Eldritch
07-15-2010, 09:18 PM
As we know, there's a raft of floating garbage the size of the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch) in the Pacific Ocean, that basically all floating litter that falls to the sea eventually ends up in. Now it seems somebody wants sto do something about it.
One Man's Giant Pacific Garbage Patch Is Another's Beautiful Island Nation
http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/15673_large_Recycled_Island.png
It's an ambitious recycling project to be sure, but Dutch visionaries want to turn the Pacific Garbage Patch into a self-sufficient, green island paradise that draws its resources from the ocean and the garbage floating therein.
"Recycled Island" would be a nearly 4,000-square-mile oasis with three primary goals: to recycle all the plastic floating in the water there, to use that material to establish a seaworthy island, and to ensure the island is self-sustaining. Roughly the size of Hawaii's big island, it would be its own nation with its own laws. Residents of the island would harvest seaweed to create fertilizer for crops and food for fish farms, as well as to make biofuels and medicines. Meanwhile, chemicals could be extracted from the toxic water in the trash patch.
Over time, so the plan says, the island would feed off the patch until it ceased to be the disgusting environmental mess that it is. And while it seems like a pretty far-fetched scheme at this point, organizers are looking to recruit the right scientists that can help them take the first steps toward recycling the patch into useful materials. Even if a paradise island doesn't rise out of the ocean, perhaps by putting their heads together these scientists and engineers will figure out a feasible way to clean up the mess before things get too much worse.
http://www.recycledisland.com/index.html
Recycled island is a research project on the potential of realizing a habitable floating island in the Pacific Ocean made from all the plastic waste that is momentarily floating around in the ocean.
The proposal has three main aims; Cleaning our oceans from a gigantic amount of plastic waste; Creating new land; And constructing a sustainable habitat. Recycled island seeks the possibilities to recycle the plastic waste on the spot and to recycle it into a floating entity. The constructive and marine technical aspects take part in the project of creating a sea worthy island.
The main characteristics of the island are summarized:
1. Realized from the plastic waste in our Oceans. This will clean our Oceans intensely and it will change the character of the plastic waste from garbage to building material. The gathering of the plastic waste will become a lot more attractive.
2. The island is habitable, where it will have its value as land capturing and is a potential habitat for a part of the rising amount of climate refugees.
3. The habitable area is designed as an urban setting. Nowadays already half of the World population lives in urban conditions, which has a huge impact on nature. The realization of mixed-use environments is our hope for the future.
4. The island is constructed as a green living environment, from the point of view of a natural habitat. The use of compost toilets in creating fertile ground is an example in this.
5. It is a self sufficient habitat, which is not (or hardly) depending from other countries and finds its own resources to survive. The settlement has its own energy and food sources.
6. The island is ecologic and not polluting or affecting the world negatively. Natural and non polluting sources are used to let the island exist in harmony with nature.
7. The size of the floating city is considerable in relation to the huge amount of plastic waste in the Ocean. The largest concentration of plastic has a footprint the size of France and Spain together. Starting point is to create an island with the coverage of 10.000Km2. This is about the size of the island Hawaii.
8. The location is the North Pacific Gyre, where at this moment the biggest concentration of plastic waste is discovered. This is geographically a beautiful spot North-East to Hawaii. By recycling and constructing directly on the spot with the biggest concentration of plastic waste, long transports are avoided. Because of the floating character the position could eventually be altered.
One Man's Giant Pacific Garbage Patch Is Another's Beautiful Island Nation
http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/15673_large_Recycled_Island.png
It's an ambitious recycling project to be sure, but Dutch visionaries want to turn the Pacific Garbage Patch into a self-sufficient, green island paradise that draws its resources from the ocean and the garbage floating therein.
"Recycled Island" would be a nearly 4,000-square-mile oasis with three primary goals: to recycle all the plastic floating in the water there, to use that material to establish a seaworthy island, and to ensure the island is self-sustaining. Roughly the size of Hawaii's big island, it would be its own nation with its own laws. Residents of the island would harvest seaweed to create fertilizer for crops and food for fish farms, as well as to make biofuels and medicines. Meanwhile, chemicals could be extracted from the toxic water in the trash patch.
Over time, so the plan says, the island would feed off the patch until it ceased to be the disgusting environmental mess that it is. And while it seems like a pretty far-fetched scheme at this point, organizers are looking to recruit the right scientists that can help them take the first steps toward recycling the patch into useful materials. Even if a paradise island doesn't rise out of the ocean, perhaps by putting their heads together these scientists and engineers will figure out a feasible way to clean up the mess before things get too much worse.
http://www.recycledisland.com/index.html
Recycled island is a research project on the potential of realizing a habitable floating island in the Pacific Ocean made from all the plastic waste that is momentarily floating around in the ocean.
The proposal has three main aims; Cleaning our oceans from a gigantic amount of plastic waste; Creating new land; And constructing a sustainable habitat. Recycled island seeks the possibilities to recycle the plastic waste on the spot and to recycle it into a floating entity. The constructive and marine technical aspects take part in the project of creating a sea worthy island.
The main characteristics of the island are summarized:
1. Realized from the plastic waste in our Oceans. This will clean our Oceans intensely and it will change the character of the plastic waste from garbage to building material. The gathering of the plastic waste will become a lot more attractive.
2. The island is habitable, where it will have its value as land capturing and is a potential habitat for a part of the rising amount of climate refugees.
3. The habitable area is designed as an urban setting. Nowadays already half of the World population lives in urban conditions, which has a huge impact on nature. The realization of mixed-use environments is our hope for the future.
4. The island is constructed as a green living environment, from the point of view of a natural habitat. The use of compost toilets in creating fertile ground is an example in this.
5. It is a self sufficient habitat, which is not (or hardly) depending from other countries and finds its own resources to survive. The settlement has its own energy and food sources.
6. The island is ecologic and not polluting or affecting the world negatively. Natural and non polluting sources are used to let the island exist in harmony with nature.
7. The size of the floating city is considerable in relation to the huge amount of plastic waste in the Ocean. The largest concentration of plastic has a footprint the size of France and Spain together. Starting point is to create an island with the coverage of 10.000Km2. This is about the size of the island Hawaii.
8. The location is the North Pacific Gyre, where at this moment the biggest concentration of plastic waste is discovered. This is geographically a beautiful spot North-East to Hawaii. By recycling and constructing directly on the spot with the biggest concentration of plastic waste, long transports are avoided. Because of the floating character the position could eventually be altered.