This past week, the weather brought on a small, yet significant, amount of rain. So on November 16th, Team Marine walked to the Santa Monica Storm Drain to collect trash that was piled on the beach. Upon arrival,Team Marine split into three groups in order to collect as much trash as possible. In the storm drain itself, there were beach balls, plastic cups, plastic water bottles, cigarette buts, and so much more debris mixed in with leaves, water, and sand. We even found a reusable water bottle among the trash! With the combination of residue, trash and water, the storm drain also contained various forms of a “mystery foam-like substance”. This was truly a disgusting sight. The groups that walked along the shore found enough trash to fill our largest bucket at least four times. From the trash found in the storm drain, we filled four large bags. Thankfully a Santa Monica maintenance truck was driving on the bike path and we were given a shovel to efficiently scoop up the trash. When we got back to Samo we thoroughly washed our buckets and gloves to remove any chemicals that had contaminated them. Participating in this beach clean up was rewarding, but the amount of waste we found we found was appalling. This beach clean up was another accomplishment of Team Marine that helped to aid marine life in the Santa Monica Bay.
This past Saturday, November 3rd, Team Marine attended the Plastic Ocean Pollution Solutions Youth Speaker Training, at the Main Street Google headquarters. The event was an excellent opportunity to learn even more about the 20 percent of plastics that are unaccounted for –and end up in our oceans, and our streets– as well as a chance to learn about how to speak publicly about environmental issues. The event was led by Algalita Marine Research Institute representatives Anna Cummins, Lindsey Jurca, Marieta Francis, and Jordan Howard. The team gave an informative power point about plastic pollution, and it’s causes, dangers, and solutions. Every student at the summit was provided with a binder containing each individual slide of the power point, and a thumb drive with a version accessible through a computer, so that we would be able to spread our message with a ready made presentation.
Before lunch, a panel of four activists against single use plastics spoke about their experiences in past years: Captain Charles Moore (founder of the Algalita Marine Research Institute), Mark Wystrach (founder of The People’s Movement, a clothing company that uses recycled materials), Ann Garth (a 14-year-old advocate for plastic pollution solutions), and Marcus Eriksen (founder of the 5 Gyres organization). Each speaker answered questions about what motivated them to continue their fight against single use plastics, and how they started out as environmental activists.
Throughout the day, all of the students participated in public speaking exercises, some led by the Algalita team, and some led by actor Brian Palermo. We were taught how to present ourselves in a professional manner while speaking, and how to structure presentations in an organized manner. We then made plans for future presentations to the City Council of Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Malibu School District Board of Education, and politicians in Sacramento. Students had the opportunity to make partnerships with other student groups who attended the Summit, and plan for joint events. Team Marine members got to know other youth activists, and made many useful connections with other schools in California.
All meals were provided, and students were lucky enough to get a tour of the Google building during the break. All in all, the Youth Summit was a great opportunity to learn public speaking skills, and increase our knowledge of plastic pollution.
Team Marine attended an event at the California Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey, CA on this Wednesday, October 10 following docking of the Riding Currents craft along its ocean journey. Riding Currents is a project started by Billy Dutton to raise awareness about plastic pollution and alternative energy. They have outfitted a 22-foot duffy boat with solar panels and lithium-ion batteries, sailing from Santa Barbara, CA to Ensenada, Mexico, more than 350 miles. They will make the entire journey emissions-free, and along the way, they will collect water samples and drag a trawl behind the boat to collect plastic debris.
Marcus Eriksen, founder of the organization 5gyres, gave a riveting presentation at the event on his travels around the world by boat, finding the high density of plastic pollution in all 5 major oceanic gyres and other patches throughout the seas.
Several members of Team Marine attended the event and our own Matilda Mead spoke about efforts to reduce the use of single-use plastics, while wearing a costume made of plastic cutlery that found its way to the Santa Monica beach.
Finally, we toured the Riding Currents boat and Billy showed us the impressive arrangement of batteries below the seat cushions and the tiny, but powerful, electric motor that has carried them thousands of miles down the California coast.
On Sunday September 23rd, Team Marine members travelled to El Segundo where National Plug In Day was hosted. The Automobile Driving Museum (ADM) is a destination for anyone who loves cars and the role they have had in our lives. On National Plug In Day, a variety of electric cars were displayed. We were presented about how the cars have environmentally sustainable engines.
Also at the event was nationally known teen-icon Jordan Howard. She attended the Environmental Charter High School and is influencing the youth to become more green. With the electric vehicles and highly acclaimed representatives, National Plug In Day created a nationwide observance drawing global attention to the environmental, economic and other benefits of plug-in electric cars.
Recently Team Marine had a “Recycling Bin Wash” where we collected all the dirty or broken recycling bins from our school. We thoroughly cleaned all the junk and gunk from the bins to the highest standard. We washed these bins with soap, sponges and limited water. With the help of our student volunteers and Team Marine members we cleaned a total of 23 recycling bins. Some bins had broken handles but with the help of our handy team members these were all mended and fixed. The Bin Washing was so successful that Team Marine plans to do this every two weeks.
The QuikSCience Challenge winning team’s prize is a week-long trip to Catalina Island. The official description for this trip on the QuikSCience website is: “an expedition for the students and their teacher or advisor to the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island. The one-week trip will include expeditions to different parts of the island, visits to laboratories at the USC center, snorkeling, kayaking and hiking.”
I say it should read “the best possible way to spend 5 days of summer of ’12“
At 4:00pm on June 29, Team Marine joined the 2nd place winners from Hawaii’s Kamehameha High School to board a boat to the USC’s Wrigley Institute on Catalina Island.
Our first “actual” day started on June 30. We were given an orientation of the campus from the marine research laboratories to the touch tanks. We were able to hold a sea cucumber, a starfish sea star, and a sea urchin. We then set out kayaking, paired with a buddy from the Hawaii team, and rowed our way to Two Harbors with Terri and DJ explaining places of geological importance along the way. Snorkeling was a very, very cold, but nonetheless an unforgettable experience. We first wrestled with our wetsuits (an article of clothing that is extremely difficult to put on) and put on our snorkel gear. Terri led us into a narrow passageway to a cave and then we swam to the other side of the boat dock to see leopard sharks and bat rays. After all the energy-consuming activities, we were all ravenous and wasted no time devouring food for dinner. If this was an indication of how much we were going to eat for the rest of the trip, I was quite worried. At night, we had a plankton lab which consisted of observing samples under a microscope. Lorraine helped us with the plankton tow with a 80 micron mesh net. We were able to see bioluminescence when Lorraine ran her hands against the net. It was just magical watching bright sparks from bioluminescent plankton twinkle in the night.
Team Marine in the water before snorkeling began
Day 2 was more relaxed, yet still packed with adventure and fun. We took a road trip to Little Harbor where we went for a hike and explored the beach (all while being environmentally conscious and picking up trash and single use plastics such as bottle caps, straws, and foam). We then unleashed our artistic side with soapstone carving. I made a fish while others created a seashell, a shark, and a ball. We then took the bus to visit the island fox (which was very small, comparable to a household cat), a bald eagle, and a golden eagle. Along the way, we were fortunate enough to spot multiple bisons! Dinner was at Airport in the Sky, where some students tried bison burgers. Back at the USC institute, we headed out for a night snorkel. This time, I was ready for the cold; equipped with two wetsuits and a hood. We saw lobsters, opal eyes, and when we shined our torch in the water, schools of Senoritas and larvae would swim toward it. Even with my prescription mask, I couldn’t see very well in the dark and lost my snorkeling partner, Annie, too many times to count. However, the night life of the sea was fascinating to say the least.
Looking out onto the incredible view
The third day was the best day of this trip for me (with the exception of saying goodbye to the Hawaii team). We were definitely sad to see them leave and felt their absence. After a wave of goodbyes, we came back to the institute and DJ showed us her secret hiking trail, which led up to a Great Blue Heron’s nest. We felt adventurous and hiked further up the trail (DJ admitted that she had never gone past the point). It was a good thing we spontaneously traveled further, because we discovered the perfect place. It had a wooden bench that looked out onto the ocean. We also saw a pod of dolphins diving as they crazily chased after their prey. At Two Harbors, Team Marine went mountain biking on a trail that went past Cherry Cove. Thanks to this trip, I discovered my new favorite activity: paddle boarding. It was the first time I had paddle boarded and I was scared of falling off. Fortunately, I found my balance and headed out to the deeper water. I absolutely enjoyed all the activities Terri and DJ had planned for us that day.
Mountain Biking at Two Harbors
The last day for Car Team on Catalina Island was spent with the Bag Team (who were here for their one-day trip). Terri and DJ took all of us kayaking and upon Mr. Kay’s request we paddled to Bird Rock. It was a tiny island covered in bird scat with a small patch of green grass. There were sea lions resting there. As we got closer and closer, the stench was overbearing. We pulled the neck of our Team Marine shirts up to cover our noses and paddled away. This was followed by a short hike where we spotted a trail of bison poop and indeed we saw a lonesome bison at the top of the hill.
The amazing Terri (QuikSCience Program Manager)!
The past few days on Catalina Island was incredible and I’m grateful to Terri and DJ for always putting the students before themselves and making sure we had fun. Not only was this an adventure, but also it proved to be a great way to absorb information about the wildlife and marine life of Catalina. As I stood on the boat looking back at the island getting further and further away, I found myself realizing this trip had brought Team Marine members even closer together. QuikSCience Catalina Trip ’12, you will be remembered for years to come.
Tomorrow at 4 o’clock, Team Marine coach Mr. Kay, along with members Kalon, Ivan, Annie, Cassandra, and Angelina will be loading a boat on our way to Catalina Island. For roughly four days, we will snorkel, hike, and explore the island with the Hawaii team and Bag Team, as they join us on the last day of our trip. We are looking forward to hearing the other team’s projects as we will also be presenting Bag Team’s research to the group and Car Team’s project summary. We can’t wait to see what Catalina offers!
On June 13, 2012, Team Marine held a party to celebrate our year’s worth of hard work and achievements. From the QuikSCience Challenge to the Annual Sustainable Santa Monica Student Art Contest, we had a successful year in raising awareness about plastic pollutions and tail pipe emissions. We celebrated by eating a cake made by Kellie Abbott. We would like to congratulate all of our seniors for their help and dedication to the team. Live sustainably.
The Rice Crispy Treat is a model of the 1971 Volkswagen Beetle, which has almost reached its completion stage in the electric conversion process. The BP oil logo with “Epic Fail” written below it, pokes fun at the gas companies for their past failures, including oil spills and lack of environmental awareness.
Written by Preston Kim, Justin Tavaf, and Angelina Hwang
At the end of each season, Team Marine has a potluck party where we sign yearbooks, watch the premier of TM/marine bio slideshow, and announce the winners of the “players’ choice” and “MVP” awards. Congratulations to Adrienne Hino for winning the “players’ choice” award and Alexis Saez for being named this year’s MVP. Even though the 2011-2012 season is over, Team Marine’s fight isn’t! We’ll continue to meet and do great things over the summer!
