JUNKRAFT

Our 4 days of blessed sunny skies are finally giving way to some ominous rain clouds rolling in – such is the Pacific Northwest. We’ve ridden around 100 miles so far, through rolling, forested hills dotted with picturesque small towns, from Victoria, to Sequim, to our second scheduled talk at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center.

This wonderful organization, headed by local hero Anne Murphy, has developed a partnership with Algalita over the years after inviting Marcus up to speak in 2006. They’ve since launched their own local plastics monitoring program, studying plastic debris on Puget sound beaches, and now looking at the stomach contents of Glaucous Winged Gulls.

Jen Kingfisher, PT

After giving our talk Monday evening, an interesting conversation followed about the challenges their community is facing trying to pass a plastic bag ban. Though Port Townsend is a progressive town, some people – including the business community -  simply don’t like being told what to do. One audience member, our new friend and cycling hero Doug Ross, had a great suggestion:

“As you continue your journey riding down the west coast, you will pass through other communities facing the same issues. Why don’t you keep track of how other people are dealing with this, and let us know what’s working?”

Noted. And we put this same question to you: what approaches to cities wary of more legislation, more government intervention, do you think are effective?

Though our visit in Port Townsend was too short, we met some interesting folks in less than 24 hours: Bob aka “Bagel Guy”, who delivers fresh bagels on his Xtracycle, Rick aka “Salmon Man”, who delivers fresh, sustainable salmon on an 18 foot Xtracycle w/ trailer, and our gracious hosts Liz and Dave, who generously fed, housed, and entertained us.

The following morning we visited Grant Elementary on our way out of town, to speak with an inquisitive group of 5th graders. Talking with young people is always gratifying, our greatest hope for a better future….and then, our first bout of bike issues – a flat tire, a missing bolt on my Xtracycle, and a busted chain for Marcus. Thanks to Doug and a nearby bike coop, all were resolved quickly, and we headed on for a beautiful 34 mile ride to Edmonds. Some views from the ride:

Marcus enjoying a moment of rare WA sunshine

Council Member Strom Peterson had contacted us a few months back, inviting us to speak at a council meeting. Edmonds is just beginning the process of introducing legislation to ban plastic bags, so this was a tremendous opportunity for us to share our research. Full report on this coming soon!

Just 6 days until we take off for Vancouver. We’re in final prep mode, running around like mad, between school presentations. packing, travel, and events. Spent yesterday in Sacramento at Oceans Day, with Heal The Bay and Surfrider, where we were able to share Algalita’s research with legislators in the Capitol. And begin rousing some interest in bringing JUNKraft to Sacramento for our ride through….

A few recent articles on JUNKride joined the growing pool of media interest in the plastics issue. Yesterday, a nice article in the Grunion Gazette, and an earlier one about us “Sweating for the Sea” in the LA Times Greenspace. And last week, we got a dual award from Quikscience, for informal education - the contribution comes at a perfect time!

Our bikes are packed, our place is almost empty, and our excitement is rising fast. Start checking the calendar to see when we’ll be riding through your area!