Plastic Isn’t Yummy…to Seabirds.

The curse broke with the sun. First, a gorgeous morning ferry ride to the small island of Texel. We were there to meet Jan, a marine biologist who focuses on the impact of plastic ingestion by Fulmar seabirds.

A short visit to one of the tourist-drawing beaches revealed more plastic than one – or any bird - should stomach. Unfortunately, this was common and the amounts, staggering.

To show us that this debris could actually be tempting to marine animals, Jan dissected three Fulmar corpses, revealing numerous small plastic chunks. And while there was some good news (pre-production plastic pellets are dropping in numbers) more than 90% of the Fulmars dissected showed some plastic contents.



After a very long day of filming, Gad and I started driving south along the coast but it was magic hour and as many know, this is a great time to film. Tulips, turbines and A-frames made a wonderful contrast to the murky dykes and green pastures.



We we’re trying to meet our next expert in Ijmuiden (pronounced A-moden) but arrived very late to the beautiful 18th century Hotel Augusta. It didn’t take long to figure out what the main industry was...steel.



A late supper with Bert, some filming and minimal sleep. We are ready.

Out

I+G

Serenity Now!

What seemed like a good Irish beginning to the ever-testing travel day quickly turned sour.



There were continued security issues with the 20 lb battery belt (which did look menacing in the x-ray photo), cancelled flights, bad B.O. and a yellow phone (don’t ask).




15 hours later we were in Den Helder, a small coastal village 80km northwest of Amsterdam. Tired and raw, we we’re immediately told by the hostess that this “was not a good place to be late at night.” Looking around, it wasn’t hard to believe.

Great.



Gad, the miraculous engineer, devised this little device – dubbed the “lav-atory” – to remedy a microphone problem. If it works in the hotel, we can only hope it will work tomorrow.



Serenity now…

Out.

G+I

P.S. Sorry for the delay in blog entries. We have been without internet access for a few days. More entries to follow. Our new local number in Holland is
+011 31 (0)611140341 and this should remain our number for the duration of our stay in Europe.

Plastic is Yummy…to Bacteria.

Despite a groggy start to the morning, we headed across the way to the University College Dublin to meet Dr. Kevin O’Connor, a biomolecular scientist who has spent the last 7 years coaxing small bacteria to eat styrene oil – the end result of Styrofoam being super heated at 520 degrees C in zero oxygen. When fed to the bacterium, they use the carbon to grow and use the excess to accumulate a polymeric material. Then the critters are “split” apart and the plastic is extracted. Even the dead bacteria can be used as a fertilizer!



Not only that, but the new plastic is 100% biodegradable and can be used to replace plastic bags and – more importantly – medical applications as the body can absorb this non-toxic material. Dr. O’Connor has already been in talks with industry groups and hopes to be able to use other organisms to break down a slew of plastics. Somebody call Nobel!

That’s the good news.

It appears Murphy’s Law is alive and well in Dublin. Plagued by audio problems, tripod malfunction, lighting issues - all while trying to do an interview in a full-functioning lab – surely tested our nerves. So now we lick our wounds and begin to repack for another flight.



Tomorrow we head to northern Holland to meet a scientist who studies plastic impact on sea birds as well as fishermen who collect garbage to be recycled. Time to start brushing up on our Dutch.

Out.

I+G

An Irishman & a Jew Walk into a Bar……

No this isn’t the start of a bad joke, Cryptic Moth has landed in Dublin. Our cab driver reminded us of the fact that Ireland has imposed a tax on plastic bags that has successfully reduced the amount of synthetic crap in the streets and bushes. With a night off before our shoot, we went to check out the sites and suds of the Temple Bar – which turned out to not just be a bar but a whole district consisting of Celtic music, food, and fun in the city centre. After a few drinks and a great meal (no pizza, sandwiches, or snacks) we headed off in search of the soul of this great land. The atmosphere proved a lot more festive than proper London town. From street performers to a fantastic traditional Irish band, we celebrated our first night in Dublin in true Irish fashion.



Tomorrow we shoot.

G+I

March of the Moth

What better way to celebrate the London marathon then walk over 20 miles in the rain with our gear? It was a tough slog but we were able to get many great scenic shots of London's landmarks - from the London Eye (after security had a few choice words with us) to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly.



And while there wasn't as much plastic debris lying around as we expected (probably due to runners drinking less because to the rain) we still managed to find piles and piles of cups, balloons, those plastic whacking sticks, disposable rain slickers and loads of bottles.



Hats off to the army of street custodians who seemed to be everywhere in the crowds. When I asked one about the types of debris he collected, he only said, "There’s too much plastic." Making it back to the hotel wet and exhausted, I managed to fall asleep with a beer in my lap - then on my lap - and, yes, we ate before 11pm. Now we're packing up for a flight to Ireland tomorrow where we will visit a microbiologist who has managed to make non-degradable plastic degradable. Cheers to you London. We wish we had more time.
Out.
I+G