00:00:11.040 --> 00:00:12.960
- There's a dead
bird over there.

00:00:15.460 --> 00:00:18.519
- See if there's
anything in there.

00:00:18.520 --> 00:00:21.079
- Oh, oh, my gosh.

00:00:21.080 --> 00:00:22.789
Oh, gross!

00:00:22.790 --> 00:00:24.969
- We see a piece
of plastic there.

00:00:24.970 --> 00:00:26.409
(GROANING)

00:00:26.410 --> 00:00:28.279
There's a bigger piece
of plastic coming out.

00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:31.579
Here you have a bird that was
alive, potentially yesterday.

00:00:31.580 --> 00:00:34.479
And you look inside, and
it's just like night and day.

00:00:34.480 --> 00:00:37.280
And this is an average amount
of plastic in this chick.

00:00:47.080 --> 00:00:48.119
- Plastic.

00:00:48.120 --> 00:00:49.499
Plastic.

00:00:49.500 --> 00:00:50.789
Plastic.

00:00:50.790 --> 00:00:52.639
Something new, the
resin which can

00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:56.579
be molded by heat and
pressure to any shape.

00:00:56.580 --> 00:00:58.349
- At the dawn of
the 20th century

00:00:58.350 --> 00:01:00.479
science invented
synthetic plastics,

00:01:00.480 --> 00:01:03.079
and the world would
never be the same.

00:01:03.080 --> 00:01:05.899
- There are plastics
in your toaster,

00:01:05.900 --> 00:01:13.259
in the blender and the clock, in
the lamp and in the roaster...

00:01:13.260 --> 00:01:16.649
- Today, everywhere we go we
are surrounded by plastic.

00:01:16.650 --> 00:01:19.739
We drink from it, eat from
it, wear it, and use it

00:01:19.740 --> 00:01:23.609
in almost every part
of our daily lives.

00:01:23.610 --> 00:01:25.859
This miraculous invention
and its evolution

00:01:25.860 --> 00:01:29.469
have created a new era of cheap,
convenient, and disposable

00:01:29.470 --> 00:01:32.719
products that have
transformed the way we live.

00:01:32.720 --> 00:01:35.520
And it's hard to imagine what
we would do without them.

00:01:38.730 --> 00:01:43.209
- Plastics is too firmly
embedded in modern life.

00:01:43.210 --> 00:01:46.199
- But plastic is unlike any
other substance on Earth

00:01:46.200 --> 00:01:51.329
for one very specific
reason: It never goes away.

00:01:51.330 --> 00:01:53.419
What happens to plastic
when it gets thrown away?

00:01:53.420 --> 00:01:54.879
- It's forever, it
doesn't degrade.

00:01:54.880 --> 00:01:56.899
- Well, I've never
seen it disintegrate.

00:01:56.900 --> 00:01:59.569
- Where do you think it
goes when you throw it away?

00:01:59.570 --> 00:02:00.609
- Nowhere...

00:02:00.610 --> 00:02:01.690
it never goes away.

00:02:04.360 --> 00:02:07.409
- Do you know what
plastic is made out of?

00:02:07.410 --> 00:02:07.910
- Plastic?

00:02:07.910 --> 00:02:08.800
I don't know.

00:02:08.801 --> 00:02:10.469
- Melted down from something.

00:02:10.470 --> 00:02:12.999
- Any guesses what
plastic's made out of?

00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:13.950
(INTERPOSING VOICES)

00:02:13.951 --> 00:02:16.799
- Wow.

00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:18.229
- Guess!

00:02:18.230 --> 00:02:19.050
- Does it belong...

00:02:19.051 --> 00:02:20.099
to the animal kingdom?

00:02:20.100 --> 00:02:20.600
(LAUGHING)

00:02:20.601 --> 00:02:22.569
- No.

00:02:22.570 --> 00:02:24.539
- The vegetable kingdom?

00:02:24.540 --> 00:02:25.040
- No.

00:02:25.040 --> 00:02:25.540
(LAUGHING)

00:02:25.541 --> 00:02:28.980
- Then it's just got to
belong to the mineral kingdom.

00:02:32.920 --> 00:02:33.420
- Uh uh.

00:02:33.421 --> 00:02:36.889
It's not a mineral either.

00:02:36.890 --> 00:02:38.579
- Oh, a thimble!

00:02:38.580 --> 00:02:40.679
- Maybe this little thimble
belongs to a kingdom

00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:42.229
all of its own.

00:02:42.230 --> 00:02:45.999
The fourth kingdom, the
kingdom of plastics.

00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:48.759
- Plastic?

00:02:48.760 --> 00:02:51.199
- Because plastic is
such a perfect creation,

00:02:51.200 --> 00:02:53.989
it's virtually indestructible.

00:02:53.990 --> 00:02:56.429
Which means that almost
every molecule of plastic

00:02:56.430 --> 00:03:01.259
ever created is still
somewhere on this planet.

00:03:01.260 --> 00:03:05.159
So if it never deteriorates,
where does it go?

00:03:05.160 --> 00:03:07.239
Have you heard of the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch?

00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:08.070
No, I haven't.

00:03:08.070 --> 00:03:08.570
- No.

00:03:08.570 --> 00:03:09.040
- No.

00:03:09.040 --> 00:03:09.540
- No.

00:03:09.540 --> 00:03:10.470
- No.

00:03:10.471 --> 00:03:12.049
- Uh, the Great
Pacific Garbage...

00:03:12.050 --> 00:03:13.050
what?

00:03:30.190 --> 00:03:32.289
- My name is Angela Sun.

00:03:32.290 --> 00:03:34.289
I've never been much
of an environmentalist

00:03:34.290 --> 00:03:36.809
or what some may call
crunchy or granola,

00:03:36.810 --> 00:03:39.249
but ever since I was a
kid I've been fascinated

00:03:39.250 --> 00:03:43.449
by the ocean and
everything in it.

00:03:43.450 --> 00:03:46.979
I grew up on the beaches
of California, swimming,

00:03:46.980 --> 00:03:51.759
snorkeling, then surfing
and scuba diving.

00:03:51.760 --> 00:03:55.389
With new technology, you can
pretty much surf anywhere...

00:03:55.390 --> 00:03:57.289
When I got into
media and journalism

00:03:57.290 --> 00:03:58.879
I was always
interested in telling

00:03:58.880 --> 00:04:00.480
stories that involved the water.

00:04:07.310 --> 00:04:09.169
So a few years ago,
when I heard people

00:04:09.170 --> 00:04:11.979
talking about the supposed
island of garbage floating

00:04:11.980 --> 00:04:15.439
somewhere out in the Pacific,
I was immediately intrigued.

00:04:15.440 --> 00:04:17.729
I mean, I was used to
seeing trash on the beaches,

00:04:17.730 --> 00:04:20.279
and sometimes even
floating in the waves.

00:04:20.280 --> 00:04:22.779
But an island?

00:04:22.780 --> 00:04:25.159
Despite the fact that there
were a few articles that

00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:27.489
mentioned this island, there
were conflicting reports

00:04:27.490 --> 00:04:31.759
about what it was, where
it was, and how big it was.

00:04:31.760 --> 00:04:33.339
Even people who had
heard of it seemed

00:04:33.340 --> 00:04:35.529
to have different
ideas about it.

00:04:35.530 --> 00:04:36.230
What is it?

00:04:36.231 --> 00:04:37.979
- It's an island of trash.

00:04:37.980 --> 00:04:40.169
- Tiny little micro
pieces of plastic...

00:04:40.170 --> 00:04:41.929
- It's like the size of Texas.

00:04:41.930 --> 00:04:42.800
- It's like that big.

00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:43.490
Right there.

00:04:43.490 --> 00:04:44.410
- Can you walk on it?

00:04:44.411 --> 00:04:45.589
- I know it exists.

00:04:45.590 --> 00:04:49.009
I know a little bit about it,
but I don't know its origins...

00:04:49.010 --> 00:04:50.010
not at all.

00:04:52.470 --> 00:04:54.909
- If Garbage Island
was indeed real,

00:04:54.910 --> 00:04:58.069
I wanted to see it for myself.

00:04:58.070 --> 00:05:00.099
As I did more research,
I found that there's

00:05:00.100 --> 00:05:03.799
a tiny piece of land in one of
the most remote places on Earth

00:05:03.800 --> 00:05:06.859
that held the key.

00:05:06.860 --> 00:05:08.599
It's a difficult
place to get to,

00:05:08.600 --> 00:05:10.469
and even though it's in
the middle of nowhere

00:05:10.470 --> 00:05:13.729
the area is controlled by the
US government, and access to it

00:05:13.730 --> 00:05:14.730
is restricted.

00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:19.179
But I wasn't going
to give up, so I

00:05:19.180 --> 00:05:22.899
applied for the necessary
permits and permissions.

00:05:22.900 --> 00:05:25.069
Getting through all the
red tape was a process

00:05:25.070 --> 00:05:28.349
that took nearly three years.

00:05:28.350 --> 00:05:30.999
And just when I thought
all hope was lost,

00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:32.320
everything came together.

00:05:41.800 --> 00:05:45.329
Right now we are in a
private airport in Honolulu

00:05:45.330 --> 00:05:49.579
and we are about to get on
board and fly four hours

00:05:49.580 --> 00:05:52.179
on a private charter
flight to Midway Atoll

00:05:52.180 --> 00:05:55.739
right here, which is
literally in the middle

00:05:55.740 --> 00:05:59.829
the Pacific Ocean, a midway
point from the west coast

00:05:59.830 --> 00:06:02.350
of the US and the
east coast of Japan.

00:06:06.730 --> 00:06:09.309
Only one government plane
flies out there every couple

00:06:09.310 --> 00:06:11.099
of weeks, carrying
supplies along

00:06:11.100 --> 00:06:14.569
with researchers and
maintenance workers.

00:06:14.570 --> 00:06:16.460
I feel like I'm in a dark sauna.

00:06:19.460 --> 00:06:21.959
No cars are allowed
here, so transportation

00:06:21.960 --> 00:06:23.859
is by foot or golf cart.

00:06:23.860 --> 00:06:25.279
As we drove to our
accommodations,

00:06:25.280 --> 00:06:27.859
I realized right away that
getting around this place

00:06:27.860 --> 00:06:29.549
is harder than it seems.

00:06:29.550 --> 00:06:32.579
There are birds
everywhere and we're

00:06:32.580 --> 00:06:34.659
trying to dodge
them in the dark.

00:06:34.660 --> 00:06:35.630
Oh!

00:06:35.630 --> 00:06:36.130
- Oh, my.

00:06:36.130 --> 00:06:37.130
- Whoa!

00:06:43.980 --> 00:06:47.179
Midway is best known for its
instrumental role in World War

00:06:47.180 --> 00:06:48.180
II.

00:06:51.920 --> 00:06:56.319
On June 7, 1942, the Allied
Forces defeated the Japanese

00:06:56.320 --> 00:06:58.189
and gained control
of the Pacific,

00:06:58.190 --> 00:06:59.470
turning the tide of war.

00:07:04.640 --> 00:07:07.349
Located at the top of
Papahanaumokuakea Marine

00:07:07.350 --> 00:07:11.609
Monument, it is home to
a vast array of wildlife.

00:07:11.610 --> 00:07:15.299
More than two million albatross
nest here for part of the year.

00:07:15.300 --> 00:07:18.970
That's about 70% of all the
Laysan albatross in the world.

00:07:23.420 --> 00:07:28.249
There's no one in sight
except for me, and you,

00:07:28.250 --> 00:07:30.289
and the albatross.

00:07:30.290 --> 00:07:32.910
And a whole lot of plastic.

00:07:37.170 --> 00:07:40.609
- In this small remote
place with very few people,

00:07:40.610 --> 00:07:44.589
tens of thousands of pounds of
garbage wash up on our beaches

00:07:44.590 --> 00:07:46.509
every year.

00:07:46.510 --> 00:07:49.879
- clean it up, so this'll be
just the accumulation in four

00:07:49.880 --> 00:07:51.059
months time.

00:07:51.060 --> 00:07:51.870
- What is this?

00:07:51.871 --> 00:07:55.549
It's like a melted
piece of plastic.

00:07:55.550 --> 00:07:57.150
It looks like plastic spaghetti.

00:08:08.430 --> 00:08:11.639
What the heck is
a computer monitor

00:08:11.640 --> 00:08:17.059
doing floating in the ocean
in the middle of the Pacific?

00:08:17.060 --> 00:08:17.600
Check it out.

00:08:17.601 --> 00:08:20.389
It's got Korean writing on it.

00:08:20.390 --> 00:08:24.779
And mixed into all of this
stuff is bird feathers and bird

00:08:24.780 --> 00:08:25.780
bones.

00:08:30.520 --> 00:08:34.059
- We've seen debris that comes
from North America, from Asia,

00:08:34.060 --> 00:08:40.900
from lighters to bottle caps to
propane tanks to truck tires.

00:08:44.070 --> 00:08:45.010
- I can't move it.

00:08:45.011 --> 00:08:47.009
- That garbage is coming
from the big population

00:08:47.010 --> 00:08:49.779
centers of the world and it
is definitely collecting here

00:08:49.780 --> 00:08:51.260
in the middle of the Pacific.

00:08:59.130 --> 00:09:01.579
- It turns out the truth
behind Garbage Island

00:09:01.580 --> 00:09:04.359
is stranger than the myth.

00:09:04.360 --> 00:09:08.299
- The request is always
for a picture of the island

00:09:08.300 --> 00:09:12.819
of garbage... the trash island
and there is no such island.

00:09:12.820 --> 00:09:14.339
The debris is dispersed.

00:09:14.340 --> 00:09:18.469
I mean, let's talk about
the largest single feature

00:09:18.470 --> 00:09:21.579
on our planet, which is
the North Pacific Ocean.

00:09:21.580 --> 00:09:24.009
- Captain Charles Moore
discovered the Garbage Patch

00:09:24.010 --> 00:09:27.549
in the late 1990s and founded
the Algalita Marine Research

00:09:27.550 --> 00:09:29.679
Organization to study it.

00:09:29.680 --> 00:09:32.539
- Well, ocean basins
are like a bathtub.

00:09:32.540 --> 00:09:34.389
You can think of them that way.

00:09:34.390 --> 00:09:37.589
- The ocean's currents in the
Pacific move in a giant circle,

00:09:37.590 --> 00:09:40.839
known as a gyre... kind of
like a slow motion whirlpool

00:09:40.840 --> 00:09:42.529
or a toilet flushing.

00:09:42.530 --> 00:09:44.489
So over time, all
of the debris that

00:09:44.490 --> 00:09:47.649
washes into the sea from the
coast of economic giants North

00:09:47.650 --> 00:09:51.919
America and Asia or from ships,
collect in a centralized cells,

00:09:51.920 --> 00:09:53.519
from somewhere
around twice the size

00:09:53.520 --> 00:09:56.439
of Texas to the size of
the entire continental

00:09:56.440 --> 00:09:58.029
United States.

00:09:58.030 --> 00:09:59.949
The reason why there
aren't any pictures of it

00:09:59.950 --> 00:10:02.779
is because it's
basically invisible.

00:10:02.780 --> 00:10:06.019
You have to sail through it
with a net to know it's there.

00:10:06.020 --> 00:10:10.659
Most of the debris is
found beneath the surface.

00:10:10.660 --> 00:10:13.609
- No one had ever compared
plastic in the ocean

00:10:13.610 --> 00:10:15.059
to the available food.

00:10:15.060 --> 00:10:17.739
- Lying near the western
edge of the patch, Midway

00:10:17.740 --> 00:10:19.509
and the Northwest
Hawaiian Islands

00:10:19.510 --> 00:10:21.719
are situated like
a fine tooth comb

00:10:21.720 --> 00:10:24.489
in the path of the currents,
continually collecting

00:10:24.490 --> 00:10:29.949
huge quantities of plastic and
other trash that pass through.

00:10:29.950 --> 00:10:33.889
- When I first got
here, I was amazed

00:10:33.890 --> 00:10:36.529
that there was so much
washing up on the beach.

00:10:36.530 --> 00:10:39.069
- I thought it was just a hoax
because you never could really

00:10:39.070 --> 00:10:39.740
find pictures of it.

00:10:39.741 --> 00:10:41.279
You hear something
like, "Yeah it's

00:10:41.280 --> 00:10:43.209
a plastic patch two
times the size of Texas,"

00:10:43.210 --> 00:10:45.039
and you think there's
no way, you know?

00:10:45.040 --> 00:10:48.699
But then you actually see
all this plastic wash up.

00:10:48.700 --> 00:10:51.189
- When you walk through the
sand, the majority of it

00:10:51.190 --> 00:10:51.800
is plastic.

00:10:51.801 --> 00:10:54.419
It's not coral, it's
not organic things.

00:10:54.420 --> 00:10:55.860
It's plastic pieces.

00:10:58.630 --> 00:11:02.369
- The future will bring plastic
fabrics wondrously fine,

00:11:02.370 --> 00:11:05.039
shoes more glamorous
than Cinderella's.

00:11:05.040 --> 00:11:07.829
Homes throughout will
be bright with color.

00:11:07.830 --> 00:11:10.609
With many contributions of
the kingdom of plastics,

00:11:10.610 --> 00:11:13.990
dreams like this and many
more will become realities.

00:11:19.450 --> 00:11:22.479
- Seeing all of this plastic
in front of me, I wondered.

00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:26.109
How did plastic become so
pervasive in our daily lives?

00:11:26.110 --> 00:11:28.979
And how did the world
become so dependent on it?

00:11:28.980 --> 00:11:31.789
- It wasn't until the
late 1930s that plastics

00:11:31.790 --> 00:11:33.119
came into their own.

00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:36.039
All the wealth of the
Indies was in enemy hands.

00:11:36.040 --> 00:11:37.759
Germany, well aware
of difficulties

00:11:37.760 --> 00:11:40.929
in obtaining raw materials,
ordered her scientists

00:11:40.930 --> 00:11:42.719
to develop substitutes.

00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:45.149
A peaceful America,
shaken from its lethargy,

00:11:45.150 --> 00:11:50.569
took off its coat, rolled up
its sleeves, and went to work.

00:11:50.570 --> 00:11:54.219
But war is a greedy monster.

00:11:54.220 --> 00:11:57.539
Soldiers must be fed,
clothed, housed and equipped.

00:11:57.540 --> 00:11:58.540
But how?

00:12:01.620 --> 00:12:04.310
Our most promising man-made
replacement: Plastic.

00:12:07.630 --> 00:12:09.619
- The plastics industry
grew from producing

00:12:09.620 --> 00:12:12.819
a modest 20 million
pounds in 1927

00:12:12.820 --> 00:12:17.709
to a total of 650
million pounds by 1943.

00:12:17.710 --> 00:12:20.739
That's an increase
of over 3,000%,

00:12:20.740 --> 00:12:23.509
which exceeded that
of any other industry.

00:12:23.510 --> 00:12:26.499
85% of that production
was devoted to war.

00:12:26.500 --> 00:12:29.769
The next statement was
eerily foreshadowing.

00:12:29.770 --> 00:12:33.049
- Plastics will play as
large a role in peace

00:12:33.050 --> 00:12:34.210
as they do in war.

00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:39.889
- Here at the
Visitor Center, they

00:12:39.890 --> 00:12:43.489
have some of the pieces that
have been found on the beach.

00:12:43.490 --> 00:12:47.159
This is Rock Steady from the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

00:12:47.160 --> 00:12:52.199
So whoever owned this,
obviously, grew up in the '80s.

00:12:52.200 --> 00:12:54.239
You know, it brings
you down memory lane

00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:57.879
to see all of these
objects, but it's

00:12:57.880 --> 00:13:00.489
sad to see that the
stuff that I threw out

00:13:00.490 --> 00:13:01.919
might have ended up here.

00:13:01.920 --> 00:13:04.290
And these toys don't go away.

00:13:07.950 --> 00:13:09.959
Have you ever gotten bit?

00:13:09.960 --> 00:13:10.460
- No.

00:13:10.461 --> 00:13:12.229
Not so far.

00:13:12.230 --> 00:13:14.289
- While beach combing
earlier that day,

00:13:14.290 --> 00:13:17.239
a 12-year-old visiting
Midway stumbled upon a most

00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:19.469
interesting find.

00:13:19.470 --> 00:13:23.059
- I was beachcombing, looking
for plastics and stuff,

00:13:23.060 --> 00:13:24.329
and I saw this bottle.

00:13:24.330 --> 00:13:27.419
And wouldn't you know, but
there's a letter inside.

00:13:27.420 --> 00:13:30.269
"Dear Finder, what
country are you from?

00:13:30.270 --> 00:13:34.439
When you get this letter,
please write back to me.

00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:38.209
Mark Twain Elementary School,
Miss Dugan, third grade,

00:13:38.210 --> 00:13:40.859
Long Beach, California, 1999."

00:13:40.860 --> 00:13:45.149
- Can I bring that back
for you since I live in LA

00:13:45.150 --> 00:13:47.449
and try to find
that person for you?

00:13:47.450 --> 00:13:50.319
It's just a testament of
how old this stuff is,

00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:53.259
that Lewis could find a
message in a bottle written

00:13:53.260 --> 00:13:59.489
over 10 years ago and
how it goes full circle.

00:13:59.490 --> 00:14:04.079
- Producers have kept putting
out more and more of this stuff

00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:07.019
and expecting that we,
as taxpayers, are going

00:14:07.020 --> 00:14:09.689
to pick up the cost
of cleaning it up.

00:14:09.690 --> 00:14:11.509
- They're not really
talking about what

00:14:11.510 --> 00:14:14.589
their product actually
costs, the $25 million

00:14:14.590 --> 00:14:17.779
to the taxpayers that is
spent every year to clean up

00:14:17.780 --> 00:14:20.279
the plastic bags and
to clean up the mess.

00:14:20.280 --> 00:14:23.119
- Our plastic comes
from oil and gas.

00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:28.239
Five of the six most profitable
corporations in the world

00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:29.789
are oil and gas companies.

00:14:29.790 --> 00:14:31.910
Their plan is to
make more money.

00:14:38.220 --> 00:14:42.439
As we're finding out, it's a
material that can harm nature.

00:14:42.440 --> 00:14:44.279
It's just, if you're
going to make it

00:14:44.280 --> 00:14:47.159
and you're going to sell it,
you should have some plan.

00:14:47.160 --> 00:14:49.289
We can legislate that.

00:14:49.290 --> 00:14:52.399
We haven't, for good reasons,
because you make more money

00:14:52.400 --> 00:14:55.059
when you're not
responsible for the waste.

00:14:55.060 --> 00:14:57.849
- They can't just make
it and say goodbye.

00:14:57.850 --> 00:15:00.279
They have to create an
infrastructure to take it back.

00:15:00.280 --> 00:15:03.059
If a business model is working,
if it produces billions

00:15:03.060 --> 00:15:06.779
of revenue, there has to be
an incentive for the industry

00:15:06.780 --> 00:15:09.119
to change to get
out of this mode.

00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:13.679
- The United States alone will
produce 115 billion pounds

00:15:13.680 --> 00:15:16.099
of new plastic this year.

00:15:16.100 --> 00:15:18.349
Most of this will be used
to make single use products.

00:15:18.350 --> 00:15:20.329
A lot of people seem
to be telling me

00:15:20.330 --> 00:15:23.049
that it's all up
to us as consumers.

00:15:23.050 --> 00:15:26.419
- It's mostly consumer's
responsibility.

00:15:26.420 --> 00:15:28.489
- The world is going
to produce the goods

00:15:28.490 --> 00:15:30.089
that consumers demand.

00:15:30.090 --> 00:15:32.371
- If you don't buy it,
they won't make it.

00:15:37.370 --> 00:15:38.769
- But there's a shift.

00:15:38.770 --> 00:15:43.289
People are waking up and going,
"Well, it's not all our fault."

00:15:43.290 --> 00:15:47.149
The whole concept of
"litterbug" is a very convenient

00:15:47.150 --> 00:15:51.029
terminology to put the
problem on to the consumer.

00:15:51.030 --> 00:15:52.989
For example, as soon
as we use plastic bags,

00:15:52.990 --> 00:15:54.609
is that they blow,
they get windbourne.

00:15:54.610 --> 00:15:56.439
So even if you do throw
it in your trash can

00:15:56.440 --> 00:15:58.669
or even if it does
go in the landfill,

00:15:58.670 --> 00:16:01.209
there's a chance for them to
get into the environment anyway.

00:16:01.210 --> 00:16:02.949
When it goes into
the water, it's

00:16:02.950 --> 00:16:05.099
a cost to society
to clean it up.

00:16:05.100 --> 00:16:06.559
That's a cost to
the environment.

00:16:06.560 --> 00:16:08.929
That's a cost to
future generations.

00:16:08.930 --> 00:16:11.829
But that's not being reflected
in the producers' income

00:16:11.830 --> 00:16:12.830
statement.

00:16:15.160 --> 00:16:19.339
- There's just thousands of
birds as far as I can see.

00:16:19.340 --> 00:16:21.189
And it just boggles
my mind that we

00:16:21.190 --> 00:16:24.489
are in the middle of
nowhere in the Pacific Ocean

00:16:24.490 --> 00:16:29.279
with the largest colony of
Laysan albatross on the planet.

00:16:29.280 --> 00:16:30.949
Golf cart coming through.

00:16:30.950 --> 00:16:31.950
Oh, no!

00:16:35.870 --> 00:16:37.709
Yo, what's up?

00:16:37.710 --> 00:16:38.729
Go on.

00:16:38.730 --> 00:16:39.730
Excuse me.

00:16:45.070 --> 00:16:49.359
Not all of the plastic
ends up on the beaches.

00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:51.699
Fishing nets used to be
made of wool or silk,

00:16:51.700 --> 00:16:54.339
but today most of them
are made from nylon

00:16:54.340 --> 00:16:58.979
which is a strong and cheap
form of thermoplastic.

00:16:58.980 --> 00:17:00.659
So when they're
lost or discarded,

00:17:00.660 --> 00:17:02.589
they don't disintegrate.

00:17:02.590 --> 00:17:05.329
They just stick around and
litter the ocean floor,

00:17:05.330 --> 00:17:06.570
killing marine animals.

00:17:10.470 --> 00:17:13.689
- Plastic has invaded
all levels in the ocean,

00:17:13.690 --> 00:17:18.399
from the tiniest plankton to
the largest cetaceans or whales.

00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:21.319
The larger animals and even
some of the smaller ones

00:17:21.320 --> 00:17:24.759
get tangled up in
plastic and can't feed,

00:17:24.760 --> 00:17:27.509
can't move, strangle, die.

00:17:27.510 --> 00:17:31.119
Hundreds of thousands
of mammals, millions

00:17:31.120 --> 00:17:33.079
of fish and sea
birds die every year

00:17:33.080 --> 00:17:34.560
from entanglement in plastic.

00:17:42.580 --> 00:17:44.789
- I wanted to see how these
plastic fishing nets were

00:17:44.790 --> 00:17:47.159
affecting Midway's
coral reef systems.

00:17:47.160 --> 00:17:49.119
So I hopped aboard a
research boat headed out

00:17:49.120 --> 00:17:51.889
to collect data.

00:17:51.890 --> 00:17:53.609
- All this is live
coral under here.

00:17:53.610 --> 00:17:56.329
And it's really shallow,
so the bottoms of the nets

00:17:56.330 --> 00:17:59.189
snag on live coral,
tear them off,

00:17:59.190 --> 00:18:00.809
they get caught up
in the net, and they

00:18:00.810 --> 00:18:03.739
keep rolling and rolling
over this shallow reef.

00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:06.339
- So basically it's like a giant
tumbleweed in the sea, right?

00:18:06.340 --> 00:18:10.349
- It just rolls
along, grabbing coral.

00:18:10.350 --> 00:18:13.459
- So why are coral
reefs so important?

00:18:13.460 --> 00:18:17.699
They are the second most diverse
ecosystem on this planet.

00:18:17.700 --> 00:18:19.749
Reefs provide
coastal protection,

00:18:19.750 --> 00:18:22.609
food for millions of people,
and lifesaving drugs,

00:18:22.610 --> 00:18:25.169
like one for childhood leukemia.

00:18:25.170 --> 00:18:28.479
- There are thousands and
thousands of species on reefs,

00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:33.699
and each species has a different
level in the food chain.

00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:37.179
That network is supporting
all of the life in the sea,

00:18:37.180 --> 00:18:40.779
and ultimately is helping
to support human life.

00:18:40.780 --> 00:18:45.260
Reefs have seen a tremendous
decline in the last 25 years.

00:18:49.330 --> 00:18:51.369
- The team started to
collect data from the site,

00:18:51.370 --> 00:18:52.879
examining the damaged coral.

00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:54.849
But while we were
still underwater,

00:18:54.850 --> 00:18:57.759
a radio call comes in that
another massive new net

00:18:57.760 --> 00:18:59.469
was cited in the area.

00:18:59.470 --> 00:19:01.379
- North, two eight degrees.

00:19:01.380 --> 00:19:01.930
- Two eight.

00:19:01.931 --> 00:19:03.970
- One two, decimal
four seven nine.

00:19:08.930 --> 00:19:10.259
- The big net is up here.

00:19:10.260 --> 00:19:11.220
You see it?

00:19:11.220 --> 00:19:12.180
- Oh, yeah.

00:19:12.181 --> 00:19:14.549
Have you seen one
like this before?

00:19:14.550 --> 00:19:16.009
- This looks like
a really big one.

00:19:16.010 --> 00:19:18.399
- Looks like it's been a
purposely discarded net.

00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:20.689
- Can you tell where it's from?

00:19:20.690 --> 00:19:22.409
- Unfortunately, no.

00:19:22.410 --> 00:19:24.689
It's too big, this
boat will sink.

00:19:24.690 --> 00:19:28.389
It's probably close to
a ton I would guess.

00:19:28.390 --> 00:19:29.030
Or more.

00:19:29.031 --> 00:19:31.599
- The ladies are swimming
around it right now

00:19:31.600 --> 00:19:33.959
trying to figure out
where the entanglement is.

00:19:33.960 --> 00:19:37.219
And what we see on
the surface, there

00:19:37.220 --> 00:19:39.439
might be a lot more underneath.

00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:40.440
Here I go.

00:20:05.010 --> 00:20:07.749
- We saw a number of
coral heads broken off.

00:20:07.750 --> 00:20:09.619
They were still alive
but they're broken off.

00:20:09.620 --> 00:20:11.780
They're not going to
be alive for long.

00:20:19.820 --> 00:20:22.609
So this is a perfect example
of what I was talking about.

00:20:22.610 --> 00:20:25.389
It's snagged now on one
or two live coral heads.

00:20:25.390 --> 00:20:29.259
It'll break those off and it'll
continue across the atoll,

00:20:29.260 --> 00:20:31.719
breaking coral heads as it goes.

00:20:31.720 --> 00:20:34.519
You just can't leave it behind.

00:20:34.520 --> 00:20:36.499
You really want to get
it in as soon as you can

00:20:36.500 --> 00:20:38.499
and stop that from happening.

00:20:38.500 --> 00:20:40.740
It's too dangerous to
leave it out there.

00:20:44.800 --> 00:20:47.129
These are some researchers
from University

00:20:47.130 --> 00:20:49.729
of Santa Cruz that are out
here studying the reef as well.

00:20:49.730 --> 00:20:51.499
These guys were working
nearby and offered

00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:53.620
to come over and put
it in their boat.

00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:07.139
- I never realized until I
had to physically pull up

00:21:07.140 --> 00:21:10.659
a giant fishing net made of
plastic materials, just how

00:21:10.660 --> 00:21:12.419
destructive it could be.

00:21:12.420 --> 00:21:15.199
The net was so big
and so heavy, we

00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:17.440
thought we would never
get into the boat.

00:21:19.830 --> 00:21:22.899
We tried to get
most of it up there,

00:21:22.900 --> 00:21:28.249
and then sort of rigged it
with ropes to hold it in place.

00:21:28.250 --> 00:21:29.180
- Pretty damn heavy.

00:21:29.181 --> 00:21:31.669
- Makes you wonder
where the guys are.

00:21:31.670 --> 00:21:34.889
It's all ladies on that boat.

00:21:34.890 --> 00:21:37.651
We got it and we're going
to take it back in to shore.

00:21:43.460 --> 00:21:45.899
Oh my gosh!

00:21:45.900 --> 00:21:47.370
I can feel the spray.

00:21:53.240 --> 00:21:55.649
- It's happening on
such a large scale.

00:21:55.650 --> 00:21:59.339
We've removed up to 123 tons
in a matter of four months.

00:21:59.340 --> 00:22:00.909
Just seeing the
destruction of one,

00:22:00.910 --> 00:22:03.349
multiply that times
a couple thousand

00:22:03.350 --> 00:22:05.939
and then you get an idea.

00:22:05.940 --> 00:22:08.839
- In fact, the UN
did a study in 2009

00:22:08.840 --> 00:22:13.129
and found that there are
an estimated 640,000 tons

00:22:13.130 --> 00:22:16.859
of discarded fishing nets
in the oceans worldwide.

00:22:16.860 --> 00:22:19.540
And that number is
increasing every day.

00:22:23.230 --> 00:22:26.529
- If reefs are in trouble,
the oceans are in trouble.

00:22:26.530 --> 00:22:31.309
If the oceans are in trouble,
we humans are in trouble.

00:22:31.310 --> 00:22:33.839
Nobody really knows
what would happen

00:22:33.840 --> 00:22:35.450
if we lost all the reefs.

00:22:43.230 --> 00:22:45.539
- The problem of
plastics is twofold.

00:22:45.540 --> 00:22:48.389
There's the macro plastics,
which are the big pieces,

00:22:48.390 --> 00:22:51.219
and then there's also
the micro plastics.

00:22:51.220 --> 00:22:54.849
The smaller the plastic is, it
actually means that it's older.

00:22:54.850 --> 00:22:59.669
So this could have been plastic
from the '60s and the '70s.

00:22:59.670 --> 00:23:01.739
These bits and
pieces are actually

00:23:01.740 --> 00:23:05.589
more harmful than the
large macro pieces,

00:23:05.590 --> 00:23:07.049
because what happens
is the plastic

00:23:07.050 --> 00:23:09.569
will break down
from the sunlight.

00:23:09.570 --> 00:23:11.559
It photodegrades and
these little pieces

00:23:11.560 --> 00:23:14.480
get digested by the fish, and
they move up the food chain.

00:23:17.830 --> 00:23:22.210
What I'm holding right here,
is less sand and more plastic.

00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:26.979
- And then there's
this whole phenomenon

00:23:26.980 --> 00:23:31.319
of persistent organic pollutants
being absorbed in the plastic.

00:23:31.320 --> 00:23:33.879
- So what's a persistent
organic pollutant?

00:23:33.880 --> 00:23:35.479
Basically it's
chemical waste that

00:23:35.480 --> 00:23:38.179
gets absorbed by pieces
of plastic and accumulates

00:23:38.180 --> 00:23:40.300
in the tissues of
animals that eat it.

00:23:42.510 --> 00:23:44.479
- So they become this
transport mechanism

00:23:44.480 --> 00:23:46.000
for toxics in the environment.

00:23:49.710 --> 00:23:52.499
- If you look at the
tissues of marine mammals

00:23:52.500 --> 00:23:55.169
or mahi mahi and
swordfish and tuna,

00:23:55.170 --> 00:23:58.919
you find pollutants in them,
the same pollutants on plastic.

00:23:58.920 --> 00:24:01.201
We're beginning to
make those connections.

00:24:03.410 --> 00:24:06.619
- Fish that we see on our
tables that are restaurant fare

00:24:06.620 --> 00:24:09.310
are now being
affected by plastic.

00:24:11.830 --> 00:24:14.699
- So I filet this fish
thinking I'm going to eat it,

00:24:14.700 --> 00:24:17.049
and here's what I found.

00:24:17.050 --> 00:24:19.819
It's full of plastic.

00:24:19.820 --> 00:24:23.139
- Dr. Marcus Eriksen is an
activist and researcher.

00:24:23.140 --> 00:24:26.139
He and his colleagues built
a raft out of plastic bottles

00:24:26.140 --> 00:24:28.679
and floated from L.A. to
Hawaii, to draw attention

00:24:28.680 --> 00:24:31.359
to the plastic
debris in the ocean.

00:24:31.360 --> 00:24:32.709
- The plastic isn't benign.

00:24:32.710 --> 00:24:34.219
The fish won't pass it.

00:24:34.220 --> 00:24:37.769
The plastic is full of
persistent organic pollutants,

00:24:37.770 --> 00:24:40.899
things like PCB's,
DDT, PAH's, things

00:24:40.900 --> 00:24:44.309
that are known human carcinogens
and endocrine disruptors;

00:24:44.310 --> 00:24:46.829
things you don't want in your
body, but they're in the fish

00:24:46.830 --> 00:24:48.529
that we eat.

00:24:48.530 --> 00:24:53.019
- I don't want
plastic in my sushi.

00:24:53.020 --> 00:24:55.999
- Marcus and his wife Anna
founded the organization Five

00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:59.389
Gyres to study and document
the world's garbage patches.

00:24:59.390 --> 00:25:01.259
They've sailed
all over the globe

00:25:01.260 --> 00:25:03.669
to prove that the
other ocean gyres also

00:25:03.670 --> 00:25:06.119
contain high
concentrations of plastic.

00:25:06.120 --> 00:25:07.439
- We got a fish

00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:08.150
- You got a fish?

00:25:08.150 --> 00:25:08.650
- Yeah.

00:25:08.651 --> 00:25:10.149
- We collected a
bunch of small fish

00:25:10.150 --> 00:25:12.079
and we're finding,
increasingly, that they're

00:25:12.080 --> 00:25:13.109
feeding on plastic.

00:25:13.110 --> 00:25:15.149
- Even in a one, two and
one half inch long fish,

00:25:15.150 --> 00:25:17.899
we found 83 pieces of plastic.

00:25:17.900 --> 00:25:20.019
- Not only are we beginning
to find connections

00:25:20.020 --> 00:25:22.289
between plastic and
our food supply,

00:25:22.290 --> 00:25:23.999
these harmful
chemical additives are

00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:26.099
capable of leeching
out into whatever

00:25:26.100 --> 00:25:28.899
it comes into contact with.

00:25:28.900 --> 00:25:30.859
One chemical that's
been in the news a lot

00:25:30.860 --> 00:25:34.819
lately is bisphenol A, or BPA.

00:25:34.820 --> 00:25:36.829
BPA is a compound
used to manufacture

00:25:36.830 --> 00:25:40.579
many kinds of plastic, such as
baby bottles, water bottles,

00:25:40.580 --> 00:25:43.309
sports equipment, the
lining of canned food,

00:25:43.310 --> 00:25:45.499
and household electronics.

00:25:45.500 --> 00:25:49.229
- Bisphenol A was discovered
seven decades back.

00:25:49.230 --> 00:25:53.119
And it was already known that
it has some endocrine disrupting

00:25:53.120 --> 00:25:54.279
properties.

00:25:54.280 --> 00:25:56.329
- Endocrine disruptors
are basically

00:25:56.330 --> 00:25:59.219
chemicals that can mess up
your body's internal signaling

00:25:59.220 --> 00:26:00.269
system.

00:26:00.270 --> 00:26:02.149
They make hormones
go haywire and can

00:26:02.150 --> 00:26:04.749
cause all kinds of
problems, from diabetes

00:26:04.750 --> 00:26:06.719
to brain disorders and cancer.

00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:10.479
- Every day, we add
estrogen-like chemicals

00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:13.199
to our body through plastics.

00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:15.509
Bisphenol A, for
example, was originally

00:26:15.510 --> 00:26:18.689
designed to be birth control.

00:26:18.690 --> 00:26:21.069
It was originally
designed for...

00:26:21.070 --> 00:26:24.559
as a hormonal therapy for women.

00:26:24.560 --> 00:26:26.379
It wasn't quite strong
enough for that,

00:26:26.380 --> 00:26:28.049
so it was put on the shelf.

00:26:28.050 --> 00:26:30.849
Then some various
scientists and formulators

00:26:30.850 --> 00:26:33.439
figured out that
bisphenol A actually

00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:35.139
could make plastic hard.

00:26:35.140 --> 00:26:37.029
Nobody asked the
question, what will

00:26:37.030 --> 00:26:41.479
happen when we give bisphenol A
to people through this plastic?

00:26:41.480 --> 00:26:45.249
93% of Americans are walking
around with bisphenol A

00:26:45.250 --> 00:26:46.250
in their bodies.

00:26:49.880 --> 00:26:53.659
- Professor Fred vom Saal is one
of the leading experts on BPA.

00:26:53.660 --> 00:26:57.819
He has been studying its harmful
effects for over 15 years.

00:26:57.820 --> 00:27:00.559
He's found that receipt paper,
even though it's not plastic,

00:27:00.560 --> 00:27:03.049
is coated with high
amounts of BPA.

00:27:03.050 --> 00:27:06.729
- We're going to do a study
to determine whether bisphenol

00:27:06.730 --> 00:27:10.909
A comes out of thermal
paper, off the surface

00:27:10.910 --> 00:27:13.689
of thermal paper,
onto your hand,

00:27:13.690 --> 00:27:17.109
and can get through the skin
of your hand into your body.

00:27:17.110 --> 00:27:20.129
- So I volunteered to be one
of his first guinea pigs.

00:27:20.130 --> 00:27:22.029
- No one's ever done this.

00:27:22.030 --> 00:27:24.759
We know that a lot
of the bisphenol A

00:27:24.760 --> 00:27:27.149
gets off the paper
onto your skin.

00:27:27.150 --> 00:27:29.859
What we don't know is how much
of it goes through your skin

00:27:29.860 --> 00:27:31.159
into your body.

00:27:31.160 --> 00:27:34.729
That's what we want to find out.

00:27:34.730 --> 00:27:36.159
We're going to
collect your blood

00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:38.679
and we're going to determine
how much bisphenol A was

00:27:38.680 --> 00:27:41.729
in your body when you
came into the laboratory.

00:27:41.730 --> 00:27:43.289
- So it would be a
total of 20 cc's.

00:27:43.290 --> 00:27:45.239
- We have to do two?

00:27:45.240 --> 00:27:46.150
- We do two.

00:27:46.150 --> 00:27:46.980
- Oh, my gosh.

00:27:46.981 --> 00:27:48.009
Ouch!

00:27:48.010 --> 00:27:50.689
- Uncurl your toes.

00:27:50.690 --> 00:27:52.199
- Am I doing OK?

00:27:52.200 --> 00:27:53.979
Oh my gosh, that's
a lot of blood!

00:27:53.980 --> 00:27:54.750
- There you go.

00:27:54.751 --> 00:27:56.289
- Then what we're
going to do is have

00:27:56.290 --> 00:27:59.389
you hold a piece of thermal
paper for a couple minutes.

00:27:59.390 --> 00:28:01.379
- We're ready to go.

00:28:01.380 --> 00:28:02.759
- OK, so go ahead.

00:28:02.760 --> 00:28:05.069
There you go.

00:28:05.070 --> 00:28:07.089
- This is what I normally
do with my receipts

00:28:07.090 --> 00:28:08.819
when I get them from a store.

00:28:08.820 --> 00:28:12.049
- But think about how many
times you touch a receipt.

00:28:12.050 --> 00:28:14.829
(BEEPING)

00:28:14.830 --> 00:28:16.109
- Oh, my gosh!

00:28:16.110 --> 00:28:17.090
- Don't touch anything.

00:28:17.091 --> 00:28:18.299
- Yeah, don't touch anything.

00:28:18.300 --> 00:28:19.429
- Is this BPA on my hand?

00:28:19.430 --> 00:28:20.390
- It sure is.

00:28:20.391 --> 00:28:23.339
You shouldn't have to worry
about touching a receipt paper.

00:28:23.340 --> 00:28:25.729
- This is true.

00:28:25.730 --> 00:28:29.189
- Because plastics are in
every facet of our lives,

00:28:29.190 --> 00:28:31.609
we are exposed to these
things and everybody

00:28:31.610 --> 00:28:32.829
is exposed to them.

00:28:32.830 --> 00:28:36.079
It's like we're all in the
midst of a giant, uncontrolled

00:28:36.080 --> 00:28:37.639
experiment.

00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:41.279
- Without your permission,
you are being polluted.

00:28:41.280 --> 00:28:43.449
Is that OK with you?

00:28:43.450 --> 00:28:45.829
- I think it's just a question
of, why weren't we told?

00:28:45.830 --> 00:28:48.470
It bothers me, and it kind
of... it makes me angry.

00:28:55.950 --> 00:28:58.249
This is really not fun.

00:28:58.250 --> 00:29:02.109
After three pokes and a
lot of resistance from me,

00:29:02.110 --> 00:29:03.819
this is my blood
before and after,

00:29:03.820 --> 00:29:05.979
and this combined
with the urine sample

00:29:05.980 --> 00:29:07.059
is going to go to the lab.

00:29:07.060 --> 00:29:11.489
And then we're going to get
the results in a couple weeks.

00:29:11.490 --> 00:29:14.439
Recent studies have
shown that BPA can now

00:29:14.440 --> 00:29:16.660
be found in all of
the world's oceans.

00:29:22.020 --> 00:29:26.889
- We have well over a
million albatross at Midway.

00:29:26.890 --> 00:29:28.909
They're incredible flyers.

00:29:28.910 --> 00:29:32.579
Each one of the adults
will fly thousands of miles

00:29:32.580 --> 00:29:34.629
for each foraging trip
for their chick, which

00:29:34.630 --> 00:29:36.029
is every seven to 10 days.

00:29:36.030 --> 00:29:38.239
And so if you add up the
number of miles that they're

00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:40.549
flying in one breeding
season, it definitely

00:29:40.550 --> 00:29:43.549
is many times
circling the world.

00:29:43.550 --> 00:29:45.699
They always come back to
the same spot to nest.

00:29:45.700 --> 00:29:48.379
And they're monogamous, so they
typically have the same mate.

00:29:48.380 --> 00:29:50.199
So they'll wait for
their mate to show up.

00:29:50.200 --> 00:29:52.319
And then they lay their egg
and then the cycle of life

00:29:52.320 --> 00:29:53.320
continues.

00:29:55.910 --> 00:29:59.709
- Oh, oh, my god!

00:29:59.710 --> 00:30:03.330
They can pass lighters and
plastic along to the chick.

00:30:06.680 --> 00:30:08.849
The US Fish and
Wildlife Service does

00:30:08.850 --> 00:30:11.709
what it can to monitor
the trash situation.

00:30:11.710 --> 00:30:14.519
John leads teams of volunteers
to different parts of the atoll

00:30:14.520 --> 00:30:17.249
to measure and classify the
debris, and to clean some of it

00:30:17.250 --> 00:30:18.439
up.

00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:20.159
I headed out to
one of the beaches

00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:22.160
with them to size
up the situation.

00:30:29.540 --> 00:30:31.459
- Every piece of plastic
you see on the island

00:30:31.460 --> 00:30:33.979
was brought in here by
either an adult albatross

00:30:33.980 --> 00:30:36.659
and fed to its chick, or
it was fed to the chick

00:30:36.660 --> 00:30:39.069
and they died in place,
and then they decayed

00:30:39.070 --> 00:30:40.659
and then you're left
with the plastic.

00:30:40.660 --> 00:30:43.239
So all this plastic was
brought in by an albatross.

00:30:43.240 --> 00:30:47.109
In fact, we estimate that about
five tons of plastic each year

00:30:47.110 --> 00:30:49.159
are brought to the whole
atoll by adult albatross

00:30:49.160 --> 00:30:51.760
and fed to the chicks, so
it's really significant.

00:30:58.100 --> 00:31:00.069
- Is this a freshly...?

00:31:00.070 --> 00:31:03.389
- Freshly dead bird, yep.

00:31:03.390 --> 00:31:07.210
We can take a quick look just
in case, and cut it open.

00:31:09.930 --> 00:31:11.509
Does actually have
some stuff in it.

00:31:11.510 --> 00:31:12.669
- Oh my gosh.

00:31:12.670 --> 00:31:14.070
Oh, gross.

00:31:18.250 --> 00:31:19.459
Oh, my gosh.

00:31:19.460 --> 00:31:21.479
- Fishing line.

00:31:21.480 --> 00:31:23.059
Oh, look at that big
piece of plastic.

00:31:23.060 --> 00:31:24.459
- Oh my goodness.

00:31:24.460 --> 00:31:25.539
What do you think that is?

00:31:25.540 --> 00:31:28.279
- Almost looks like a cap
to a permanent marker,

00:31:28.280 --> 00:31:29.869
something like that.

00:31:29.870 --> 00:31:31.349
(GROANING)

00:31:31.350 --> 00:31:33.869
Lot more fishing line
coming out there.

00:31:33.870 --> 00:31:35.559
- Wow.

00:31:35.560 --> 00:31:36.360
This is average?

00:31:36.360 --> 00:31:36.960
- Yep.

00:31:36.961 --> 00:31:40.229
This is probably just
on average amount.

00:31:40.230 --> 00:31:42.319
- We see bellies
full of plastic.

00:31:42.320 --> 00:31:45.489
Could that be an
indicator of our future...

00:31:45.490 --> 00:31:46.240
- Unfortunately...

00:31:46.240 --> 00:31:47.160
- in some capacity?

00:31:47.160 --> 00:31:47.830
- yeah.

00:31:47.830 --> 00:31:48.630
Unfortunately, yes.

00:31:48.631 --> 00:31:50.559
These birds... or at
least their parents...

00:31:50.560 --> 00:31:54.169
They forage on a global scale,
forage throughout the Pacific.

00:31:54.170 --> 00:31:56.849
So they are like our thermometer
for the health of the Pacific,

00:31:56.850 --> 00:31:59.369
which ultimately affects
people, not only albatross.

00:31:59.370 --> 00:32:03.009
So really, to see this albatross
tells us that the Pacific

00:32:03.010 --> 00:32:05.469
Ocean and probably the oceans
in our world in general,

00:32:05.470 --> 00:32:08.019
are in trouble when we see
this kind of plastic that's

00:32:08.020 --> 00:32:12.509
so pervasive in this
seemingly natural environment.

00:32:12.510 --> 00:32:13.799
And this is just an albatross.

00:32:13.800 --> 00:32:16.429
Just think about every
fish out in the ocean

00:32:16.430 --> 00:32:17.899
might have some
level of plastic.

00:32:17.900 --> 00:32:20.559
Maybe you can't see it, but
at the microscopic scale

00:32:20.560 --> 00:32:21.779
you could detect it.

00:32:21.780 --> 00:32:24.340
And then of course, we're
feeding on marine life.

00:32:28.700 --> 00:32:32.169
- The Earth is covered
by over 75% water.

00:32:32.170 --> 00:32:35.669
With all this plastic and toxins
in the oceans, I wondered,

00:32:35.670 --> 00:32:36.809
what could we do?

00:32:36.810 --> 00:32:38.779
- My first reaction
was very much

00:32:38.780 --> 00:32:41.029
like a lot of other
people's first reaction,

00:32:41.030 --> 00:32:45.299
and that was, oh my god, we've
got to go clean this thing up.

00:32:45.300 --> 00:32:49.689
- Frankly, I haven't seen
a decent proposal for how

00:32:49.690 --> 00:32:56.169
to viably do that without
spending a lot of money,

00:32:56.170 --> 00:33:00.979
a lot of fuel... diesel... and
killing a lot of ocean life.

00:33:00.980 --> 00:33:03.539
- If we're talking about little
bits of plastic broken down

00:33:03.540 --> 00:33:05.749
into tiny, tiny bits,
what are we going to do?

00:33:05.750 --> 00:33:07.869
Strain the entire ocean?

00:33:07.870 --> 00:33:10.839
- No amount of all the
ships in the world carrying

00:33:10.840 --> 00:33:13.729
all the nets in the world, going
out there, pulling stuff up,

00:33:13.730 --> 00:33:15.459
is going to save the sea.

00:33:15.460 --> 00:33:17.009
Only the sea herself
can spit it out

00:33:17.010 --> 00:33:18.469
and she'll never
get a chance to do

00:33:18.470 --> 00:33:20.189
that if we keep putting it in.

00:33:20.190 --> 00:33:24.459
- Frankly, this whole
idea that we take all this

00:33:24.460 --> 00:33:26.779
intended disposable
stuff that we

00:33:26.780 --> 00:33:29.469
use, and put it somewhere away?

00:33:29.470 --> 00:33:31.229
There is no "away."

00:33:31.230 --> 00:33:32.829
We need to turn off the faucet.

00:33:32.830 --> 00:33:35.379
We need to turn off the
tap and stop the stuff

00:33:35.380 --> 00:33:37.849
from flowing into the ocean.

00:33:37.850 --> 00:33:39.639
- But what about recycling?

00:33:39.640 --> 00:33:42.159
If everyone just throws their
plastic away in the right bin,

00:33:42.160 --> 00:33:43.999
won't that help a lot?

00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:46.009
- Recycling is a bit of a myth.

00:33:46.010 --> 00:33:49.329
We really only recover
very, very small percent

00:33:49.330 --> 00:33:52.019
of our consumer plastics
in this country.

00:33:52.020 --> 00:33:54.699
Only certain types of
plastic are recyclable;

00:33:54.700 --> 00:33:58.389
mainly the PET, polyethylene
terephthalate mark number one,

00:33:58.390 --> 00:34:03.919
or HDPE, label number two,
high density polyethylene.

00:34:03.920 --> 00:34:06.359
Most plastic doesn't
truly get recycled.

00:34:06.360 --> 00:34:07.999
It gets downcycled.

00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:10.789
Unlike glass or metal... which
can be used over and over again

00:34:10.790 --> 00:34:14.059
plastic consumer products
are usually converted to a lower

00:34:14.060 --> 00:34:16.759
grade material, and used
for things like park benches

00:34:16.760 --> 00:34:18.739
and plastic decking.

00:34:18.740 --> 00:34:21.319
A lot of this process
takes place overseas.

00:34:21.320 --> 00:34:23.239
- We ship a lot of
our plastics to China.

00:34:23.240 --> 00:34:25.239
And we heard this from
several recycling centers

00:34:25.240 --> 00:34:26.839
here in California.

00:34:26.840 --> 00:34:30.319
- In fact, according to the US
International Trade Commission,

00:34:30.320 --> 00:34:32.399
the fastest growing...
And now number one...

00:34:32.400 --> 00:34:36.579
Category of American exports
to China, is scrap and trash.

00:34:36.580 --> 00:34:40.169
- If only about 30% of the bag
comes from recycled content,

00:34:40.170 --> 00:34:45.049
that means you're still going
to need 70% virgin material.

00:34:45.050 --> 00:34:48.329
Let's recognize that recycling
isn't going to really offset

00:34:48.330 --> 00:34:49.869
production of virgin plastic.

00:34:49.870 --> 00:34:52.049
And it's going to take
more than recycling

00:34:52.050 --> 00:34:57.249
to really deal with the kind of
plastic pollution that we face.

00:34:57.250 --> 00:35:00.459
- Just to be clear:
Plastic is not evil.

00:35:00.460 --> 00:35:03.669
But it's what we do with it,
how much we produce of it,

00:35:03.670 --> 00:35:07.209
and how we dispose of it that
makes all the difference.

00:35:07.210 --> 00:35:09.459
It's the plastic that
was made to last forever,

00:35:09.460 --> 00:35:13.879
but designed to be used once;
That is the biggest problem.

00:35:13.880 --> 00:35:16.239
The two most common
items we throw away

00:35:16.240 --> 00:35:18.959
are our plastic bags
and plastic bottles.

00:35:18.960 --> 00:35:21.019
It's estimated that
on this planet,

00:35:21.020 --> 00:35:25.459
we use a whopping one million
plastic bags a minute.

00:35:25.460 --> 00:35:28.689
If everyone in the United States
tied their annual consumption

00:35:28.690 --> 00:35:31.519
of plastic bags together
in a giant chain,

00:35:31.520 --> 00:35:38.239
that chain would reach around
the Earth's equator 776 times.

00:35:38.240 --> 00:35:42.329
National Geographic estimates
that we use 85 million bottles

00:35:42.330 --> 00:35:44.839
on this planet
every three minutes.

00:35:44.840 --> 00:35:46.569
Since you sat down
to watch this,

00:35:46.570 --> 00:35:51.829
935 million bottles
have been consumed.

00:35:51.830 --> 00:35:54.409
And do we really need them?

00:35:54.410 --> 00:35:57.169
- The answer is very simple.

00:35:57.170 --> 00:35:59.449
Let's stop it at the source.

00:35:59.450 --> 00:36:04.529
- Start thinking about areas to
avoid plastic: buying in bulk,

00:36:04.530 --> 00:36:07.069
buying locally, shopping
at your farmer's market,

00:36:07.070 --> 00:36:09.759
avoiding excess packaging,
and really just being

00:36:09.760 --> 00:36:11.229
mindful of the
things that you buy

00:36:11.230 --> 00:36:14.619
every day, because everything
is going to go somewhere.

00:36:14.620 --> 00:36:17.749
- I think, a lot of times we
as consumers, individuals,

00:36:17.750 --> 00:36:19.739
we underestimate the
power we really have.

00:36:19.740 --> 00:36:22.079
- It's a choice
that we can all make

00:36:22.080 --> 00:36:27.799
to say, I don't need that lid
on a coffee cup for two minutes.

00:36:27.800 --> 00:36:29.789
And I don't need
that plastic bag

00:36:29.790 --> 00:36:33.629
to carry three
things, all of which

00:36:33.630 --> 00:36:35.569
are already
individually packaged.

00:36:35.570 --> 00:36:38.589
- Wanting to influence
others is such a...

00:36:38.590 --> 00:36:40.739
oh, such a can of
worms, you know?

00:36:40.740 --> 00:36:42.979
It's like really, at
the end of the day,

00:36:42.980 --> 00:36:45.589
you can't be telling anyone
what to do, you know?

00:36:45.590 --> 00:36:47.871
They've got to discover
things themselves.

00:36:49.970 --> 00:36:53.129
- It's been a couple months now
since I've done the BPA test,

00:36:53.130 --> 00:36:56.139
and we have Professor
vom Saal here on Skype

00:36:56.140 --> 00:36:58.649
to tell me the results.

00:36:58.650 --> 00:36:59.659
Hi, how are you?

00:36:59.660 --> 00:37:04.709
- What our study is showing
is that you definitely

00:37:04.710 --> 00:37:07.849
get exposed to bisphenol
A by touching it.

00:37:07.850 --> 00:37:10.979
It definitely goes
through the skin.

00:37:10.980 --> 00:37:16.759
And substantial amounts
of it do so very rapidly.

00:37:16.760 --> 00:37:19.169
And it is going
to your brain, it

00:37:19.170 --> 00:37:22.499
is going to other
organs in the body,

00:37:22.500 --> 00:37:27.839
and you are getting absolutely
massive amounts on your hand

00:37:27.840 --> 00:37:29.440
when you touch thermal paper.

00:37:32.680 --> 00:37:35.449
- Since World War II, we've
had a dramatic increase

00:37:35.450 --> 00:37:36.539
of breast cancer.

00:37:36.540 --> 00:37:38.599
We've had a dramatic increase...

00:37:38.600 --> 00:37:41.229
or decrease, in
the age of puberty.

00:37:41.230 --> 00:37:43.959
Girls are going into
puberty earlier.

00:37:43.960 --> 00:37:47.469
Now we're seeing breast budding
in girls at five, six, seven,

00:37:47.470 --> 00:37:48.799
eight years old.

00:37:48.800 --> 00:37:53.119
That's stimulated by estrogen
and estrogen-like chemicals.

00:37:53.120 --> 00:37:56.639
- If you could of have
sat down and designed

00:37:56.640 --> 00:38:00.839
the most harmful chemical
that would damage everything

00:38:00.840 --> 00:38:05.419
that it got near, this
is what you would make.

00:38:05.420 --> 00:38:06.120
- Ugh.

00:38:06.121 --> 00:38:10.609
To know that it had transferred
pretty rapidly into my system,

00:38:10.610 --> 00:38:11.999
it's like, why weren't we told?

00:38:12.000 --> 00:38:14.269
Why did I not know about this?

00:38:14.270 --> 00:38:17.009
- The Flintstones has
been brought to you

00:38:17.010 --> 00:38:20.049
by Winston, America's
best selling,

00:38:20.050 --> 00:38:23.019
best tasting filtered cigarette.

00:38:23.020 --> 00:38:25.419
- You can ask the same question
of the tobacco industry.

00:38:25.420 --> 00:38:28.569
Why didn't we know that tobacco
was carcinogenic earlier?

00:38:28.570 --> 00:38:30.289
And the reason is
because it's not

00:38:30.290 --> 00:38:32.159
in the interest of
the tobacco companies

00:38:32.160 --> 00:38:34.539
to show that their
product is harmful.

00:38:34.540 --> 00:38:37.989
- And only Winston has it,
upfront where it counts.

00:38:37.990 --> 00:38:41.579
- There's a economic reason
for us not finding out.

00:38:41.580 --> 00:38:43.949
- It's a strategy that is
taken straight from the tobacco

00:38:43.950 --> 00:38:44.460
industry.

00:38:44.461 --> 00:38:46.299
You look at the
names of the people,

00:38:46.300 --> 00:38:48.829
the lobbyists who are
involved, the PR agencies that

00:38:48.830 --> 00:38:53.839
are involved; it's the
same organizations.

00:38:53.840 --> 00:38:56.359
- It's incredibly important,
the way images that are used

00:38:56.360 --> 00:39:00.559
to make people feel like the
company is... it really cares.

00:39:00.560 --> 00:39:03.239
You can put a little green
leaf on a plastic bottle

00:39:03.240 --> 00:39:07.349
and call it an eco-bottle
to create an illusion.

00:39:07.350 --> 00:39:09.739
It's the same sort of
ridiculous distribution

00:39:09.740 --> 00:39:11.769
of water in plastic.

00:39:11.770 --> 00:39:13.959
Most people, they look
at it and they say,

00:39:13.960 --> 00:39:17.079
"Oh, it has a green
leaf, it must be eco.

00:39:17.080 --> 00:39:21.589
Of course they wouldn't lie."

00:39:21.590 --> 00:39:25.579
- Industry has known since the
'50s that stuff leaches out

00:39:25.580 --> 00:39:27.709
of different plastics.

00:39:27.710 --> 00:39:29.729
- The industry
continues to maintain

00:39:29.730 --> 00:39:33.229
that BPA and many other
plastic additives are safe.

00:39:33.230 --> 00:39:35.959
They've created PR
campaigns in support of BPA

00:39:35.960 --> 00:39:39.479
and have successfully lobbied
against legislation to ban it,

00:39:39.480 --> 00:39:44.089
even in baby bottles
and children's toys.

00:39:44.090 --> 00:39:47.609
- The first phase is to deny
the problem, to cover it up,

00:39:47.610 --> 00:39:49.019
and then to delay.

00:39:49.020 --> 00:39:52.399
After we invented
plastic we're finding it

00:39:52.400 --> 00:39:54.679
where it shouldn't
be: in our blood,

00:39:54.680 --> 00:39:56.729
and inside the wildest animals.

00:39:56.730 --> 00:40:00.009
You got to say, let's
do something about this.

00:40:00.010 --> 00:40:03.229
- A few cities in the US and
countries around the world

00:40:03.230 --> 00:40:06.989
have passed legislation taxing
or banning single use plastic

00:40:06.990 --> 00:40:08.109
bags.

00:40:08.110 --> 00:40:13.369
- California uses 120,000 tons
of plastic bags every year.

00:40:13.370 --> 00:40:18.399
It is estimated that 80% of
all marine debris is plastic.

00:40:18.400 --> 00:40:20.159
- California is in trouble.

00:40:20.160 --> 00:40:23.579
And what are some Sacramento
politicians focused on?

00:40:23.580 --> 00:40:24.929
Grocery bags.

00:40:24.930 --> 00:40:29.149
- The ACC came out
in incredible force.

00:40:29.150 --> 00:40:31.329
- Blasting and running
a bunch of PSAs

00:40:31.330 --> 00:40:34.009
that were negative
and untruthful.

00:40:34.010 --> 00:40:34.810
- Higher taxes.

00:40:34.810 --> 00:40:35.740
Fewer jobs.

00:40:35.741 --> 00:40:37.599
More bureaucrats...

00:40:37.600 --> 00:40:39.379
- People who have been
in the legislature

00:40:39.380 --> 00:40:42.369
for a very long time
have said they've never

00:40:42.370 --> 00:40:45.400
seen a lobbying
effort like this one.

00:40:48.440 --> 00:40:50.639
- So who makes the plastic?

00:40:50.640 --> 00:40:52.529
In the United
States, the producers

00:40:52.530 --> 00:40:57.279
of plastic resin such as Dow
Chemical, DuPont and ExxonMobil

00:40:57.280 --> 00:41:00.109
are represented by an
umbrella organization called

00:41:00.110 --> 00:41:04.409
the American Chemistry
Council, or the ACC.

00:41:04.410 --> 00:41:07.599
The many manufacturers that
make products out of this resin

00:41:07.600 --> 00:41:12.569
are represented by the Society
of Plastic Industries, or SPI.

00:41:12.570 --> 00:41:15.499
- The plastics industry is
the third largest industry

00:41:15.500 --> 00:41:18.779
in this country,
behind steel and cars.

00:41:18.780 --> 00:41:22.359
It's responsible for close
to $400 billion in shipments.

00:41:22.360 --> 00:41:26.419
It's a big, big, big industry.

00:41:26.420 --> 00:41:29.759
- The ACC was about to
co-sponsor an international

00:41:29.760 --> 00:41:32.319
conference on the
subject of marine debris,

00:41:32.320 --> 00:41:35.319
and they said they would
be glad to talk to me.

00:41:35.320 --> 00:41:36.959
I know I've sent
you a couple emails.

00:41:36.960 --> 00:41:38.689
I know you're probably
really busy...

00:41:38.690 --> 00:41:41.099
But a representative
from the ACC

00:41:41.100 --> 00:41:43.169
had finally gotten
back to me and decided

00:41:43.170 --> 00:41:45.250
not to contribute
to the documentary.

00:41:47.610 --> 00:41:49.109
So I went to the
conference anyways,

00:41:49.110 --> 00:41:51.470
to see if I could speak
with them in person.

00:41:59.730 --> 00:42:04.699
But they seemed to avoid me
and did not wish to comment.

00:42:04.700 --> 00:42:06.649
I don't think I'm that scary.

00:42:06.650 --> 00:42:08.219
I'm like, a short Asian girl.

00:42:08.220 --> 00:42:09.299
What do you want from me?

00:42:09.300 --> 00:42:11.769
I really am just looking
for some answers.

00:42:11.770 --> 00:42:13.749
Why would the American
Chemistry Council

00:42:13.750 --> 00:42:17.419
sponsor a conference focused on
the environmental damage caused

00:42:17.420 --> 00:42:18.900
from the plastic they create?

00:42:24.330 --> 00:42:25.529
- I don't know.

00:42:25.530 --> 00:42:27.189
I don't know what
it is accomplished.

00:42:27.190 --> 00:42:29.909
My word was, enough talking.

00:42:29.910 --> 00:42:32.329
If we're not seeing
action, it's another one

00:42:32.330 --> 00:42:36.179
of those blah, blah gathering.

00:42:36.180 --> 00:42:38.909
- But I was determined to
get someone from the plastics

00:42:38.910 --> 00:42:41.739
industry to talk to me.

00:42:41.740 --> 00:42:45.229
So we just decided to buy a
ticket, cruise on out here,

00:42:45.230 --> 00:42:47.629
see if we could talk
to these people face

00:42:47.630 --> 00:42:51.329
to face and get some answers.

00:42:51.330 --> 00:42:53.459
So I headed to an
SPI convention.

00:42:53.460 --> 00:42:56.089
This could be a
very quick shoot.

00:42:56.090 --> 00:42:58.659
It's the first Annual
Processors Conference.

00:42:58.660 --> 00:43:01.459
There's a guy from the FDA
talking, a guy from Coca Cola,

00:43:01.460 --> 00:43:02.460
a guy from Merck.

00:43:11.040 --> 00:43:14.649
How do you think that the
plastic industry is tackling

00:43:14.650 --> 00:43:17.990
reports about BPA
and toxins and stuff?

00:43:33.860 --> 00:43:36.220
What do you think about
the whole BPA thing?

00:43:38.120 --> 00:43:39.120
Yes, you do!

00:43:40.750 --> 00:43:43.109
So you guys did
testing on the BPA.

00:43:43.110 --> 00:43:44.830
And what did you find?

00:43:49.780 --> 00:43:53.079
So you're not worried about it.

00:43:53.080 --> 00:43:54.999
How safe is a food that's
wrapped in plastic?

00:43:55.000 --> 00:43:55.260
You...

00:43:55.261 --> 00:43:56.380
I mean, you test it.

00:44:02.580 --> 00:44:03.580
Yes.

00:44:06.580 --> 00:44:09.590
BPA is found in 93% of humans.

00:44:12.980 --> 00:44:14.380
Doesn't that freak you out?

00:44:33.850 --> 00:44:36.359
Is that why they're very like,
protective of the conferences

00:44:36.360 --> 00:44:37.360
and...?

00:44:40.650 --> 00:44:45.249
And what do you think about the
Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

00:44:45.250 --> 00:44:48.529
Have you heard of it?

00:44:48.530 --> 00:44:51.289
It's like that thing that's
twice the size of Texas people

00:44:51.290 --> 00:44:53.369
think is an island.

00:44:53.370 --> 00:44:55.759
Oh, Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

00:44:55.760 --> 00:44:57.180
There it is, right there.

00:45:11.940 --> 00:45:14.369
I took it.

00:45:14.370 --> 00:45:16.889
Don't you think that
if the industry's

00:45:16.890 --> 00:45:20.309
making 115 billion pounds
of resin a year, brand new,

00:45:20.310 --> 00:45:23.059
that they should also
take responsibility

00:45:23.060 --> 00:45:26.019
from the beginning to the end?

00:45:26.020 --> 00:45:28.720
I'm just wondering like,
what you think, from...

00:45:31.260 --> 00:45:35.859
Well, it's a bird with
plastic in its belly.

00:45:35.860 --> 00:45:36.860
I know.

00:45:40.040 --> 00:45:43.759
I went to Midway Atoll, in
the middle of the Pacific

00:45:43.760 --> 00:45:45.169
and that's what I found.

00:45:45.170 --> 00:45:46.479
That...

00:45:46.480 --> 00:45:49.300
I mean, what do you say to that?

00:45:59.300 --> 00:46:00.820
OK, so here's another picture.

00:46:08.200 --> 00:46:09.200
Sorry.

00:46:24.320 --> 00:46:26.320
Well, that was a
really close call.

00:46:29.470 --> 00:46:30.270
- Plastic!

00:46:30.271 --> 00:46:32.639
- So how do we get
people's attention?

00:46:32.640 --> 00:46:34.439
(ROAR)

00:46:34.440 --> 00:46:37.019
This is Andy Keller.

00:46:37.020 --> 00:46:38.379
Oh, my gosh!

00:46:38.380 --> 00:46:39.729
It's a bag monster.

00:46:39.730 --> 00:46:40.779
- Hey, there.

00:46:40.780 --> 00:46:42.829
It all started when I
was at the local landfill

00:46:42.830 --> 00:46:44.729
in my community of
about 100,000 people.

00:46:44.730 --> 00:46:47.459
And I was there at the end
of the day with you know,

00:46:47.460 --> 00:46:48.949
my trash.

00:46:48.950 --> 00:46:50.979
And it just hit me
like a ton of bricks.

00:46:50.980 --> 00:46:53.099
I'm like, this is
so unnecessary.

00:46:53.100 --> 00:46:54.429
Why am I using these things?

00:46:54.430 --> 00:46:56.429
Oh, you environmentalists!

00:46:56.430 --> 00:46:58.699
Don't you know, I'm convenient!

00:46:58.700 --> 00:47:00.449
I created the bag
monster because I

00:47:00.450 --> 00:47:03.649
wanted to communicate to
people how many plastic bags

00:47:03.650 --> 00:47:04.699
they use in a year.

00:47:04.700 --> 00:47:06.749
- How many bags do
you have on you?

00:47:06.750 --> 00:47:09.539
- This is between... this is
what the average American uses

00:47:09.540 --> 00:47:10.250
in a year.

00:47:10.251 --> 00:47:13.359
The estimates are somewhere
between 300 to 700

00:47:13.360 --> 00:47:14.709
by every American.

00:47:14.710 --> 00:47:16.549
A lot of people are
just in this robot mode,

00:47:16.550 --> 00:47:17.829
and they're just like...

00:47:17.830 --> 00:47:21.319
how many times have you
bought a drink and a snack,

00:47:21.320 --> 00:47:22.969
and they put it in a bag?

00:47:22.970 --> 00:47:24.849
I found if you could
approach in a way that's

00:47:24.850 --> 00:47:28.209
funny and humorous, but
also raises awareness,

00:47:28.210 --> 00:47:31.520
that people can actually then
take action, not close down.

00:47:35.130 --> 00:47:36.299
- Hey, I'm Gretchen Bleiler.

00:47:36.300 --> 00:47:38.269
I'm a professional
snowboarder and an Olympian.

00:47:38.270 --> 00:47:40.239
But I'm also an advocate
for the environment.

00:47:40.240 --> 00:47:44.739
I feel like it's my
duty to talk about this.

00:47:44.740 --> 00:47:46.269
It can be very simple.

00:47:46.270 --> 00:47:49.210
And it's just about
taking a little shift.

00:47:54.030 --> 00:47:56.479
So it's all about
leading by example

00:47:56.480 --> 00:48:01.169
and encouraging your
friends to do the same.

00:48:01.170 --> 00:48:03.789
- Personally I live
in Hawaii which,

00:48:03.790 --> 00:48:05.869
if you go to the east shore
of any of the islands,

00:48:05.870 --> 00:48:08.839
a lot of the beaches are
just a wall of plastic trash.

00:48:08.840 --> 00:48:12.159
So I just know the reality
of how harmful single use

00:48:12.160 --> 00:48:13.549
plastics are.

00:48:13.550 --> 00:48:15.899
With all the
20-something-year-olds coming

00:48:15.900 --> 00:48:18.199
to the shows and different
people who are still kind

00:48:18.200 --> 00:48:20.579
of figuring out the way they're
going to be in the world,

00:48:20.580 --> 00:48:23.129
we just saw the opportunity
to have these nonprofit groups

00:48:23.130 --> 00:48:24.579
in every town that we play at.

00:48:24.580 --> 00:48:26.499
I think for me
personally, just the way

00:48:26.500 --> 00:48:28.189
I was brought up
and everything, I

00:48:28.190 --> 00:48:31.189
feel a personal
responsibility but I just

00:48:31.190 --> 00:48:33.809
like to use that to
kind of turn kids

00:48:33.810 --> 00:48:35.719
on to the idea of these
environmental groups

00:48:35.720 --> 00:48:36.960
and what they're doing.

00:48:39.400 --> 00:48:42.109
- So the albatross,
they are consuming

00:48:42.110 --> 00:48:43.559
all this plastic
debris that they

00:48:43.560 --> 00:48:45.429
find floating in the ocean.

00:48:45.430 --> 00:48:47.779
- Kids have a natural
sense of justice.

00:48:47.780 --> 00:48:50.459
When we show them what
our plastic trash is doing

00:48:50.460 --> 00:48:52.379
to animals out in the
middle of the ocean,

00:48:52.380 --> 00:48:55.209
they get really angry and they
want to do something about it.

00:48:55.210 --> 00:48:58.700
- They get that it's not what
they want in their world.

00:49:04.040 --> 00:49:05.749
- In one of his
early experiments,

00:49:05.750 --> 00:49:08.069
Professor vom Saal
found that BPA

00:49:08.070 --> 00:49:11.189
could cause reproductive
harm in mice at levels

00:49:11.190 --> 00:49:15.629
25,000 times lower than
previously thought.

00:49:15.630 --> 00:49:19.469
- And when we published that, I
got a conference call and there

00:49:19.470 --> 00:49:23.709
were about five people on it and
they told me how disturbed...

00:49:23.710 --> 00:49:27.919
so they were from
DuPont, Dow, Shell,

00:49:27.920 --> 00:49:31.679
all the major manufacturers
of bisphenol A.

00:49:31.680 --> 00:49:36.399
And the exact quote is, "Can
we reach a mutually beneficial

00:49:36.400 --> 00:49:42.389
outcome, where you
withdraw this paper

00:49:42.390 --> 00:49:44.929
and do not publish
it until approved

00:49:44.930 --> 00:49:47.070
to do so by the
chemical industry?"

00:49:48.870 --> 00:49:50.639
- We're here at the
American Chemistry

00:49:50.640 --> 00:49:53.359
Council near Washington, DC.

00:49:53.360 --> 00:49:56.079
These are the guys that
spend millions of dollars all

00:49:56.080 --> 00:49:58.499
across the country,
suing cities who

00:49:58.500 --> 00:50:01.669
try to put bans or
fees on plastic bags.

00:50:01.670 --> 00:50:04.089
What I've done, essentially,
is I've made myself a target.

00:50:04.090 --> 00:50:05.759
I'm an advocate out there.

00:50:05.760 --> 00:50:06.310
And so...

00:50:06.311 --> 00:50:07.879
I don't even know
how to say this,

00:50:07.880 --> 00:50:11.739
but I'm being sued now
by the plastics industry.

00:50:11.740 --> 00:50:16.599
Basically the three main plastic
bag manufacturers, the largest,

00:50:16.600 --> 00:50:17.230
most...

00:50:17.231 --> 00:50:20.219
basically the advocates
on the other side

00:50:20.220 --> 00:50:21.759
have filed a lawsuit against me.

00:50:21.760 --> 00:50:23.419
- They are able
to, as a business,

00:50:23.420 --> 00:50:25.889
to say 'Well, you're harming
our business by talking about

00:50:25.890 --> 00:50:27.099
our product."

00:50:27.100 --> 00:50:28.939
But me, it's like...

00:50:28.940 --> 00:50:32.029
I'm just a guy, small
business... you know,

00:50:32.030 --> 00:50:35.949
California entrepreneur...
Against this huge mammoth

00:50:35.950 --> 00:50:39.689
of an industry with these
big companies with millions

00:50:39.690 --> 00:50:41.639
and millions and
millions of dollars.

00:50:41.640 --> 00:50:44.179
Like, I'm a little
fly on their wall

00:50:44.180 --> 00:50:47.729
and they're just like, pfft.

00:50:47.730 --> 00:50:50.999
- But will more awareness of the
problem and efforts like this

00:50:51.000 --> 00:50:53.009
really make a difference?

00:50:53.010 --> 00:50:55.289
- The air that we
breathe, 60% of it

00:50:55.290 --> 00:50:56.949
comes from the
ocean, the oxygen,

00:50:56.950 --> 00:50:59.459
that the ocean has the
ability to come back quickly.

00:50:59.460 --> 00:51:00.569
It's like a rubber band.

00:51:00.570 --> 00:51:03.199
If you push a rubber band
it'll snap back pretty quickly.

00:51:03.200 --> 00:51:04.279
That's where we're at now.

00:51:04.280 --> 00:51:06.949
But if you push it
too far it'll break.

00:51:06.950 --> 00:51:10.229
- By 2050 worldwide
plastic production

00:51:10.230 --> 00:51:12.619
is projected to
quadruple, reaching

00:51:12.620 --> 00:51:16.209
nearly 2 trillion
pounds per year.

00:51:16.210 --> 00:51:18.549
So where will we be in 30 years?

00:51:18.550 --> 00:51:20.959
What will our future look like?

00:51:20.960 --> 00:51:22.209
- It's all choice.

00:51:22.210 --> 00:51:25.069
And I don't want to play
that game and see, well,

00:51:25.070 --> 00:51:26.809
how far can it take?

00:51:26.810 --> 00:51:29.369
- This is a moment that
is unlike any other moment

00:51:29.370 --> 00:51:29.890
in history.

00:51:29.891 --> 00:51:33.040
The options are fewer than
there were 20 years ago.

00:51:35.940 --> 00:51:39.569
- So with my knowledge in head
and my reusable bag in hand,

00:51:39.570 --> 00:51:43.119
I realize that it's not that
hard to make simple changes.

00:51:43.120 --> 00:51:46.119
And it's not that hard to say
no to unnecessary plastic.

00:51:46.120 --> 00:51:47.139
- Like a bag?

00:51:47.140 --> 00:51:47.970
- Oh, no, that's OK.

00:51:47.971 --> 00:51:49.010
I'll just take it.

00:51:55.480 --> 00:51:59.759
It's taken us a long time to
learn that what we throw away

00:51:59.760 --> 00:52:01.329
doesn't really go away.

00:52:01.330 --> 00:52:05.859
- "When you get this letter,
please write back to me.

00:52:05.860 --> 00:52:10.039
Miss Dugan, third grade,
Long Beach, California."

00:52:10.040 --> 00:52:12.640
- Mark Twain Elementary
is what we're looking for.

00:52:14.830 --> 00:52:18.889
It's funny that I would go
halfway around the world

00:52:18.890 --> 00:52:21.449
to find a letter
that would bring me

00:52:21.450 --> 00:52:24.300
20 miles away from my
house back at home.

00:52:36.240 --> 00:52:39.079
- "Senserly, number 16."

00:52:39.080 --> 00:52:40.269
It's pretty amazing.

00:52:40.270 --> 00:52:42.339
This just shows
them, this is proof

00:52:42.340 --> 00:52:44.449
that sometimes we don't
think that far in advance

00:52:44.450 --> 00:52:47.250
of the impact that things have.

00:52:54.990 --> 00:52:56.440
- Oh, dang, it stinks.

00:53:00.820 --> 00:53:03.259
- There's no solution
to marine debris

00:53:03.260 --> 00:53:04.809
except for at its source.

00:53:04.810 --> 00:53:07.599
And so the story has to be
told, because the solution

00:53:07.600 --> 00:53:09.520
doesn't lie with
the people here.

00:53:16.130 --> 00:53:18.839
What's happening on
Midway is like the canary

00:53:18.840 --> 00:53:19.840
in the coal mine.

00:53:23.160 --> 00:53:25.069
The debris that's washing
up on our beaches,

00:53:25.070 --> 00:53:28.739
that patch of garbage in
the Pacific is growing.

00:53:28.740 --> 00:53:32.059
And right now, it's having
a huge impact on Midway

00:53:32.060 --> 00:53:35.050
and a huge impact on the
species that call Midway home.

00:53:40.190 --> 00:53:42.589
- The issue of plastic
pollution in the ocean

00:53:42.590 --> 00:53:44.879
is more timely than ever.

00:53:44.880 --> 00:53:46.899
Many experts are
predicting that debris

00:53:46.900 --> 00:53:51.529
from the March 2011 tsunami that
devastated Japan is now headed

00:53:51.530 --> 00:53:54.889
on a direct course to hit
Midway Atoll and the west coast

00:53:54.890 --> 00:53:57.720
of North America in the
upcoming months and years.

00:54:01.710 --> 00:54:03.379
- People are an apex predator.

00:54:03.380 --> 00:54:05.919
We're eating fish
out of these oceans,

00:54:05.920 --> 00:54:09.849
and if plastics are prevalent
and if the toxins they're

00:54:09.850 --> 00:54:11.999
attracting are working
their way up the food chain,

00:54:12.000 --> 00:54:13.199
that has an impact on us.

00:54:13.200 --> 00:54:16.489
And it's going to start
affecting animals and people...

00:54:16.490 --> 00:54:21.109
Not just on remote places like
Midway but in the entire world,

00:54:21.110 --> 00:54:23.440
from Los Angeles to Hong Kong.

00:54:26.700 --> 00:54:29.889
- It is not one country's
problem over another,

00:54:29.890 --> 00:54:34.659
but we as mankind
are all intertwined.

00:54:34.660 --> 00:54:38.399
- This world of the
molecule belongs to us all.

00:54:38.400 --> 00:54:41.099
It is yours to explore.

00:54:41.100 --> 00:54:42.140
Your new frontier.

00:54:47.380 --> 00:54:49.129
(MUSIC JACK JOHNSON,
"INAUDIBLE MELODIES")

00:54:49.130 --> 00:54:52.239
(SINGING) Well, dust
off your thinking caps.

00:54:52.240 --> 00:54:55.759
Solar powered plastic plants.

00:54:55.760 --> 00:54:59.009
Pretty pictures
of things we ate.

00:54:59.010 --> 00:55:02.529
We are only what we hate.

00:55:02.530 --> 00:55:05.629
But in the long
run we have found,

00:55:05.630 --> 00:55:08.699
silent films are full of sound.

00:55:08.700 --> 00:55:10.700
Inaudibly free.

00:55:17.010 --> 00:55:23.919
Slow down everyone,
you're moving too fast.

00:55:23.920 --> 00:55:30.559
Frames can't catch you when
you're moving like that.

00:55:30.560 --> 00:55:37.309
Inaudible melodies serve
narrational strategies.

00:55:37.310 --> 00:55:42.389
Unobtrusive tones
help to notice nothing

00:55:42.390 --> 00:55:47.439
but the zone of
visual relevancy,

00:55:47.440 --> 00:55:50.779
frame lines tell me what to see.

00:55:50.780 --> 00:55:57.909
Chopping like an axe or maybe
Eisenstein should just relax.

00:55:57.910 --> 00:56:04.309
Slow down everyone,
you're moving too fast.

00:56:04.310 --> 00:56:10.070
Frames can't catch you when
you're moving like that.

00:56:24.490 --> 00:56:28.169
Well Plato's cave
is full of freaks,

00:56:28.170 --> 00:56:30.859
demanding refunds for
the things they've seen.

00:56:30.860 --> 00:56:35.049
I wish they could
believe in all the things

00:56:35.050 --> 00:56:37.079
that never made the screen.

00:56:37.080 --> 00:56:44.609
And just slow down everyone,
you're moving too fast.

00:56:44.610 --> 00:56:50.979
Frames can't catch you when
you're moving like that.

00:56:50.980 --> 00:56:58.029
Slow down everyone,
you're moving too fast.

00:56:58.030 --> 00:57:03.429
Frames can't catch you when
you're moving like that,

00:57:03.430 --> 00:57:05.580
moving too...