Last Straw Bike Tour

On Friday October 12th the good people at 5 Gyres are freshly back from yet another trip to one of the world’s gyres with firsthand accounts of the plastics problem in our oceans.

Join us at Monmouth University in West Long Branch for a presentation on Friday evening, October 12th 7PM at Bey Hall, Young Auditorium #26.  Parking:   Main Lot off Larchwood Avenue (#13-15)

A 1,400 mile bicycle tour along the East Coast of the United States to educate the public on Marine Plastic Pollution and to provide industry, educators, citizens, and policymakers the solutions to solve the plastic plague.

On October 3^rd, 2012, The 5 Gyres Institute (5gyres.org) will launch The Last Straw Plastic Pollution Solutions Outreach Tour, conducting beach and watershed cleanups all along the East Coast and giving evening presentations to the public. Presentations will share their expeditions to all 5 major oceans studying plastic pollution in the oceanic Gyres or “garbage patches.”, and will engage audiences in realistic solutions. In 2011 5 Gyres completed the first global study on plastic pollution in the world’s oceans, finding evidence of plastic throughout, as well as in the Great Lakes region. The outreach tour will share cutting edge research, and inspire positive change to solve the plastic waste problem in our shared environment through education, source reductions, common sense policy and sustainable industry.

 

The 5 Gyres team will visit 13 cities from Boston, MA to Charleston, SC, hosting events to engage with citizens, activists, teachers, students, scientists, industry representatives, and policymakers to share the latest and most comprehensive data on marine plastic pollution.The team will share stories, film, and photography from their sailing expeditions across the major oceans.

Topics to include: the study of density of plastic present in the oceans and Great Lakes, the interaction between toxic chemicals and plastic in the marine environment, the implications of plastic ingestion by fish, birds, and mammals, how these interactions magnify up the food chain, the potential human health implications, and what we can do to solve the problem. To date, 5 Gyres has sailed over 30,000 nautical miles researching plastic pollution and has lead successful campaigns to mitigate the environmental effect of plastic bags and plastic water bottles in all major West Coast cities and Grand Canyon National Park.

For media inquiries, images, video links, QR codes/promotional posters, specific event times and locations please contact: Stiv@5gyres.org    503.913.7381   Website: 5gyres.org