Special Collections:
Plastic in Our Oceans
Nate Liebenberg, co-founder of idiveblue.com, champions awareness regarding the severe impact of throwaway plastics. These pollutants devastate marine species, contaminate our precious waters, and ultimately endanger human well-being.
Join us for a crucial discussion on ocean conservation and discover how we can collectively safeguard these vital ecosystems.
In July 2020, The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ, with partners including the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, released "Breaking the Plastic Wave." This robust study on ocean plastic pollution revealed that without action, plastic volume will double, ocean entry will almost triple, and ocean stocks will quadruple by 2040. This aligns with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's 2016 warning of more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.
The study emphasizes that a circular economy for plastic is the sole solution to tackle waste and pollution at its source. This vision already unites over 850 organizations through the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment and Plastics Pact network. Learn more about the study here.
Dame Ellen MacArthur urges "bold and urgent action" to address plastic pollution. A 2020 study, "Breaking the Plastic Wave," by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ, reveals a grim forecast: without intervention, by 2040, plastic on the market will double, annual ocean entry will almost triple, and ocean stocks will quadruple. This echoes the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's 2016 warning of more plastic than fish by 2050.
The study confirms a circular economy for plastic is the only way to tackle waste at its source. This vision already unites over 850 organizations. Find out more here.
A Plastic Ocean is an adventure documentary shot on more than 20 locations over the past 4 years. Explorers Craig Leeson and Tanya Streeter and a team of international scientists reveal the causes and consequences of plastic pollution and share solutions.
Cigarette filters, often called the "last acceptable form of littering," are a major source of plastic pollution. Made from cellulose acetate, these filters release plastic, nicotine, heavy metals, and other toxic chemicals into waterways and oceans, posing a significant threat to our health and the planet.
National Geographic explores this critical issue and potential solutions. Learn more about this widespread plastic pollution by subscribing to National Geographic or reading "Cigarette butts are toxic plastic pollution. Should they be banned?" here.
The world's oceans are already drowning in plastic trash. Instead of stemming this pollution, plastic manufacturers aim to dramatically increase U.S. plastic production over the next decade.
Take action: https://biodiv.us/2K38a81
Ocean plastic is a solvable issue requiring personal responsibility and practical solutions. The Seabin Project, a crowdfunded invention, exemplifies a promising reactive approach. These bins effectively collect floating plastics, oil, and micro-plastics down to 2mm in marinas.
While Seabins are effective, they are not the ultimate solution. The project's 50% for-profit, 50% not-for-profit model supports education, science, research, and community engagement, which are considered the real long-term answers. This topic was discussed at a TEDx event; learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx.
Baby sea turtles are dying due to ingested microplastics, highlighting an urgent environmental crisis.
You can help protect marine life. Take the pledge to #BreakFreeFromPlastic and make a difference: https://bit.ly/2UHjppR
Simon Bernard, Expedition Leader of Plastic Odyssey, presents the first round-the-world expedition on a boat powered solely by plastic waste. A graduate of the French Merchant Navy Academy, Simon is passionate about environmental solutions. He founded the Plastic Odyssey NGO to reduce ocean pollution by promoting plastic recycling solutions adapted for developing countries.
His talk will explore the mystery of missing plastic, challenging the "continent of plastic" myth. It will also discuss how open innovation can reduce plastic leakage and how we can all contribute to a circular economy. Connect online at @simn_bernard and @PlasticOdyssey.
Plastics are now found even in the deepest parts of our oceans, highlighting the pervasive nature of this pollution.
Join Oceana and the #BreakFreeFromPlastic movement to help address this critical issue: https://bit.ly/2FxAZYR.
At Talks at Google, Peter Kohler (The Plastic Tide) and Dr. Stefan Leutenegger (Imperial College London) discuss the escalating ocean plastic crisis. They highlight how plastic threatens a vital $5 trillion economic resource and humanity's life support.
The Plastic Tide initiative quantifies this problem using drone imagery and machine learning. Their work involves a vast drone imagery database and a deep-learning algorithm for plastic detection and geo-referenced mapping.
The speakers will present early results, related research, and future strategies to limit ocean plastic. Learn more about their efforts at The Plastic Tide.
Van Jones presents a compelling social justice case against plastic pollution. He argues that plastic waste disproportionately harms impoverished communities and nations "first and worst," with far-reaching consequences for everyone, regardless of location or income.
In this powerful TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch [TEDxGP2] talk, filmed in 2010, Jones offers actionable ideas to reclaim our "throwaway planet." The event was produced by the Plastic Pollution Coalition at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, California.
Learn more at www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org
Artist Dianna Cohen reveals the harsh truths of plastic pollution, impacting our oceans and daily lives. She also offers insights on how to break free from the plastic gyre.
Learn more at the Plastic Pollution Coalition.
Join our mission to tackle excessive plastic use by supermarkets. We need your ideas to demand change.
Download the app at http://www.anewmission.org/join-the-revolution to contribute to this movement.
Thanks to @MakeAChangeWorld and @AnewMission. #DrasticPlastic
Captain Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation first discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an immense, floating accumulation of plastic waste.
He continues to raise awareness about the escalating and detrimental problem of plastic debris choking our seas.
Plastic and synthetic debris are silently choking our oceans, posing horrific impacts on marine wildlife and ecosystems. As an island continent, marine debris is particularly important for Australia. Creatures become entangled, drown, or ingest concentrated toxins, jeopardizing the food chain. Plastics also transport and introduce new species into environments.
To address this critical issue, the CSIRO research team spearheaded the world-first Marine Debris Survey, studying plastic pollution along Australia's coastline. This vital research was published on September 9, 2012, by ABC Catalyst.
In OCEAN HEROES, Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen of the 5 Gyres Institute explain: WHAT IS A GYRE?
Learn more about protecting our oceans at One World Oceans. You can also explore our special collection, "Plastics in Our Oceans," and find the 5 Gyres Institute's documentary, Plasticized.
PLASTICIZED documents a pioneering scientific expedition focused on plastic waste. It recounts a first-hand journey aboard the Sea Dragon with the 5 Gyres Institute through the South Atlantic Ocean.
This eye-opening film highlights the institute's global mission to study the reality, effects, and scale of plastic pollution worldwide. It was published on December 24, 2012.
British ocean rower and environmental campaigner Roz Savage discusses plastic pollution, labeling it a "man-made global catastrophe." Her solo row from San Francisco to Hawaii provided first-hand experience with the problem's immense scale, including meeting scientists on a "Junk craft" hundreds of miles east of Hawaii to share research.
The core message is clear: we must reduce our plastic use. Each individual can significantly lessen their consumption, making a positive global difference.
This interview, conducted by Ruth Ann Barrett of EarthSayers.tv, was published on January 28, 2014. For more information about Roz Savage, visit www.rozsavage.com.
Howard Lack, CEO of the Plastic Oceans documentary project, discusses his fundraising efforts to raise awareness about plastic pollution in our oceans, particularly microplastics. He references UNESCO leaders and naturalist David Attenborough, who believe that public awareness drives problem-solving. The film's core focus is to increase this understanding.
Lack was interviewed in Fall 2013 in San Francisco by Ruth Ann Barrett of EarthSayers.tv, Voices of Sustainability.
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The Thinking Game | Full documentary | Tribeca Film Festival official selection
The inside story of the AI breakthrough that won a Nobel Prize.
The Thinking Game takes you on a journey into the heart of leading AI lab DeepMind, capturing a team striving to unravel the mysteries of intelligence and life itself.
Filmed over five years by the award-winning team behind AlphaGo, the documentary examines how DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis’s extraordinary beginnings shaped his lifelong pursuit of artificial general intelligence. It chronicles the rigorous process of scientific discovery, documenting how the team moved from mastering complex strategy games to solving the 50-year-old "protein folding problem" with AlphaFold - a breakthrough that would win a Nobel Prize.
Following its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival and a successful international tour, the film is now available here to watch for free.
Interested in hosting a screening of The Thinking Game for your classroom, community, or workplace? Visit: https://rocofilms.com/films/the-thinking-game/
Director Greg Kohs
Producer Gary Krieg
Executive Producers Tom Dore, Jonathan Fildes
Co-Producer Greg Kohs
Editor Steve Sander
Cinematographer Greg Kohs
Composer Dan Deacon






















