How Boyan Slat Is Helping Solve The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Sitting between California and Hawaii, five trillion pieces of plastic and about a sixth of the United States’ total garbage resides in an area known as the Great Pacific Patch. Trash in our oceans can cause many environmental problems: it destroys many marine animal habitats and kill marine animals and birds species alike. As of now, there are about 600 species of marine animals that are affected by plastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean. “I think that the situation in the Pacific Ocean is severe. A lot of animals and habitats are being destroyed. I think that people should start to take action in order to fix this problem,” says Arnav Gurudatt, a junior at SMHS. While many brilliant minds choose to sit down and ignore this problem, a 25-year-old Dutch by the name of Boyan Slat is helping solve this rapidly growing problem.
At 18 years old, Slat started his company called, The Ocean Cleanup. The company’s aim was to design a 600-meter tubular float and skirt system in order to clean up the huge patch of landfill in the Pacific Ocean. Although the solution for the growing ocean pollution problem seemed enigmatic for many scientists in the early 2000s, Slat somehow figured out an efficient and effective way to clean the Great Pacific Patch. Just last year, his 120-meter test float proved to be successful in San Francisco. This project is supposed to clean half of the Patch within five years and 90% by 2040. “It’s a very good idea. It sounds like it’s relatively cheap and doesn’t have any side-effects that could further harm the environment. I’m definitely going to donate to to help this man.”, says Lohit Vankeneni, a past SMHS alumni.
Currently, Slat leads a team of 80 researchers, engineers, and scientists in order to increase the speed of the project. Slat’s effort has won him 14 awards and recognitions such as being a part of TIME’s top 25 inventions of 2019 and the United Nations Champion of the Earth award. However, this project requires funding and help from other willing and passionate individuals. If interested, people can donate money or offer help on the Ocean Cleanup website. As of now, Slat has raised $30 million in funding, but the total amount of money needed would still need to reach a mark between $120 million and $400 million in order to put the plan in full effect.
