Junk raft
A junk raft is a type of home-built watercraft made of plastic bottles or other recycled materials constructed by and for three different sorts of audiences: artists and community-minded groups organizing recreational flotillas; environmentally concerned individuals seeking to draw attention to the problem of floating debris, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and the need for recycling; and an improvised small, functional watercraft from readily available materials.
JUNK Raft Project
The JUNK Raft Project was organized by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation in Long Beach, California in 2008, after its founder Charles J. Moore had encountered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 1997.[1] The project to "creatively raise awareness about plastic debris and pollution in the ocean", and specifically the Great Pacific Garbage Patch trapped in the North Pacific Gyre, by sailing 2,600 miles across the Pacific Ocean on a 30-foot-long (9.1 m) raft made from an old Cessna 310 aircraft fuselage and six pontoons filled with 15,000 old plastic bottles. Crewed by Dr. Marcus Eriksen of the Foundation, and film-maker Joel Paschal, the raft set off from Long Beach, California on 1 June 2008, arriving in Honolulu, Hawaii on 28 August 2008. On the way, they gave valuable water supplies to Ocean rower Roz Savage, also on an environmental awareness voyage.[2][3][4]
The construction of the JUNK Raft began in April 2008 and was finished in May that year. The huge undertaking of constructing this seaworthy raft was aided by volunteers from the educational environmental programs of: Bell Elementary, Green Ambassadors, Muse Elementary, Santa Monica High School, and Westbridge School for Girls. The volunteers lent a hand by cleaning bottles, fastening bottle caps, and stuffing them into the recycled fisherman's net pontoon forms.[5]
See also
- Son of Town Hall, junk raft which crossed the Atlantic, made by Poppa Neutrino
- Plastiki, plastic bottle boat which made an expedition to the Pacific Garbage Patch
References
- ↑ Donovan Hohn (June 22, 2008), "Sea of Trash", New York Times
- ↑ "A raft made of junk crosses Pacific in 3 months". USA Today. 2008-08-28. Archived from the original on 2009-09-30. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
- ↑ "Raft made of junk bottles crosses Pacific". msnbc. 2008-08-28. Archived from the original on 2009-09-30. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
- ↑ "Mid-ocean dinner date saves rower". BBC News. 2008-08-20. Archived from the original on 2009-09-30. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
- ↑ "Students Helping To Build Junk". Blogspot. April 2008. Archived from the original on 2010-04-14. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
External links
The Flying Neutrinos, NYC Junk rafts, and Art boats
- Poppa Neutrino, the grandfather of the Junk Raft, Home Made Rafting Association
- Poppa Neutrino, Still Sailing Along, NPR profile
- ECO ART: Swoon's Junk Rafts, by a Brooklyn street artist
- Swimming Cities of Serenissima, art boats made of junk sailing across the Adriatic Sea to the Venice Biennale
Plastic bottle boats and rafts
- First Annual Lake Erie Boat Float 2009 Video, plastic bottle boats and other recycled material watercraft, sponsored by the Biodiversity Alliance
- Plastic Bottle Boat by Balachandra Kurup of Kerala, India, featured in The Hindu, Aug. 27, 2003
- "El Padrino", Plastic Bottle Kayak by recycling enthusiast Jesus Roman of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Surfrider Foundation
JUNK Raft project
- Junk Raft Publicizes Plastic Pollution, PBS NewsHour, Nov. 12, 2008
- Raft Made of Plastic Bottles Crosses Pacific, MSNBC, Aug. 28, 2008
- Crossing the Pacific on Junk Raft, LA Times, May 19, 2008
- Seattle Boat Show features famous Junk Raft
- Junk Raft Blog, chronicle of voyage with video clips
- Junk Raft Project Website, Algalita Marine Research Foundation