UPDATE: The Atlantic to Pacific Walk

Last week I posted a report of new friends ("The Path": The Atlantic to Pacific Walk) trekking across these southern United States to raise awareness of the pollution threatening Hawaii's coastline.  Some might say this sounds like Hawaii's problem; those people need to pull their heads out of whatever orifice they've seen fit to grace with it.

We like to think that all we have to contend with is the occasional plastic bottle washing up on the beach.  I spent two years in Mexico, on the beach, marveling at the sheer volume of garbage that washed onto the beach.  My marvel was so insignificant to the island of trash floating in the Pacific and growing daily.  Some estimate it to be the size of Texas; some say it is twice the size.  Now, let that sink in.  Twice the size of Texas, and growing!  

There are five ocean "gyres" that encompass our planet.  A "gyre" is basically a rotating ocean current.  Anyone that has been around streams, rivers, or any other moving water, has probably seen those areas where the water is forced into a rotating current.  Inside that current we usually see foam, bits of detritus and such, caught in the vortex at the center.  Now imagine this on a Texas size scale, where all the garbage dumped into the oceans is caught up in the current and congealed at one point in the center of this giant vortex of current.

Now imagine living on an island caught in the middle of this current of human crap.  Imagine living on Hawaii.

Got this firmly in your head?  Standby for an aneurism.  There are actually five gyres around the world's oceans.  I did not know this.  I just thought there was one large island of human crap out in the Pacific.  Nope!  We've spread the wealth so no one escapes our lack of conscience.

Look, I think global warming is a bunch of hooey.  Do we need to clean up the air?  Absolutely!  Are we contributing to bad air quality?  Yes!  Are we slowly killing ourselves?  Yes!  So let's call it what it is.  What it isn't?  Global warming.

Now we have something we can actually sink our teeth into - trash!  It is visible, measurable, and something we can all identify with... if we are aware of the facts!  I know quite a bit about the bullshit surrounding global warming, and I know about all the politicians making millions off of touting the global warming mantra while they, themselves, contribute to the destruction of our planet.  Hypocrisy is an ugly thing.  It is especially ugly when the target is so misplaced.

Fixing the air is not going to be an easy fix and, if the people making millions off of touting the dangers have anything to say about it. The lack of a fix will continue for years to come.  Garbage, on the other hand, would seem to be a no brainer.  You can make millions, hell... billions, recycling the global trash.  I mean, really, the size of Texas?  Even if you sucked it all onto a factory ship and fused it into air bubble filled,floating, cubes that could be used to house an oceanographic research station on.  You'd think the universities would be clamoring for the opportunity.

And let's not forget about all of the rubber!  Have you seen the hundreds of acres of tires in the numerous tire farms around the world?  God forbid someone light a match.  Well, have you checked out what your car is contributing to the ocean?  Goodyear?  Not for the oceans.  I've been wondering why my tuna has that special "Uniroyal" aftertaste.

Well, I promised Keith and Reina I would assist in posting about their cause.  I hope I have succeeded in some small way, even if it was just to wake you up to some of the issues less talked about in preference to global warming.  Please read my previous post, "The Path": The Atlantic to Pacific Walk, and visit the sites attached there for more information and photos about the cause and these to young adventurers trying to raise your awareness further than I could possibly hope to.

I leave you with their latest email to me, and wish them continued blessings as they continue down this path.

Hi Tony! Hope you are well. Thank you for your concern. 

We have made it into Louisiana safely and are doing our best to stay dry through the storm. We are currently planning our route for the deserts in west Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. We're concerned about the heat and the lack of resources in the area and appreciate the advice that you and Dan gave us at the cigar shop.

We also wanted to thank you for posting about our trip on your blog. We really enjoyed what you wrote and are glad to hear that our story is popular among your readers.

As important as this trip is for our own personal growth and wanderlust, we are also doing this to raise awareness about plastic pollution in the oceans. If you were planning on writing another post about us, we would like to address our charity "Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii" and how important it is to reduce single use plastic products. There is approximately over 315 billion pounds of plastic polluting our oceans right now. Due to the currents, a lot of this plastic is washing up on the beaches of Hawaii. Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii organizes beach clean-ups and educates the public about plastic pollution. A third of our donations from our GoFundMe site will go to Sustainable Coastlines and the remaining two thirds will fund our trip and our documentary.

Thanks again for sharing our story, we appreciate everything. If you need any further information let us know!

Keith & Reina

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Frank Anthony Villari (aka, Pastor Tony)

Pastor Tony is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path."