented by Victoria filmmaker Arwen Hunter of Gamut Productions, who is producing a web series and documentary of the entire expedition in collaboration with Oak Bay Johnny Productions. The webisode series will be launching along with a fresh new website August 1st.

Over the past 6 months, the OceanGybe Expedition has sailed the pacific coast from the Panama Canal to San Diego, meeting with NGO’s (The Surfrider Foundation, Coastkeeper, Paso Pacifico, Terra Nosta, AGI Surf), giving their presentation on ocean pollution to over 1100 students and were the "stars" of a three-part investigative documentary aired on National Costa Rican television.

For more details about the OceanGybe Expedition, our garbage research or collaboration ideas, please contact us or visitwww.oceangybe.com for more information.

View the trailer online at www.youtube.com/oceangybe

OceanGybe is a global sailing expedition to explore the remote coastlines of the world, in search of garbage, adventure and ocean waves. We aspire to bring awareness to the vast tracts of undocumented ocean pollution that afflicts these coastlines and affects the peoples who depend on them for survival. It is an expedition to promote change. Change in both the direction of this great planet, towards a more sustainable and aware future, but also in ourselves.
- Hugh Patterson, Bryson Robertson and Ryan Robertson