Plastic Pollution and Solutions in the South Pacific

In February 2018, world experts on plastic pollution and marine debris will be touring the North Island, to share what they have learnt about the problem of plastic pollution.

Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen are the founders of the 5 Gyres Institute, and alongside the Algalita Marine Research and Education organisation have produced the bulk of the current science on ocean plastics. Anna has over 15 years of experience in environmental nonprofit work, education, writing, and campaign development. She has worked in marine conservation, coastal watershed management, sustainability education, and high school ecology instruction. In 2008, Anna completed a month long, 4,000-mile research expedition studying plastic debris in the North Pacific Gyre.

Marcus received his Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of Southern California in 2003, months before embarking on a 2000-mile, 5-month journey down the Mississippi River on a homemade raft. This led to a career studying the ecological impacts of plastic marine pollution, which has included expeditions sailing 35,000 miles through all 5 subtropical gyres to discover new garbage patches of plastic pollution in the Southern Hemisphere.

Alongside Marcus and Anna will be Tina Ngata The Non-Plastic Māori, and Para Kore a zero waste movement, Board member and ambassador and Raquelle de Vine from Algalita Marine Research and Education who has recently returned from a 14,000 mile expedition in the South Pacific studying microplastics,