5 Gyres - Understanding Plastic Pollution Through Exploration, Education, and Action

As we often say here at 5 Gyres HQ 'A Global Problem Requires a Global Solution.'  This mantra is burned into each of us, realizing that though the United States is responsible for a lot of marine plastic pollution, it's not the only offender.  Sailing around the earth studying plastic pollution in the most remote places on the planet teaches us some very practical lessons. Not the least of which is: if you're going to engage in a foreign community, you will need foreigners to serve as ambassadors for your issue to ring authentic. To foment change.  This is precisely why we enlisted Willemien Calitz and Simon Max Bannister to join our expedition to The South Atlantic Gyre.  It was our hope that the experience would impress on them the urgency of the problem and give them the motivation to act.  On their home turf.  We're exceptionally impressed by these two South African agents of change and are honored to have them serving as 5 Gyres ambassadors at large.  Willemien, a journalist for the The Green Times reported daily from the expedition, providing the first ever accounts by a South African of plastic in the gyres. Willemien has a desire to spark a green journalism movement in her country as much of the news reporting to date is often concerned with humanitarian issues.  But as she noted on the ship, a healthy environment is at the root of every human's basic needs and pollution is often an indicator of poverty.  Thanks Willemien, we're lucky to have you in the army.

Simon Max Bannister is a South African artist who manipulates found beach plastic into works of art. But his work isn't meant for just the artistic elite. To the contrary,  Max prefers to showcase his work in public venues as a means of confronting the viewer with the product and consequences of modernity as portrayed in the 'monsters' he creates.  Plastic, to his aesthetic, is something that we as a society have lost respect for, and thus, we don't value it.  The 5 Gyres Institute plans global exhibitions with Max's work in the future.  Simon, we loved having you aboard and we're happy to have your talent as an agent of change.  

Take a moment to read an article on the two in The Cape Argus.