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Tuesday, 2 January 2024

THE FRIENDLY FLOATEES by Beth

 


In 1992, a cargo ship carrying approximately 28,800 bath toys (mostly rubber ducks) lost a container over the side during a storm, spilling these yellow rubber ducks all out into the North Pacific Ocean. These so-called Friendly Floatees have been drifting ashore for the last 30 years, sometimes in surprising parts of the world - not just Alaska but Hawaii, Australia, Chile and Indonesia.

Today we know that there are as many as 11 major gyres - ocean currents across the world's oceans and all of them are potential vestibules for the world's trash. And if Friendly Floatees are an example for anything, it's that plastic trash endures for a very long time and that it is a global issue.

Roughly 2000 of these rubber ducks still circulate (wild and free) in the rotating ocean currents in the North Pacific Ocean. 

5 comments:

  1. This challenge fitted in well with one of your current passions (excuse the pun). Love your piece but at the same time it sends out a very strong message. Well done.

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  2. Spot on, Beth. A fun piece but with a powerful global message about plastics. We had a container of Lego get lost in the sea and pieces are still being washed up on the beaches in Cornwall years later - much to the delight of beach comers! Hilary

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  3. A very well thought out aspect of this challenge and also most informative. One doesn't think of the consequences to our environment when something like this happens. Well done on your piece - as Hilary commented "a fun piece but with a powerful message."

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  4. When plastic was invented no one knew what a problem future generations would have to deal with . Your thoughtful quilt reminds us about this .

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  5. Love the quilt and the message. I like the way you have added bits of plastic

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