Comments on: Captain Moore Paints a Bleak Picture for David Letterman. Now What?

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 01:41:33 +0000

Surprised to see this on late night– A couple years ago I was asked to do concept art for a planned documentary on this phenomenon but never knew what happened to it. The scale asked to render was a bit stupefying but now confirmed…

Any interested folks can see the old art here!

By: Kati

Kati — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:18:26 +0000

Hey Beth,
His line about how we are crisis-driven reminded me of what one of my Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance professors said. Paraphrasing, ‘In the history of disasters, we have had limited or no preparation time. No warning for earthquakes, maybe a few days for a hurricane, maybe a few weeks for a volcano… but never have we had a disaster in which we have decades of time to prepare. We as a species are unequipped to deal with climate change for this reason. We have literally never dealt with anything like this before.’
peace,
Kati
.-= Kati´s last blog ..Going to Tuvalu =-.

By: Isle Dance

Isle Dance — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 05:19:47 +0000

We get waves of plastic trash at times that boggle the mind. Even in the middle of nowhere. It is so sad. Thanks again, for doing what you do. .-= Isle Dance´s last blog ..Girl Got Flax =-.

By: Jacee

Jacee — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:15:32 +0000

Since discovering your blog in 2007 we pick up trash every day when we walk the dog, along the beach, and on streets in the neighborhood. Every day we fill a grocery bag. On the down side there’s no end to it, but on the up side we have found over $55, countless redeemables, the area looks cleaner, and several people have come up and thanked us. My parents taught me “Do your share, and then a little bit more”. Thank you Beth, for all you do.

By: SusanB

SusanB — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:28:55 +0000

My partner caught this on Letterman and wanted me to watch it on youtube so I’d see how “we’re all doomed.” Oh, I said, Captain Moore. How’d you know about him, my partner wanted to know . . . this despite the Brita campaign and the showyourplastic challenge. I guess it takes Letterman and late night TV to tune my partner. Now he’s excited about reducing plastic.

By: lala

lala — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:04:55 +0000

I live within a few hundred feet of the L.A. River and have been inspired by your blog to go out at least once a week (sometimes more) and pick up plastic trash along it and along a few of the streets that dead-end into it. I don’t even have to bring my own trash bag because there are plenty to choose from. One bag gets filled up so fast. Our curbside recycling is pretty extensive here so I separate out what is really trash and what can go in the blue bin (and beverage containers get recycled at the grocery store –making five cents a pop on those!)

I went out both days of last weekend and was shocked at how much new plastic trash showed up on the same route in less than a day. It’s really sad to see all the plastic bags hanging on trees in the center of the river. I even saw a plastic baby stroller tangled up in one of the trees. Most of the trash I pick up is grocery bags, food wrappers, styrofoam cups, coffee cup lids, straws, big gulp cups and lids, and little kids toys. All things that there are reasonable alternatives for.

I know it’s not much, but what if lots more Angelenos did it too? Especially people who live within close proximity of the river? I’ve never seen anyone else picking up trash while out on these walks. I get exercise (and do lunges when I go to pick something up –gotta save the back) and get to help the ocean at the same time. You would think in a city where so many people claim to be into fitness and the environment, this would be a thing–the routine, individual plastic clean-up instead of just waiting for the big, organized beach/river clean-up. It does make me angry that there is so much plastic there and that people litter so freely and some people have this attitude like, “i do my part, why should i have to pick up after those gross people who litter?” but I figure that the albatross who chokes on the soda straw just knows that people did this to him, and at that point it doesn’t matter who threw it on the ground. Whoever saw it on the ground, knew it could make it to the ocean, and didn’t spend the split second to pick it up is also culpable.

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:58:22 +0000

I agree with Billie – I get annoyed whenever I am in Whole Foods and see unnecessary packaging – I have started to write to the company and ask them about packaging for specific products, listing why I won’t buy them until packaging and ingredients are changed. I also pick up trash when I am out – on the sidewalk, along the beach, hiking a trail, etc. Reducing my consumption helps, but not everyone will do this, so there will still be trash blowing around getting into the oceans – picking up misc. trash really makes me fell like I’m making a difference.

By: Billie

Billie — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:32:46 +0000

I have been getting more demanding at Whole Foods and asking questions like… can I buy chicken that isn’t already wrapped? And I had a conversation with a sales clerk that was puzzled why I was trying to get a hunk of cheese before he wrapped it in plastic.

The clerks have definitely been asking me questions and I think I am finally getting out of my shell.
.-= Billie´s last blog ..I am an Aunt – again! =-.

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:10:59 +0000

When I shop for groceries, it’s difficult to find many items that are packaged in something other that plastic. Cereal box liners used to be waxed paper, now plastic. Milk cartons also. And now things like lunch meat are in a plastic bag sealed in a plastic bowl. Crazy. I agree that plastic should be used to the things that we want to last. We still use Tupperware that belonged to my grandmother and she’s be gone for 50 years!
We’ve got to think about our planet. If it costs more to shop thoughtfully, then spend the extra on better product, and buy less over all.

By: Tracey

Tracey — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:55:04 +0000

Brilliant! Strangely, this gives me hope.
We need alarm about the environment to become mainstream.
Us 5% freakazoids aren’t going to be able to shift things.
Charles Moore should get a Nobel Prize.
.-= Tracey´s last blog ..a FREE screening of Crude: The Real Price of Oil =-.