Plastiki, boat made of plastic bottles

I always knew that empty plastic bottles can be re-used, the story below tells the world how.

Call it a "message in a bottle" or an epic eco-adventure -- but now after 8,000 nautical miles and nearly four months at sea, you can finally call it over.

After sailing through brutal southern storms and battling numerous technical challenges, the crew of "Plastiki" -- a ship made out of thousands of plastic bottles -- is now on its final leg of a trip across the Pacific Ocean.

"It feels amazing," Plastiki's expedition leader, David de Rothschild, told CNN Sunday. "I think what's happened with the Plastiki has really captured the world's imagination... the impact has really surpassed my expectations."

The Plastiki will reach Sydney, its final destination, Monday morning -- ending a 125-day journey, but also completing years of planning and dedication for the team.

De Rothschild said that a 2006 United Nations report on plastic littering the world's oceans was his personal catalyst for action.

Made of approximately 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles and engineered using the most sustainable methods possible, the Plastiki is meant to be used as a platform upon which solutions to the myriad of environmental problems can be found.

"I was inspired to go out and really build Plastiki to showcase waste as a resource," said de Rothschild. "And here we are nearly four years to the day just pulling in to a little harbor just north of Sydney, ready to sail in tomorrow [Monday]."

The Plastiki's arrival in Sydney will not, however, be the 60-foot catamaran's first time to reach Australian soil.

Winter storms producing near-hurricane strength winds forced the vessel and its crew to take refuge in Mooloolaba, Queensland, on July 19.

Brutal winter storms in the Tasman Sea made the leg from New Caledonia the most challenging.

One night, winds gusting over 60 knots surprised the crew, leaving them battling to prevent the mast buckling and losing the sail for eight hours.

Co-skipper of the boat, Dave Thomson, called the waves some of "the biggest you're likely to see."

Once in Sydney, the Plastiki will be harbored at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

It will remain on display for a month as crew members hold special events aimed at raising awareness of plastic waste in the ocean. The general public will also have the opportunity to visit the vessel during an open day.

But de Rothschild said that although the boat is made of recyclable material, he's not planning to toss it in the chipper just yet.

"I really feel the Plastiki is entering its next chapter," said de Rothschild, outlining hopes to put the boat on display around the world.

"The plan is to create a global oceans exhibit that can showcase not only the issue of throw-away plastics but really about nurturing and re-evaluating our oceans... our most precious of ecosystems," he added. "The Plastiki is definitely not coming to a halt."

Your Next Car Is Filled With Trash - Translogic

Your Next Car Is Filled With Trash - Translogic

It should come as no surprise that carmakers are working to reduce their carbon footprint. What will surprise you is the manner in which they're doing it: Plastic detergent bottles, old milk carton and faded blue jeans are just some of ingredients that are already going into the production of your car today. The recycling of older materials will only increase.

Whereas the use of 'green' materials used to mean the sourcing of organic fibers and materials, automakers now realize the some recycled materials are actually stronger and more efficient than organics.

General Motors's Lora Herron, the engineer who oversees the company's recycled and bio materials efforts, observed how the shift has taken place.

"Some of these recycled (scrap) materials are actually 'greener' than the bio-materials (which are made from plants and other organic substances)," Herron said. "And with some of the bio materials, we add compounds we've created from the recycled materials to create a hybrid material, in order to stand up to our stringent requirements. We try to incorporate the recycled content whenever we can, if it is technologically and economically feasible."

In many cases, those requirements have to do with the ability withstand high temperatures, whether in the engine compartment or in the interior on a hot day.

"Heat and moisture are definitely issues with bio materials," said Herron. "We don't want interior components melting or degrading if you spill hot coffee on them."

That's where the recyclable materials come in, because they are typically sturdier than the bio materials.

One example of GM's efforts in this arena is the use of recycled plastic water bottles to create the register vanes in the Cadillac SRX. In another instance, GM took packaging cardboard that had been used to ship materials to its stamping plant in Marion, Indiana – and turned it into an acoustic backing that goes underneath the headliner in the 2010 Buick Lacrosse.

And old carpet fibers have been recycled and used to make parts like door-handle brackets and engine-fan shrouds.

"There are two types of carpeting we use," said Herron. "There's 'post-industrial,' which is the scrap that's left over at a fiber mill after they change the dye lots. But we've also used 'post-consumer' carpet – carpets that have been discarded by individuals. In the latter case, our suppliers clean and strip off the backing, melt down the nylon and re-formulate it, using some additives to make it more durable."

The old detergent bottles, meanwhile, have been recycled for use in various GM vehicles "to create brackets and the baffles that are hidden under sheet metal, or used as a support for exterior parts," she said. And the old blue jeans were shredded, along with other cotton items like T-shirts, then recycled and used to make the dash mats that are attached to the floor pan, underneath the carpet, she added.

Meanwhile, one of Ford's most interesting and visually-appealing recycling efforts was the use of recycled plastic soda bottles and yarn to make the plush, suede-looking seat fabrics in the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO and Lincoln MKZ. "You would never guess that it was made from those kinds of recycled materials," said Ford's Debbie Mielewski, technical leader of plastics research. "It feels so lush; like a micro-suede.

"And we're using up to 100% recycled polypropylene to make wheel-arch liners and battery trays on the Focus," explained Mielewski. And last year, Ford created a lower bumper fascia "using 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. The base resin comes from recycled battery casings and plastic bottles."

Ford has also recycled laundry-detergent bottles and milk cartons into materials that were used to produce exterior and under-the hood components.

"But one nut we haven't cracked yet is using the recycled milk cartons for use in interior components, because those cartons do retain that milk odor," said Mielewski. "And of course, you don't want to make interior parts that smell like sour milk. But we think as we keep developing that technology, that's something we'll be able to do."

GM's Herron estimates that 5 to 10 percent of the plastics currently used in GM vehicles are made of recycled materials -- a number that's considerably higher than it was five years ago, she said. Ford said last year that in 2008 its recycling efforts saved between $4-5 million and that it recycled 25-30 million pounds of plastic that otherwise would have ended up in landfills.

Around 9 percent of all of the recycled milk cartons, laundry detergent bottles and other materials made out of high-density polyethylene in the U.S. ended up auto parts in 2008, according to David Cornell, the technical director for the Association of Post-consumer Plastics Recyclers. That compares to less than one percent 10 years ago, he said.

BP Oil Leak.....and effort

It has been almost 2 months now, that oil has flowing in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

The oil rig explosion that caused the mass water pollution has resulted in spillage of thousands of gallons of oil which now threatens to destroy sea life and leave a long-lasting impact on the ecology of the area.

British Petroleum, the major owner of the ill-rig has been volleyed around in the Government lobbies, criticized by environment agencies across the Globe. Tony Hayward, who probably has the hottest seat in world today has been the center of criticism and attention, not all of which has been good.

I'd like to share some videos here, videos of effort made by B.P, to curb the oil spill.

Please see the Black Gold pollute the God's Green Earth and B.P's efforts or should i say failed efforts to plug the oil spill. Watch and pray, pray for some wisdom for mankind.

cap in action

BP oil spill cap in action

BP oil spill cap in action

BP Oil Spill

Robotic Arm in action