Treasure, Three Miles Deep

The ocean has divulged another closely-kept secret, thanks to the U.K. government and the efforts of an American company called Odyssey Marine Exploration. Odyssey has managed to recover an estimated 48 tons of silver from a World War II wreck called the SS Gairsoppa for the British government, who owns the ship's cargo.

In February 1941 the SS Gairsoppa was sunk by a German U-boat 300 miles off the coast of Ireland. A British merchant ship requisitioned by the British government in wartime, the ship was carrying an estimated 240 tons of silver from Calcutta. It sank in less than 20 minutes after a torpedo cut through the ship, taking down both foremast and radio antenna. The ship sank to 15,420 ft (almost three miles) where it sat, undisturbed, for 70 years.

The Gairsoppa was located by the Odyssey research team in the summer of 2011 after the underwater archaeological company was commissioned by the United Kingdom to raise the cargo. On July 18, 2012, they announced that they had raised an amazing 48 tons of silver bars, worth $38 million. While this is only estimated to be 20% of the total cargo, and only represents the first of several loads, it is already the deepest and largest precious metal recovery ever accomplished.

Odyssey initially inspected the site using ROVs [remotely operated vehicles] and removed the bars by surgically cutting through the steel hulls and decks to allow robotic units to access and remove the silver (pictured above), which was then hoisted to the ship, the Seabed Worker, via its 100-ton active heave onboard crane.

What an amazing story! To learn more or to stay updated on their progress, check out Discovery News or take a peek at Odyssey's website (www.shipwreck.net) for press releases or email updates.

Illinois, Speak Now or Forever Deal with Plastic Bags!

Let's consider the impact of single-use plastic bags on our environment for a moment.

Plastic bags are made of an assortment of environmental undesirables, primarily chemical-based, like most other plastic products. These do not break down like natural products such as paper or cotton when they're buried in landfills; rather, they slowly disintegrate, leaving those chemical compounds to filter down into the water table below the landfill. They also are easily caught by the wind, blowing them out of the landfills and across expressways on their journey to our lakes and oceans.

During beach cleanup efforts in 2009, plastic bags were the second most frequently collected item, representing 11% of all the debris cleaned up. They were second only to cigarette butts.

http://oceanwire.wordpress.com

I'm bringing this up now because Illinois is at a crossroads in the battle to decrease the environmental impact of plastic bags. The bill in question is SB3442. While it is aimed at creating greater manufacturer accountability in creating recycling plans and making bags with a larger recycled content percentage, it isn't the solution we need. The problem with this bill is that the positive impact of recycling single-use plastic bags is marginal, as they are extremely difficult to recycle and cause major problems in recycling centers. We're looking at single digit percent improvements.

The sinister side of this bill is that it will effectively ban communities from enacting any legislation prohibiting the use of single-use plastic bags or instituting a purchase price or tax on single-use bags, a measure that has proven effective in many examples (a local example is Aldi, a grocery store chain that offers customers their cardboard boxes left from their stocking items as an alternative to their higher-quality plastic bags, which customers must purchase).

I'm sure you've heard this all before, but what it boils down to is this: our communities should be able to choose whether or not they can ban or tax the use of single-use plastic bags in their stores.

We can adjust to the absence of plastic bags, but the environment will not "adjust" to their continued use and improper disposal. Encouraging the governor to veto this bill is as simple as calling his office at 217-782-0244 and saying the following:

"I am an Illinois resident and I urge you to VETO S.B. 3442. Plastic bag recycling doesn't work, and SB 3442 is bad for us all." (suggested by the Center for Oceanic Awareness, Research & Education).

This simple action can make a difference in Illinois. Thanks, COARE, for drawing our attention to this issue!