The Great Garbage Patch State

Meet the new Garbage Patch State rising in the middle of the oceans, where plastic is king. The new country’s flag is blue like the seas, with an emblem of red recycling signs. As of April 11, 2013, the garbage patches scattered in the five oceans across the world are symbolically recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a federal nation.

What Is the Garbage Patch State?

The garbage patches are giant swirling masses of plastic trash and other debris that have been trapped by the oceanic currents and are floating on the water. The plastic littering the sea comes from various marine and land sources, such as shipping, tourism, fishing, and other solid waste carried into the oceans by rivers.

The exact dimensions of the five islands of the Garbage Patch State aren't known. Some say it's the largest concentration of plastic debris in the world. The Garbage Patch in the North Pacific alone is believed to be the size of Texas or perhaps twice that size.

Charles Moore, the oceanographer who first discovered the North Pacific Garbage Patch in 1997, told the San Francisco Chronicle that it isn’t a solid island, as some people believe. Instead, it resembles a soupy mass, undetectable by overhead satellite photos because it's 80 percent plastic and therefore translucent. The plastic moves just beneath the surface, from one inch to depths of 300 feet, he added.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that “regardless of its exact size, mass, and location, manmade debris does not belong in our oceans and waterways.”

Why Is It Dangerous?

Dr. Onno Gross is a marine biologist, environmental journalist, and president of the Marine Conservation Organization DEEPWAVE. He wrote on the Smithsonian’s Ocean Portal blog that “thousands of sea animals die in agony through the deadly flotsam of our consumer society. There are at least 138 marine species that regularly entangle themselves in this rubbish.”

Unlike organic debris, which is biodegradable, plastic disintegrates under the sunlight into tiny pieces that never decompose. These small particles become a source of food for marine birds and animals, such as sea turtles, albatrosses, and even whales.

“The massive production of plastic and inadequate disposal has made plastic debris an important and constant pollutant on beaches and in oceans around the world,” Lorena M. Rios Mendoza, Ph.D., said at an American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting on April 8 in New Orleans. Her team was announcing the discovery of a garbage patch even in the Great Lakes!

Fish and birds could be harmed from accidently eating the plastic particles or absorbing toxic substances that leach out into the water, Rios said. Her team knows from analyses of fish stomachs that fish are consuming the plastic particles. Fish also could pass such substances to consumers.

What Can We Do to Help Clean Up?

NOAA believes that cleaning up is very challenging. “It is certainly not cost-effective to skim the surface of the entire ocean.”

“You can't take these particles out of the ocean. You can just stop putting them in", agrees oceanographer Charles Moore.

“No more trash in our oceans must be our highest priority”, warns Dr. Gross.

The Ocean Conservancy, an organization that fights on behalf of oceans, offers many tips to help treat the problem at its roots: 

• Put trash in a secure, lidded receptacle, since most marine debris starts out on land.
• Properly recycle everything you can in your area.
• Less is more: don't buy stuff you don't need, and choose items that use less packaging.
• Inform and inspire your friends to help stop marine debris at the source and volunteer to clean up beaches.
• Bring your own containers for picnics instead of using disposables.
• Take your own reusable bags whenever you go shopping.

 

What are your ideas on how to help clean up the growing patches of garbage in our oceans? Share them in the comments section below!

—Kid Reporter Hannah Prensky

Photo via Flickr. 

My day at the inauguration

I was super excited to witness history in the making, the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama taking the oath of office for the second and last time.

My editor Dante and I met early in the morning to make our way to the designated area where we had tickets. By the time we got there, tens of thousands of people had already gathered on the National Mall and more were yet to come. They had started pouring in since before sunrise, even though the ceremony was scheduled for 11:30 a.m.

Everywhere I looked I saw folks wearing inauguration memorabilia: buttons, hats, scarves, flags, bagsand backpacks, and even jackets with the presidential seal. People had come from all over the country to be together for this momentous occasion. I spoke with members of a family who came from Florida, Georgia, New York, and Texas for a reunion on the National Mall on Inauguration Day!

A crowd of great diversity was making its way slowly but steadily towards the Capitol Building. Kids of all ages, parents, and grandparents tried to find a spot in front of the giant screens placed strategically on the Mall. The atmosphere was charged with boundless energy as the crowd was anticipating the President’s oath and speech.

Everywhere you went was jam-packed with people. Dante and I had tickets for the South Standing area. Because no one seemed to be checking tickets once we were inside, we moved with the crowd to the West Standing area. It was mobbed by thousands of people. At one point we were even squashed between a massive crowd and the doors of a port-a-potty!

My inauguration weekend

I was very excited when I first heard that my editor Dante assigned me to cover the Inauguration Day. But when I arrived in Washington, D.C., on Saturday my weekend got even better.

Being at the inauguration is very important to me because it completes the election cycle I have been writing about since the primaries. I’ve learned a lot about the issues and the candidates in the process, and witnessing the President taking the oath of office will be the final page in my election book.

My excitement doubled when I heard that I would also be covering the Kids’ Inaugural Concert, hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden. The concert took place on Saturday before the inauguration and it highlighted support for the military spouses and children. Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Fun., Brad Paisley, and host Nick Cannon performed for a huge audience at the Convention Center.

My dad and I arrived two hours in advance to pick up our credentials, talk to some young spectators, and take in the atmosphere. I was so eager to hear the music and see all of the entertainers, I could hardly contain myself! The venue was absolutely packed with thousands of excited kids who felt just like me.

Just as the show was about to start, I received a message from Dante that Wolf Blitzer wanted to interview me live on CNN’s The Situation Room. Although I was sad that I didn’t get to see the concert, I was very much looking forward to this new opportunity.

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley on the rise after elections

Election night was a good night for Maryland Democrats, but especially for Governor Martin O’Malley. In addition to voting to reelect President Barack Obama, Marylanders renewed mandates for the Democratic ticket: Senator Ben Cardin, US Representatives John Sarbanes, Steny Hoyer, and Chris Van Hollen, and denied 6th district Republican Congressman Roscoe Bartlett an 11th term in favor of Democratic newcomer John Delaney.

Governor O’Malley had four other reasons to smile, too. His constituents voted “Yes” on all statewide ballot measures championed by the Governor and Democratic Party leaders.

President Obama took Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C.

President Obama won four more years from Virginians in what was a long, dead-heat, exhausting race not just for the two candidates, but for Virginian voters as well. Barack Obama also received all 10 electoral votes from Maryland and three from Washington DC.

All eyes were on the swing states, including Virginia, one of the key battlegrounds in the presidential race. Virginia carried Obama with its 13 electoral votes in 2008 in a state that has been voting Republican for the last 10 elections. The margin was narrower for Obama this time around, just like in other key states, but it was enough for the President to claim victory.

Virginia also delivered one of the 33 Senate seats up for grabs for the Democrats by electing former Governor Tim Kaine with 51.63 percent of the votes over former Senator George Allen who got 48.18 percent. This was the most expensive senatorial race in country, with an estimated at $84 million spent by the combined campaigns.

Ten minutes after 11 p.m., Allen conceded the elections to Kaine, urging his supporters not to give up fighting for the principles behind his campaign. “It’s not our cause. It’s America’s cause. Stand strong for freedom.”

Maryland re-elected incumbent Senator Ben Cardin with 53.54 percent of the vote, and confirmed a strong Democratic delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives: John Sarbanes, Steny Hoyer, Elijah Cummings, and Chris Van Hollen, among others. Newcomer John Delaney won Maryland District 6 with 58 percent of the ballots cast.

Turnout vote in 2012 looked a lot like 2008 in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. There were long lines at the polls throughout the day, in very cold, below average temperatures, but people did not give up. Some precincts in DC were slowed by machine problems and equipment malfunctions, but voters in the Capital said they never saw such long lines of people waiting to cast their ballot.

Virginia electorate was bombarded with Get-Out-The-Vote calls from both the Romney and Obama campaigns. Voter frustration and fatigue took over, as appeals poured in from both sides. Maryland volunteers were summoned to call Virginian supporters of the two candidates and remind them to vote.

“I think the victory today all across the country is going to be determined by already decided voters and who gets the most of them out”, Maryland State Senator Ron Young told this Kids Reporter earlier in the day.

Letty Carpenter, one of the Maryland Obama volunteers calling Virginia said, “I developed a real connection with voters when I was familiar with the road they lived on, and it turned out that some of the people I called knew my husband. And that was real rewarding. This is very important because every vote counts.”

Virginia polls closed at 7 p.m., but hundreds of people who got to their voting place before the expiration deadline were still in line waiting to vote close to 10 o’clock in Prince William, Fairfax, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. Their vote was extremely important to both parties, and the Obama campaign urged people via Twitter to stay in line until they were able to cast their ballot.

Virginia was the second to last state to be called in favor of the President, just before Florida, at 45 minutes past midnight. Governor Romney conceded the elections to President Obama 10 minutes later.

—Kid Reporter Hannah Prensky 

Virginia votes

All eyes tonight are on the swing states, including Virginia, one of the key battlegrounds in the presidential race. Obama carried Virginia in 2008 by 52.7 percent to 46.4 percent, in a state that has been voting Republican for the last 10 elections. Virginia is one of the big battleground states, like Colorado and New Hampshire, offering the winner 13 electoral votes.

This time around, it seems to be a long night counting votes in Virginia, not just for the tight presidential race but for the Senate race as well. The most expensive senatorial campaign in country, estimated at $84 million for the combined campaigns, had Governor Tim Kaine vying against Senator George Allen for one of the 33 seats up for grabs vacated by outgoing Democratic Senator Jim Webb.

Turnout in 2012 looked a lot like 2008, but it remains to be seen if the votes will favor the President or Governor Romney. There were long lines at the polls, in very cold, below average temperatures, but people did not give up.

Voters in Virginia were bombarded with Get-Out-The-Vote calls from both campaigns. Frustration and fatigue took over, as appeals poured in from both sides. Maryland volunteers were summoned to call Virginian supporters of the two candidates and remind them to vote.

“I think the victory today all across the country is going to be determined by already decided voters and who gets the most of them out”, said Maryland State Senator Ron Young.

Letty Carpenter, one of the MD Obama volunteers calling VA, said, “I developed a real connection when I was familiar with the road they lived on, and some of the people I called knew my husband. And that was real rewarding. This is very important because every vote counts.”

—Kid Reporter Hannah Prensky

Untamed Americas is wild and inspiring

I found many reasons to watch the new National Geographic miniseries Untamed Americas. Since I was asked to cover the premiere of the documentary, National Geographic sent me two DVDs with the 4 episodes that will air on June 10 and 11 on Nat Geo Channels, so I watched the whole show beforehand.

The film features some never-before-seen footage of spectacular wild life along the North and South American continents. The documentary captivates viewers with vivid scenes of life and death.

Some of the highlights: a group of seven grizzly bears feasting on a beached whale, a flock of gloriously pink flamingoes engaged in an elaborate group-mating dance, two puma cubs hunting solo for the first time, and a tiny Ecuadorian bat with a tongue one-and-a-half-time the size of its body pollinating a rare flower.

Miniseries executive producer Karen Bass told me at the premiere that this bat was one of her favorites because “it’s got the water cooler factor: it was only discovered in 2005, and that tongue would be nine feet long if it were on a human!”

The mixture of music, sound effects, and natural animal noises capture and add to the intensity of some of the greatest wildlife spectacles. The effect is powerful, endearing, and emotional.

One example is the scene where male bighorn sheep in the Rockies fight it out for hours to settle on the winner of mating rights. The echoes and reverberations bring out the dramatic 22-mile-per-hour head-on clash, which would kill a human instantly.

Majestic scenes like spinner dolphins leaping in the Fernando de Noronha National Marine Park in Brazil, bright green parakeets flying over volcanoes in Central America, Mobula Rays flapping gracefully off the coast of Baja, Mexico, and jellyfish undulating off the coast of Monterey Bay in California are given an even greater impact with the music.

The show will have you at the edge of your seats cheering for your heroes and booing at the villains. But the rule of the wild is “eat or be eaten,” “kill or get killed.” I completely agreed with the comment Casey Anderson, host of America the Wild on Nat Geo WILD, made after the premiere: “At the beginning you’re rooting for the caribou and by end you’re rooting for the wolf.”

Surprises linger in every episode, like the face-off between a little grasshopper mouse and a giant venomous centipede, more deadly than a scorpion. The winner of this uneven fight will astonish you! Keep watching to find out who will be the snack at the end of a valiant battle between a speedy roadrunner and a rattlesnake whose venom can kill a man.

Check out my story about the premiere of Untamed Americas on the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps website!

—Kid Reporter Hannah Prensky

Photo: At a remote, inhospitable, salt-filled lake in South America, a flock of rare Andean flamingos engage in an elaborate dance. (Courtesy National Geographic Channels)

The G8 comes to rural Maryland

Last weekend, President Barack Obama hosted the G8 summit at Camp David in Maryland. And it brought the small rural community of Thurmont, Maryland, into the international spotlight. The meeting of eight of the world’s most powerful economic leaders in this little town was by far the most significant event that ever happened in our county. 

Here’s what I know about Camp David: it is a presidential retreat located in Thurmont, Maryland, at the bottom of Catoctin Mountains. Before World War 2, it used to be called Shangri La, or imaginary paradise, but President Dwight Eisenhower changed its name to Camp David in honor of his father and grandson. Judging by the surrounding national parks, the views must be spectacular. (Judging by recent photos released by the White House, the décor inside Camp David needs a little updating.) On the Fourth of July, Camp David puts on the best display of fireworks in the county. I know this because every year I go to summer camp nearby, and we stay up late to watch them. 

Since Camp David is not open to the public I can never figure out exactly where it is, and that’s just how the Secret Service likes it. Catoctin Mountain Park does not indicate the location of Camp David on its official park maps due to privacy and security concerns.

Security was heightened in Thurmont because of the G8 summit. Sheriff’s deputies aided by state troopers were on hand to handle the couple hundred demonstrators concerned about Ethiopia. They protested against President Obama’s decision to meet at Camp David with representatives of the Ethiopian government, which they consider to be an repressive regime.

Everyone agreed that the G8 coming to town was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But not everyone was pleased about it. Local shop and restaurant owners didn’t have much business going on because police closed several downtown Thurmont roads after five busses loaded with protesters descended on the town in the morning.

However, at least one group was surely happy: students. Much to our delight, county schools were closed Friday, May 18, since Sheriff Chuck Jenkins was worried that heavy traffic might get in the way of school busses.

As for me, I finally understood what people mean when they say they can see the world changing under their eyes. The G8 summit in Frederick County, Maryland, helped me realize that sometimes the world can change in your very own backyard.

—Kid Reporter Hannah Prensky

Photo: President Barack Obama meets with Eurozone leaders on the Laurel Cabin patio during the G8 Summit at Camp David, Maryland, May 19, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)