When is setting 15,000 plastic bottles into the ocean is a good thing?
When those bottles make up twelve floating pontoons that will carry JUNK, a sail raft made completely from recycled materials, from Long Beach to Hawaii to raise awareness about plastic pollution and its effects on our oceans.
JUNK set sail on Sunday after months of preparation, and is captained by two experienced sailors who had an itch to bring attention to the growing problem of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean. Marcus Erikson will captain JUNK while Joel Paschal handles photographing duties. The two will operate the raft – whose cockpit is an old Cessna 310 airplane – in shifts throughout the journey, expected to take about five weeks to reach shore in Hawaii.
The voyage is much more than a getaway cruise. Some of JUNK’s bottles carry messages written by supporters that will be presented to Washington legislators upon the trip’s completion. Read a great post about the spirit of the mission here, and check back on JUNK’s blog for updates.