Life Without Plastic sponsors a South Atlantic Trawl!

By Anna Cummins on October 24, 2010

In just a few short weeks, 5 Gyres will set sail for the South Atlantic - the first Transatlantic expedition studying plastic in the Southern Hemisphere. Organizing the personnel, logistics, and funding for a major expedition is no easy feat, so we're extremely grateful to the individuals and companies that believe in our mission. Like Life Without Plastic!

When we announced our "Sponsor a trawl" program months ago, Life Without Plastic was the first group to step forward with an enthusiastic "count us in!". Run by a Canadian couple that were united through their fascination with plastic (Marcus and I can relate) Life Without Plastic offers many wonderful alternatives to disposable plastic - from baby products to food storage to non-plastic toys. A great resource for a zero waste holiday season...

Their contribution will fund one, specific research "trawl", the device we use to skim the oceans surface to collect samples for lab analysis. The lab work is a painstaking, tedious affair - a single sample can take up to a week of patient work to process - but this research is the backbone upon which important legislation and policy is based.

Thank you Jay and Chantal for your dedication to raising awareness and promoting solutions - we truly appreciate your work and your support!