Ep 69: How a Builder Mindset Is Solving the World's Ocean Trash Problem; Boyan Slat & The Ocean Cleanup
Nov 8, 2023
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Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, discusses the challenges of cleaning up the oceans, including the belief that it was impossible, and their revolutionary technology. They also explore plastic pollution in middle income countries and the complexities of working with governments. They highlight the support from a real estate developer in Malaysia and address the irony of environmental permits.
The Ocean Cleanup is implementing a large-scale system to clean up plastic in the oceans, focusing on taking action to clean up the pollution rather than just preventing it, and they aim to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch within 10 years.
Boyan Slat emphasizes the importance of applying technology and an engineering mindset to address environmental challenges, believing that humanity can find effective solutions by approaching problems like engineers.
Deep dives
The Ocean Cleanup's Innovative Approach to Cleaning the Oceans
The Ocean Cleanup is implementing the largest self-propelled system ever deployed on the ocean to clean up plastic pollution. The system consists of a mile and a half long boom that funnels and retains plastic, sweeping an area the size of a football field every five seconds. This approach, led by Boyan Slat, aims to tackle the neglected problem of ocean pollution, focusing on taking action to clean up the pollution instead of simply preventing it. The system has been designed to be safe for marine life and has a low bycatch rate. Despite initial challenges and setbacks, the technology has been continuously improved, and with sufficient support, the Ocean Cleanup envisions cleaning up the Pacific Garbage Patch and other polluted rivers in the next decade.
Taking an Engineering Mindset to Environmental Problem-Solving
Boyan Slat, the founder of the Ocean Cleanup, brings an engineering mindset to the challenge of plastic pollution. Growing up with a passion for technology and engineering, Slat was inspired to address the problem of plastic pollution after witnessing the extent of it while scuba diving in Greece at a young age. His decision to drop out of aerospace engineering studies and pursue the innovative solution led him to launch the Ocean Cleanup. Slat emphasizes the importance of applying technology and a problem-solving mindset to address environmental challenges, rather than engaging in conflicts and seeking to place blame. By approaching problems like engineers, he believes that humanity can find effective solutions.
The Scope of Plastic Pollution in Oceans and Rivers
Boyan Slat highlights the alarming scale of plastic pollution in oceans and rivers. The largest concentration of plastic, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, consists of approximately 250 million pounds of plastic floating in an area twice the size of Texas. The Ocean Cleanup's self-propelled system, which operates in this area, aims to collect and remove plastic from the ocean. Additionally, Slat's team is targeting the major rivers responsible for 80% of plastic emissions into the oceans. These rivers are primarily located in coastal cities of middle-income countries. By intercepting and filtering out the plastic before it enters the ocean, the Ocean Cleanup seeks to mitigate the harmful effects of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems.
Overcoming Challenges and Building a Sustainable Future
The Ocean Cleanup has faced numerous challenges throughout its journey. Initial setbacks, such as system failures and structural issues, required redesigns and improvements. Despite criticism and financial hurdles, the Ocean Cleanup has persevered due to its belief in the importance of its mission. The project relies on a combination of hardware, software, and data-driven algorithms to optimize the effectiveness of the cleanup system. The support for the Ocean Cleanup comes from a varied range of sources, including private individuals, companies, and philanthropists. Boyan Slat encourages optimism about the future and highlights the need for young people to be inspired and actively contribute to solving environmental problems by embracing technology, collaboration, and innovative thinking.
We've all seen the images — garbage patches twice the size of Texas accumulating in the Pacific Ocean. Yet nothing was being done, despite billions of dollars a year spent on environmental lawyers and bureaucrats. That is until a young engineer from Holland set out to do what bureaucrats couldn't — clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and stem the flow of plastic into the oceans.
Boyan Slat is the Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, the most effective organization ever built to rid the oceans of pollution. They're already cleaning up an average of 750kg of trash each hour this year, and Boyan estimates their latest technology will eliminate the Great Pacific Garbage Patch within 10 years! Moreover, Boyan and his team have also identified the top polluting rivers in the world and are building interceptors to prevent pollution from reaching the seas in the first place — all for a tiny fraction of other environmental spend.
But it hasn't been easy. Boyan explains how they overcame numerous engineering challenges, as well as intense criticism and cynicism from media and activists hoping they would fail. Boyan's inspiring journey reflects the power of an innovation mindset, and the ability of a small group of highly-motivated builders to achieve what an entire class of experts and bureaucrats couldn't. I'm a supporter of Boyan's work and hope you'll consider supporting him as well.
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