When talk turns to the infamous "garbage patches" in the oceans' gyres, the "patch" is largely myth: The waters are clear and sparkly blue to the horizon. But run a net through that water and a disturbing reality becomes clear: A fog of microplastic pollution permeates the seas.
That's the discovery made by an unusual crew sailing the Sargasso Sea. Marine scientist Marcus Eriksen invites surfers Keith and Dan Malloy, musician Jack Johnson, body surfer Mark Cunningham and spearfisher Kimi Werner to assess the fate of plastics in the world's oceans.
The trip is captured on "Smog of the Sea," a mix of Super-8 footage, underwater cinematography, music by Johnson and live-action of the crew's research. You can watch the trailer here or, if you're lucky enough to be in Honolulu on Sunday, catch a free showing sponsored by the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, Surfrider Foundation and others.
The Honolulu showing has an extra treat: A panel discussion following featuring Cunningham; Paul Lecomte of The Swim; and Pete Myers, founder of EHS, publisher of DailyClimate.org and EHN.org.
The panelists will discuss about the perils, pervasiveness and pollution of single-use plastic. The conversation promises to be broad, deep and sobering.
"There are no easy solutions to plastic's toxicity," Myers said. "We need to be thinking boldly about what can and should be done. And to do that, we need deep understanding. Not superficial, do-good solutions that will become tomorrow's problems."
