JUNK Raft Crosses Pacific to Raise Awareness of Plastics, Despite Challenges
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 08. 8.08
While it’s hard to imagine floating across the Pacific Ocean from California to Hawaii on a raft made of complete junk to raise awareness of all that plastic floating in the middle of the North Pacific Gyre, the truth is that the guys risking life and limb to make it happen are finding themselves running out of food with a crack in their mast and still over 800 miles left to go.
Of course they’re certainly the resourceful type, using hose clamps to try and keep the mast from cracking any further and jury rigging their already patchwork flotation device as various other parts have broken down during the trip while doing their best to spear fish that happen by.
And they have successfully raised an enormous amount of awareness as to the fate of all that plastic that winds up floating into the N. Pacific and swirling around forever by taking on what just may prove to be the greatest adventure of their lives.
The raft itself has been constructed of over 15,000 plastic soda bottles, the body of an old plane, and who knows what else to string it all together. And they expect to reach Hawaii in just a couple of weeks, putting an end to one of the most successful attempts that we have seen to raise awareness of the issue.
You can follow the journey of the JUNK Raft at Junkraft.com
Via: Junkraft.com
More on the JUNK Raft and the North Pacific Gyre
Following Algalita's "Junk" to the North Pacific Gyre
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: "Out of Sight, Out of Mind"
This is great. We are making a pirate ship art project out of completely recycled materials for an event in Delaware. It amazes me what people throw away and how much fun it is to find interesting ways to reuse "trash"