The Smog of the Sea
The Smog of the Sea is a bummer of a film. It tries to end on a light-hearted note. "There is hope! And look at how beautiful this still is!" But it's a bummer. There is no way around it.
The film follows a crew of ocean lovers on a sailing trip design to collect data on the proliferation of plastic in the oceans, particularly the far out oceans that seem impervious to human waste. The obvious point is that out of sight, out of mind is a cop out from humanity. We're continuing the use of plastics without a realistic way to dispose of it. It ends up in the far reaches of the earth and ocean. It ends up in food for animals and back into the food chain for humans.
The Smog of the Sea isn't the first film to point this out, but it is an easy to watch version that is accessible to the masses. It's thirty minutes that turn into hours of conversation, brainstorming and coming to grips that the time for action is now.
One Wild Life is a company that is based on the idea that if we can enable people to get outdoors with their working lives, they'll spend more time there, care more and be inspired to to spend more energies working to create a cleaner, better environment for all of us.
We're also trying to start a business. Our goal is to be as environmentally friendly as possible, but we've made mistakes or made choices that give us pause. A gas engine versus propane. New flooring versus upcycled. We will probably continue to struggle with those choices and attempt to mediate the mistakes. We look to companies using their marketplace clout in the marketplace to affect change, and hope to be able to emulate them in the future. Patagonia & Arc'teryx recently pulled out of Outdoor Retailer in response to Utah's governing body trying to roll back land protections at Bear Ear's National Monument. Our impact on the community isn't that big yet, but our hope is that by engraining that type of attitude, that respect for the environment and an awareness of the impact of our day-to-day actions those types of choices won't be a struggle. Rather the choice to put the environment first will be the obvious one.
Anyone can start making choices regarding plastics right now. Try to see what plastic products you use in your home that can be eliminated or replaced with reusable (ziplocs, one time use products). Take stock of your grocery list. What items come in plastic at store A but don't at store B. It's little but it matters.
As a reward from us, anyone going to their local park or beach and doing a clean-up will get a free pass to work on the Adventure Lab. Just E-mail, Instagram or Facebook a photo of the results to us and we'll put a pass aside with your name on it. Invite friends and get a pass for everyone. The Smog and the Sea is one more reminder that our impact of our daily choices is being felt everywhere.