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Associated Press
2 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Soap, wristbands and scaling the UN: People get creative during final plastic pollution treaty talks
GENEVA (AP) — A Swiss ocean protection group is handing out bars of soap to negotiators working on a global accord to end plastic pollution. The messaging on the cardboard box from the Geneva-based Gallifrey foundation reads 'no dirty tricks, vote for a clean plastics treaty.' As Thai diplomat Jutha Saovabha walked to the treaty talks Wednesday morning, Gallifrey Foundation spokesperson Laurianne Trimoulla stopped him to chat and handed him a soap. Saovabha said it was a lovely gift and he liked the plastic-free packaging. Nations are crafting the first global, legally binding treaty on plastics pollution. The meeting at the United Nations office in Geneva is supposed to be the last and people are getting creative to put the pressure on to get a deal done. Here is a look at what they're doing: A 'cheeky' stunt Trimoulla said they chose soap because Switzerland is known for its cleanliness, and democracy. She said it's a 'cheeky' way to deliver a serious message. The foundation partnered with Friends of the Earth International and the Break Free From Plastic movement to urge delegates to vote on the treaty. Currently, every nation must agree for any proposal to be included in the treaty. If consensus can't be reached on the last day, the process could become paralyzed. The talks are scheduled to conclude Thursday. On Wednesday, Trimoulla had about 10 organic soaps left to hand out out of nearly 400. She said many delegates liked the gift, including those from France, Panama, and 'even the United States.' The foundation wants the treaty to reduce plastic production, whereas the U.S. supports provisions focused on better waste management and reuse to reduce plastic pollution. Wristbands to raise awareness about hazardous chemicals The International Pollutants Elimination Network gave wristbands to UN officials, delegates and plastic waste workers before the talks to measure their exposure to chemicals used to make plastics and show the importance of protecting human health with the treaty. It's releasing a report Wednesday about the findings. IPEN cochair Pamela Miller said the treaty is 'all about oil versus our health.' Most plastic is made from fossil fuels. Camila Zepeda, of Mexico, wore one. Zepeda is now leading negotiations for Mexico on an article to address problematic plastic products, including single-use plastics and chemicals. 'I had been reading a lot of research. So I was already sort of wary that we're already exposed to so many chemicals,' she said. 'What I was surprised by, is that all over the world, because this study has been carried throughout different regions, we are all being exposed to those added chemicals in plastics. That is concerning.' A conveyor belt of plastic waste The World Wildlife Fund set up a conveyor belt of plastic waste in the plaza in front of the U.N. office Wednesday. A backdrop showed a turtle, dolphin and a person with open mouths, as if the waste was flowing in. There was a large red button that said 'EMERGENCY', plus a sign that read 'PUSH THE BUTTON, STOP THE PLASTIC FLOOD NOW.' The WWF urged delegates to the talks to push the red button and halt the belt, to represent stopping plastic pollution. Scaling the UN Activists from Greenpeace climbed to the top of the buildings at the entrance to the U.N. office in Geneva and unfurled banners shortly after the negotiations began there last week. Greenpeace said it wanted to show the 'undue influence' of the fossil fuel industry at the talks. Most plastic is made from fossil fuels. 'We need to make sure all eyes are on Geneva in this critical moment where we have this once in a generation opportunity to create a safe and healthy world for everyone,' said Graham Forbes, head of the Greenpeace delegation in Geneva. The banners read 'big oil polluting inside' and 'plastics treaty not for sale.' They painted a black strip on the road at the entrance to the U.N. office to represent oil. 'Shoe leather lobbying' by the plastics industry Much like in Washington, D.C., industry leaders and company executives are meeting with delegates to answer questions and convey their priorities for the treaty, said Chris Jahn, president and CEO of the American Chemistry Council. There was an event before the talks started to showcase a database created by industry to improve transparency about chemical additives in plastics. 'It's shoe leather lobbying and informal personal engagements, where they need an answer to a question quickly and we provide it to them,' Jahn said. 'We're happy to provide information when it's useful and we'll be here as long as we need to, to hopefully get a deal.' Using art to influence policy Benjamin Von Wong, a Canadian artist and activist, is heaping piles of plastic waste onto a large sculpture in front of the U.N. office. Delegates to the treaty talks pass by the sculpture daily in a reminder of their responsibility to solve the plastic pollution crisis. It's his take on the famous sculpture by Auguste Rodin, 'The Thinker' in Paris. There is a male figure in deep thought, like Rodin depicted. But instead of sitting atop a rock, Von Wong's figure sits atop Mother Earth while cradling a baby and clutching plastic bottles. A strand of DNA intertwines them to highlight the health impacts of plastic pollution. On Wednesday, Von Wong added more plastic waste to cover Mother Earth. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
CTV News
02-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Scotian Shores removes 1.5 million pounds of debris from N.S. beaches
'Scotian Shores started about five years ago. It was me and my family and my boys during the pandemic. The only place we could go was the beach. And that beach kept getting dirty,' recalled Angela Riley, founder of Scotian Shores, a grassroots organization focused on cleaning the ocean. 'So we started cleaning up, and I honestly was going into an eco-depression because I had my second child, and I didn't know what to do. So, I did something, and then we started hosting events and more people come out than I ever thought would,' Riley said. 'And in five years, it's been 1.5 million pounds of debris removal just from Nova Scotia and that's by like 99 per cent volunteerism.' Riley not only collects debris found in the ocean but repurposes it into beautiful creations with the help of other artists. 'We also do a lot of waste diversion. So, half of what people see is the cleanups. They don't realize the background of the diversion, within the cleanups themselves,' she said. 'There's actually a lot of red tape that we have to go through permitting processes. There's a lot of beaches you're not allowed to clean certain times of year. And then the logistics when it comes to hauling away 18,000 pounds of garbage.' As for beach cleanups, she tries to make is as seamless as possible. 'And just making sure it is family-friendly. Basically, event planning and making sure that people can show up, do something good,' she said. 'Currently, we can divert about 80 per cent, but if the trap and rope recycling get shut down in Nova Scotia, bad news. Right now, it's still kind of chugging along a little bit.' She was inspired by other organizations who would sell bracelets to remove a pound of garbage from the ocean, but realized quickly, she would need to do more. 'I was like, 'that's a great idea. I'm going to do that',' she laughed. 'Before realizing that a lobster trap weighs 80 pounds each. That wasn't the best promise for Nova Scotia. So, I started with just bracelets, but then Bev, the one that makes the rope rescues, she showed up at my door and she said, 'you should sell these.' And it kind of happens naturally. I try to just ride the waves.' Angela Riley and Eddy Simmons Scotian Shores booth set up, a display of goods, Angela Riley and Eddy Simmons selling at the Alderney landing market. (CTV Atlantic/ Brianne Foley) With 13 artists involved in the project, Riley will deliver some of the findings, while others can come to her cleanups, or work yard. 'It depends on the artist. But we also have a work yard in Aylesford, where we combine everything and stockpile it for recycling,' she said. 'And artists are able to come cleanup and waste diversion. A lot of the good stuff does get taken away right away.' As an artist herself, Riley creates earrings from discarded debris, ropework and sea glass work. Eddy Simmons started getting involved in Scotian Shores after a cleanup with Riley. 'When I did the shoreline clean-up, and I saw how big the problem was. We had plastics washing ashore by the thousands and thousands of pounds,' Simmons said. 'Rope balls that weighed over 200 pounds. It was dramatic. I couldn't turn away. And with Angela there, obviously, I'm super motivated because she motivates the whole team.' Prior to joining the team, Simmons did his own removal and recycling. 'I used to do ravines and things like that. And I'd been doing some more extreme things, but I had to find things I could recycle,' he said. 'So, automobiles were when I started taking them apart because I knew auto recyclers could recycle. And, then Angela would send me donations from the sales of her bracelets.' Simmons travelled for work and decided on a kayak trip that he wanted to do something about the pollution in the water. 'I had the chance to kayak on the ocean on a day off. And when I was out there doing that, there were ropes full of fish, full of crabs and all kinds of different animals that were trying to get out of it,' he said. 'It took me 45 minutes to get it into the boat, and the people I was with were like, 'you're going to drown'.' For Simmons, this kind of work is the dream, and having the reception by people in the community is the cherry on top. Scotian Shores booth Scotian Shores booth at the Alderney Landing market on May 31, 2025. (CTV Atlantic/Brianne Foley) 'It's doing something that's bigger than myself. And it really contributes to the team and the community that we have built, I'm going to cry,' he said. 'It's pretty amazing.' As for Riley, she says without the community, especially the fishers, she wouldn't be where she is today. 'They come with their ATVs and traps and trailers and trucks, and it's just it's crazy fun time. And it's really good to be working hand in hand with them, because a lot of the fishers that are out there today, they really do care,' she said. 'And cleaning up this old legacy pollution stuff that's been there for 40 years, they don't want it to grow.' With events planned for all of ocean week, Riley is inspired by her roots to continue to grow this project. 'I grew up on the ocean. My grandfather was a fisher, my grandmother was a fisher. My uncles fished,' she explained. 'And it's Nova Scotia, so we're built on the back of fishers here, all their backs are broken because they're hauling traps.' 'So, this is important to me. And like I said, I was a second a sailor, naval reservist, you know, the ocean speaks to me. And I really do believe that water is life.' For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CBS News
27-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Large sailboat docked at Oakland estuary sinks; crews attempt salvage operation
Salvage crews on Monday were trying to refloat a large sailing ship that sank Sunday night while docked at the Oakland Estuary. The boat, part of an ocean cleanup project, is now presenting a cleanup problem of its own. The ship - called The Kaisei, Japanese for "sea star" - is a 150-foot-long, two-masted ship called a brigantine which has been sailing since 1987. It has most recently been the property of the Ocean Voyages Institute, headquartered in Sausalito. The group bought the boat to conduct the Kaisei Project, a month-long expedition in 2009 to survey and study the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a huge mass of floating plastic in the ocean. The has also been used for various educational cruises, but lately, it's been moored next to the Nob Hill Foods store in Alameda. And now it looks like it's not going anywhere anytime soon. "It's been there about five years," said Alameda resident Zoe Corsi. "It's a steel-hulled boat, the kind you can take around the world. But it's been sitting there for five years. It has NOT moved in five years. My partner says, 'They're never going to move that thing, it's going to sink someday.' And here we are." On Sunday night about 6 p.m., the ship began to take on water and sink. Alameda resident Zph Biggs watched it as it slowly went down. "I was parked right there," said Biggs, "And it was sinking when I got out. So, I took pictures of it, like, wow. That's interesting!" The ship now sits on the bottom, fully submerged, its heavy masts slanting toward the shore, which is why the public is being kept away. "The vessel seems to be fairly stable at the moment," said Lt. Jason Rogers with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. "However, due to the area we're in, with tidal movement going up and down and back and forth through here, it could move at any time." A diver spent the day assessing the situation despite near-zero visibility, looking for a way to offload the 400 gallons of diesel fuel that may still be aboard. Just in case, a floating boom has been placed around the ship to try to contain any leaks. "I think it's lost a little bit of fuel, but the majority of it is sealed up," said standby diver Courtney Jensen. "So, we just have to get access to it, not allow any more out. Get that pumped out, that's the priority. Yeah, we have ways of doing it." Jensen works for Power Divers, the company brought in to handle the operation of getting the Kaisei back on an even keel. "If you want to get it up and out of here, you'd bring in a crane barge," said Jensen. "And then you'd run rigging up and underneath the sailboat, and then you lift it up freeboard, enough to where you can pump the water out and get it refloating again, basically. This is a really big vessel. This is a 100-foot sailboat with a steel hull. Weighs a lot. It's big." So how long might it take? "It just depends," said Jensen. "It could be a couple weeks, could be a couple days." The U.S. Coast Guard says it is not involved since the ship is not threatening navigation in the channel. But the Coast Guard will be reviewing the salvage plan to make sure it follows regulations. So far, there is no indication of why the ship sank. The Coast Guard says the responsibility for determining that and raising the ship lies with the boat's owner and the salvage company hired to conduct the operation.
