Dawson's Enviromaniacs Organize Skype Discussion with Adventurer David de Rothschild (by Scott Clemson, MS Faculty)
Dawson's seventh and eighth-grade Enviromaniacs organized a Middle School assembly aimed at teaching all of us about the amazing capabilities of plastic, but also about how it has become an extremely serious source of pollution in our oceans. We were honored to connect via Skype with David de Rothschild, British adventurer, ecologist, environmentalist and head of Sculpt the Future Foundation, a charity that supports innovations and creativity in social and environmental impact efforts. Mr. de Rothschild shared his knowledge of plastic pollution with our Middle School students.
A few years ago, Mr. de Rothschild built a "green" boat from plastic bottles and sailed it with friends over four months from San Francisco, CA to Sydney, Australia. His expedition on this unusual catamaran, named “Plastiki,” was an attempt to draw attention to the massive amounts of plastic that have accumulated in oceans worldwide. Mr. Rothschild says that most usage of plastic suffers from a serious design flaw, the making of what are meant to be conveniently used disposable products (such as a straw, water bottle, bag, or cup) out of a material that will instead last hundreds of years. He recommends bio-degradable plastics for such purposes, while durable plastics should be incorporated in things we truly do wish to last a long time.
Dawson students were able to meet and interact with Mr. de Rothschild (and his dog, Banjo) through our live Skype session. They asked him about Plastiki's sailing capabilities, its construction, and how he came to the idea in the first place.
Mr. de Rothschild said his inspiration for Plastiki came from a trip he took years ago to the North Pole. He had been trying to reach the North Pole across the ice but was stymied by the increased volume of melting of the ice, which resulted in more open water than previous explorers had faced. This made him ponder. He then explained what is called the Equation of Curiosity: Dreams lead to Adventures - Adventures lead to Stories - Stories lead to Inspiration - then it starts all over. Mr. de Rothschild will be leaving soon for another trip to the North Pole and this time he will help establish a year-long research station located on a large chunk of ice. This will be a first: humans have never before spent a year at the North Pole suspended above the waters of the Arctic Ocean.
Because there are estimates that, at the current rate, there will be more pounds of plastic in the ocean than pounds of fish by 2050, the Enviromaniacs recommended that we all try to reduce and eliminate the usage of disposable plastic water bottles, plastic shopping bags, and disposable plastic products in general, and that we all try to recycle. Joining a beach clean-up really helps too. We also learned of twenty-year-old inventor, Boyan Slat, who has designed a large unmanned floating plastic collector that can help clean up the oceans. The collector also pays for itself by making money from the recycling of the plastic waste it gathers.
At Dawson, we are very lucky to have the significant technological knowhow and capability to bring the world to our students. It was inspirational to have our Skype connection with such a forward-thinking person as Mr. de Rothschild.
I would like to thank the Dawson Enviromaniacs – Chance Bachochin, Charlie Schaefer, Elaine Zhang and Nicholas Oliveri – for organizing this presentation. I hope the whole Dawson community can learn from the Enviromaniacs how to better care for our beautiful planet. Click here to more about the Plastiki Expedition.
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A few years ago, Mr. de Rothschild built a "green" boat from plastic bottles and sailed it with friends over four months from San Francisco, CA to Sydney, Australia. His expedition on this unusual catamaran, named “Plastiki,” was an attempt to draw attention to the massive amounts of plastic that have accumulated in oceans worldwide. Mr. Rothschild says that most usage of plastic suffers from a serious design flaw, the making of what are meant to be conveniently used disposable products (such as a straw, water bottle, bag, or cup) out of a material that will instead last hundreds of years. He recommends bio-degradable plastics for such purposes, while durable plastics should be incorporated in things we truly do wish to last a long time.
Dawson students were able to meet and interact with Mr. de Rothschild (and his dog, Banjo) through our live Skype session. They asked him about Plastiki's sailing capabilities, its construction, and how he came to the idea in the first place.
Mr. de Rothschild said his inspiration for Plastiki came from a trip he took years ago to the North Pole. He had been trying to reach the North Pole across the ice but was stymied by the increased volume of melting of the ice, which resulted in more open water than previous explorers had faced. This made him ponder. He then explained what is called the Equation of Curiosity: Dreams lead to Adventures - Adventures lead to Stories - Stories lead to Inspiration - then it starts all over. Mr. de Rothschild will be leaving soon for another trip to the North Pole and this time he will help establish a year-long research station located on a large chunk of ice. This will be a first: humans have never before spent a year at the North Pole suspended above the waters of the Arctic Ocean.
Because there are estimates that, at the current rate, there will be more pounds of plastic in the ocean than pounds of fish by 2050, the Enviromaniacs recommended that we all try to reduce and eliminate the usage of disposable plastic water bottles, plastic shopping bags, and disposable plastic products in general, and that we all try to recycle. Joining a beach clean-up really helps too. We also learned of twenty-year-old inventor, Boyan Slat, who has designed a large unmanned floating plastic collector that can help clean up the oceans. The collector also pays for itself by making money from the recycling of the plastic waste it gathers.
At Dawson, we are very lucky to have the significant technological knowhow and capability to bring the world to our students. It was inspirational to have our Skype connection with such a forward-thinking person as Mr. de Rothschild.
I would like to thank the Dawson Enviromaniacs – Chance Bachochin, Charlie Schaefer, Elaine Zhang and Nicholas Oliveri – for organizing this presentation. I hope the whole Dawson community can learn from the Enviromaniacs how to better care for our beautiful planet. Click here to more about the Plastiki Expedition.
The Alexander Dawson School
The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain, an independent school located on 33-acres in the community of Summerlin, is Nevada’s first Stanford University Challenge Success partner school for students in early childhood through grade eight. Utilizing the unique Challenge Success framework, Dawson uses research-based strategies and programs that emphasize student academics, wellbeing, and a healthy school-life balance to create more engaged, motivated, and resilient learners and leaders. At Dawson, students achieve their individual potential while savoring life and meeting the challenges of the world.