I've spent little time this summer cleaning up the downtown Minneapolis stretch of the river. Generally it's been too hot and miserable to be working outside. And now it's suddenly September, cooler and the river is lower and the trash is thick. I got out yesterday and worked it and that felt good. I always wonder how much of our trash here in Minnesota makes its way downstream from the Mississippi River out to the Gulf of Mexico. Does it stay in the gulf or do currents take it further out to one of the ocean's garbage patches. I see photos of those garbage patches on social media being passed around with all the other viral videos of babies hugging each other and cats sitting in fruit bowls. Awhile back I read about a nonprofit group that has been working to actually start cleaning up one of those garbage patches out in the Pacific. The Ocean Cleanup project is getting ready to launch its System 001 this Saturday and you can watch it live. The cleanup system was assembled in Alameda, California and will pass under the Golden Gate Bridge about 4pm Minnesota time before being towed out to sea 1200 miles to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It will be interesting to watch the progress of this project in the coming year. Can we get the garbage out of the Pacific and if so which garbage patch can we tackle next?
On S
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