Focused on the issues of plastic in the ocean
Project Kaisei is a California based NGO, under the framework of Ocean Voyages Institute. It is focused on finding ways to clean part of the plastic from the North Pacific Gyre, and bringing together technologies and processes to turn it into fuel or secondary products once it is collected. On land, prevention has to happen at the same time, so awareness building, education, and the showcasing of new technologies and materials is important.
Project Kaisei has undertaken two expeditions to the N. Pacific Gyre in both 2009 and 2010 to study some of the issues and impacts that are a result of thousands of miles of plastic waste in our ocean. This is not a big landfill or island, but it is a mixture of "new trash" and small particles that are from large pieces of plastic which have broken down by the sun. Most plastic does not biodegrade, so if did not sink, or wash up on a beach, it can still be floating at sea, potentially impacting the ecosystem, fish, animals and birds along the way.
More information can be found on our website, and videos on Youtube under Project Kaisei.