So, I was just checking out TeamTrees.org. As you probably know, they hit $21 Million, which is amazing. Gonna plant soooo many trees.
Some people have been wondering what to do next, with many people pointing out that the seas are f*cked right now. For one, climate change is warming them. That’s a monstrously big problem. Another: there’s tons of plastic waste which is harming wildlife and showing up in our food.
The Ocean Cleanup Project is famous for their idea and system for cleaning up ocean gyres, but they also recently unveiled a system - “the Interceptor” - to clean up plastic waste from its main source: rivers. Though estimates vary, it appears as though just 10-20 rivers contribute the vast majority of plastic waste to oceans.
But there have been issues with the Ocean Cleanup in terms of effectiveness of their system. Which is not to naysay the project, but to point out that they know there’s room for iterative improvement. One issue in particular that has come up is how plastics and wastes are dispersed. The OC has argued that most is at the surface, but there is some evidence to the contrary (x). Additionally, I haven’t seen any numbers on how effective their systems are at trapping debris and microplastics overall, in ocean or rivers.
One thing I’ve seen a bit which seems intriguing is the “The Bubble Barrier”, which is a system that makes a “fence” of air bubbles that push and move debris to the surface. It’s simple too: Just a line of tubing in the water with holes in it and air pumped through it.
I’m real curious about a combined system of the interceptor using the bubble barrier as well. Would seem really easy to build and I’d guess would improve the rate of debris catchment.
Anyways, I think buying such an Interceptor system would overall be a good goal for Mr. Beast’s 2020 goal. The interceptors cost around $775,000 right now, but costs are expected to drop with more production. Let’s say, $600,000. Let’s say we up the goal for this year to $30 M. That’d pay for 50 interceptor systems, well past the top 10-20 that contribute the most to ocean pollution. I also think/hope that it would help raise awareness about the issue, and the power of everyday people to work together to help fix them.
Pictured: Mr Trash Wheel. A similar concept.
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