http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/businessandecology/recycling/7832655/TerraCycle-The-Google-of-garbage.html

CREDO ACTION is circulating a petition demanding this stop immediately.
I am passing this on. Please help get the word out.

BP is blocking the rescue of endangered sea turtles and burning them alive in “control burns” to avoid paying endangered species fines. Video from sea captain who reported this is available on
YouTube; warning: It is extremely disturbing. Animal cruelty charges should be filed.

FROM CREDO ACTION:
Dear Friend,

News has just emerged from the Gulf Coast that BP is burning endangered sea turtles alive. 1

A boat captain who has been leading efforts to rescue the endangered turtles says BP has blocked his crews from entering the areas where the animals are trapped, effectively shutting down the rescue operation.

BP is using “controlled burns” to contain the oil spill. Shrimp boats create a corral of oil by dragging together fire-resistant booms and then lighting the enclosed “burn box” on fire. If turtles are not removed from the area before the fire is lit, they are literally burned alive.

The sea turtle most affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is the Kemp’s Ridley2 which is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Parties responsible for killing the endangered turtles are liable for criminal penalties that include prison and civil fines of up to $25,000 per violation.

As a result, BP perversely has a financial incentive to let the endangered turtles be incinerated rather than to allow rescue crews to cull them from the burn boxes before the
containment fires are lit.

“They ran us out of there and then they shut us down, they would not let us get back in there,” said turtle rescuer Mike Ellis in an interview with conservation biologist Catherine Craig that was posted on YouTube.com. 3

Enough is enough. Tell BP to allow the rescue boats back in and stop burning endangered sea turtles alive. Link to petition:
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/bp_endangered_turtles/?r=5664&id=9693-2012366-xbQn3Wx

Thank you for working for a better world.

Becky Bond, Political Director
CREDO Action from Working Assets

1 BP ‘burning sea turtles alive’, Raw Story, June 20, 2010

2 Sea Turtles Among Oil Spill Victims, NPR, June 10, 2010

3 Venice, Louisiana, Boat Captain/ by Catherine Craig, YouTube, June 13, 2010.

Thank you Roz, for all you do — can you please let your network know about this? –JC (hoping you can come to Olympia!)

top left: acropora coral with damsel fish (IMG_2287)
#2 left: crinoid star, “another star”, fire coral (IMG_2343)
#2 right: regal angel, leather coral (IMG_2354)
#3 left: saddle puffer, gorgonian coral (IMG_2367)
#3 right: saddle puffer, long nose hawk fish, gorgonian coral (IMG_2372)
#4 left: saddle puffer, gorgonian coral (IMG_2380)
#4 right: saddle puffer, long nose hawk fish, gorgonian coral (IMG_2383)
#5 left: saddle puffer, long nose hawk fish, gorgonian coral (IMG_2384)
#6 clown fish (IMG_2409)
#7 feather duster worm (IMG_2423)

I will never forget the very first time I snorkeled, there was a huge coral with a dozens if not hundreds (of course everything is magnified 30% underwater) of itty bitty blue fish peering out from between every lobe of the coral, a stunning iridescent blue (opposite from the rear view mirror in Jurassic Park, objects are even smaller that they appear). I had no idea what the fish or the coral were, and to this day I have no idea, but I do know it would be a shame to lose the corals and their inhabitants. Ocean acidity threatens the entire web of sea life, bottom to top.

Cheers!

I’m sure that if Apple’s iPhoto can recognise people’s faces, there really could be an app that would recognise fish, birds, etc, if you just pointed your iPhone at the creature – or more likely, a photo of the fish, rather than taking my iPhone underwater. I know I am a woman at one with her iPhone, but I think that would be a tad risky!

“This is the description for the supercargo’s cabin:

1 single cabin, supercargo (approx. 20 sqm incl. Bathroom),
G deck, starboard / aft, 1 bed- / living room,
1 bed (2.00 x 1.20 m), shower / toilet, wardrobe, refrigerator, TV,
sitting arrangement with sofa, chair, desk, carpet,
view to the aft of the ship

As to Internet, there is no access on board but Satellite telephone and fax are available. The ship does have e-mail for ship’s business and if you are able to talk one of the officers into using it to send or receive an email that is up to them but we cannot guarantee access other than by the passenger’s own devices or in port. I am sure after your exploits that they will be willing to listen!”

Sounds really rather nice! Certainly a lot more comfortable and spacious than the accommodations on board the Brocade, that’s for sure.

And a funny “small world” story – when I linked to this article (http://thetravelersnotebook.com/how-to/how-to-travel-by-cargo-ship/) about traveling by cargo ship, I noticed that it was written by an Anna Brones. Surely not the same Anna Brones…. but yes, it was! Anna and I first met at an event in the offices of Wend Magazine while I was in Portland, and later met again to discuss social media and green issues – the speciality of her company Undersolen Media. http://undersolenmedia.com/

Turns out she travelled by cargo ship from Guadeloupe to France. Backing up Tracy’s remarks, Anna responded to my email with this information: “The sailing schedules are usually adhered to and sailing times tend to be what they say they are. The shipping industry is in fact a well oiled machine and works pretty well — which is no surprise given all that it is responsible for in our globalized world.”

As for the mention of containers falling off container ships – please don’t tell me that! At the same time as I am heading eastwards across the Pacific, the Brocade will be heading westwards to Australia in readiness for next year’s Indian Ocean crossing. Would be a bit of a disaster if she fell overboard….

Captain Texino

So much for the atmospheric footprint. Why not look at the other aspect as you sail back on the container ship? Try to arrange a below-decks tour during the latter part of the trip. Why? The bilge pumped continuously, directly back into the ocean, is also chock-full of pollutants. Only solid waste (most of the time) is retained aboard. Most not solid (supposedly biodegradable) waste goes overboard; from kitchen (to starve rodents and other vermin), sewage generally, and oil, grease, peeling paint chips (to mention a few) from bilge water in the orlop. Having difficulty researching stats on this – seems to be a hidden factor.

Enjoy your cruise adventure, but never stop probing. Blessings to you.

I weighed in on the vessel option on yesterday’s June 17th blog.
I am in the container shipping business. rather than retype all of it
here, refer to my posting for the Onmiviviphile entry. The Hatsu
Courage is a direct call from Hong Kong to Long Beach. looks like a
winner

Enjoy your travels, Roz, and remember to get your visas for your Eurasian stops! If you ever want guided diving on Oahu, let us know.

BTW, you’ve inspired us to go solar. Next stop, two days a week biking to work!

Aloha, Stephanie

P.S. Our next under/over ocean cleanup is August 14 at ala Moana beach park, ska magic island.

Keep doing what you like to do best.
i.e. Keep shooting the fish (photography wise)
I am sure someone else will come along and identify the fish.

Cheers

The incremental fuel consumed to propel you across the sea on the Hatsu Courage is about 0.0000018 of the total 98,700 DWT. The vessel consumes on the order of 300 Metric Tonnes of Bunker C fuel a day, so if you multiply out your “share” of the fuel (for sake of a simple calculation, let’s assume you and all your trappings and luggage and food and beverages you will consume total 400 pounds), it is about 20 pounds of Bunker C. That is about 3 gallons of Bunker C which would produce about 75 pounds of CO2.

Take the boat, and don’t put yourself in the position later of thinking, “If only …”

For all the reason the pro-boat Rozlings expressed … and that’s my final answer ;-D

Enjoy your ship experience and be sure to keep us informed. As always.

Plus, if you planned to spend 16 days writing in seclusion anyway, it’s hard to beat $75/day room and board on the ship (i.e. the difference between $2,100 for the boat and $900 for the plane).

Plus, the experience sounds valuable.

But I’m ashamed to say I don’t know the names of most of the fish. The little red and white fella is a long-nosed hawkfish, and the orange and white stripey ones are anemonefish – but kudos to anybody who can help me identify the other chappies!…