5 Gyres

5 Gyres was founded by Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen. Eriksen and Cummins have been featured speakers at universities[2] and in news stories.[3][4][5][6] Anna Cummins has also been awarded the Golden Goody Award, during a meeting of the Los Angeles chapter of the USNC for UN WOMEN First Annual Special Assembly.[7] Before founding 5 Gyres, Cummins and Eriksen had worked at the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, with founder Charles J. Moore, who is currently a scientific advisor for 5 Gyres.[8]

5 Gyres was one of two organizations that sent Expeditions to research the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.[9][10] 5 Gyres presented their results at the Aquarium of the Pacific[11] and were cited as a source for estimating the size of the gyres.[12] 5 Gyres explained their activities at a National Aquarium radio broadcast,[13] were featured at the Two Oceans Aquarium website,[14] and prepared tips on how to reduce plastic consumption.[15] 5 Gyres also worked with environmental artist Marina DeBris in using trashion to help raise awareness of ocean trash.[16]

5 Gyres was the first organization to research plastic pollution in all five main subtropical gyres[17] and first to determine how much plastic is on the surface of the world's oceans: Nearly 270,000 metric tons and 5.25 trillion pieces. They published this research as the Global Estimate of Plastic Pollution in 2014,[18] which will update again in 2018. Historically, the group has presented traveling exhibits,[19] including stops at universities[20] and educational discussions;[21] in 2016 their education presentations[22] reached 3,000 students through the "Every Kid in a Park" program.

In 2012, 5 Gyres was first to discover that plastic microbeads (commonly found in personal care products like toothpaste and exfoliating soaps) were polluting our waterways.[23] 5 Gyres used that study to help forge a coalition that convinced companies like Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson and L’Oreal to phase out plastic microbeads. After only two years, the campaign scaled into a national movement, culminating in a watershed victory when President Obama signed the Microbead-Free Waters Act into law at the end of 2015.[24]

This win underscored 5 Gyres’ model of using science to drive solutions, and informed the organization's approach to raising awareness about polystyrene and Styrofoam plastic pollution through their 2017 #foamfree Action Campaign,[25] which:

• Encourages a pledge to refuse single-use polystyrene and expanded polystyrene foam (better known as Styrofoam) products.
• Connects visitors with local bans (or the resources to start one).
• Gives them the ability to tweet, email or call their representatives for support.
• Informs supporters about preemptive “ban on bans” developments.
• Commissions the first-ever study to assess the toxicity of hard polystyrene plastic.

With more than 100 communities in California recently enacting polystyrene bans, and a statewide ban on the ballot for 2018, 5 Gyres sees polystyrene as a natural extension of the momentum that began with microbeads.

• 5 Gyres