Tavaha! Find out what it means to take care of our oceans with Vilma Havas, the founder of the Nordic Ocean Watch and the Lofoten Diving Club, cleaning up Nusfjord harbour in Lofoten, in North of Norway. You will also meet marine biologist Marthe Larsen Haar, who does research on marine litter at SALT. The plastic problem is accumulating at 15tons per second, so we need your help!

Plastic! Toothbrushes, car tires, diapers...chewing gum? We are surrounded by plastic in our everyday life. Sometimes in surprising places. Unfortunately a lot of the plastic we make end up in the ocean, creating vast floating islands of plastic and microplastic mistaken for food by the smaller organisms living in the sea. According to UN Environment 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the world’s oceans every year. What kind of effects does this have on the environment? And what can we do about it?

Special thanks to Vilma Havas of Nordic Ocean Watch and Marthe Larsen Haar of SALT. Thanks also to Lofoten Diving and the team of divers including: Daniel Visnovsky, Aleksander Burns, Andreas Neverdal, Damian Cwik, Marius Magnussen and Welat Horori. Episode artwork by Valentin Manz / Ice-9.

Watch Lofoten Diving Club and Vilma of NOW dive for trash on hello X YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9775UtZIl0&t=5s

The Plastic Code of Conduct

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• Be prepared– bring your canvas bag when shopping
  
• Conscious eating – bring your cutlery and cup
  
• Recycle plastic bottles, ‘pant’ as we say in Norway
  
• Say no to microplastics
  
• Look down – pick it up!
  
• Plastic is a resource – not garbage
  

The Plastic Code of Conduct is created in collaboration between Nordic Ocean Watch and Spire. Read more about it here: http://nordicoceanwatch.no/en/projects/plastic-code-of-conduct/

TAVAHA plastic whale by Ice-9 artist Valentin Manz in front of Polaria science centre and aquarium in Tromsø. Commissioned by Nordic Ocean Watch and the Norwegian Miljødirectorate. Photo by Marina Borovaya for Ice-9.

#tavaha #iamfromthefuture #helloX #plastic #Pollution#WaterPollution #PlasticFree

LINKS:

Nordic Ocean Watch (http://nordicoceanwatch.no/en/front/)

Lofoten Diving (https://www.lofoten-diving.com/)

SALT (https://salt.nu/en/)
Mapping study by SALT with GRID Arendal (https://news.grida.no/mapping-marine-debris-on-the-lofoten-coast)

More info on plastic pollution:

https://www.unenvironment.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/05/plastics-facts-infographics-ocean-pollution/

http://web.unep.org/unepmap/un-declares-war-ocean-plastic

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-42264788

https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/what-is-in-chewing-gum/

The Great Pacific garbage patch explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EyaTqezSzs

Microplastic:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/12/microplastic-pollution-in-oceans-is-far-greater-than-thought-say-scientists

Ghost fishing:

https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/ocean-animals-dying-in-lost-fishing-gear

https://www.ghostfishing.org/the-problem/

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/06/heather-koldeway-explorer-nets-plastic-philippines-ocean-culture/

https://arcticwwf.org/newsroom/stories/hunting-for-ghost-nets/

http://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/baltic/threats/marine_litter/

Cleanup efforts:

https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/9/18175940/ocean-cleanup-breaks-plastic-pollution-silicon-valley-boyan-slat-wilson

HelloX partners include:
Tromsø municipality
The North Norwegian Art Museum
Fram - the High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment with it’s flagships:

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• Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, technology and agreements,
  
• Effects of climate change on sea and coastal ecology
  
• Effects of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems, landscapes, society and indigenous peoples
  

hello X theme music by metatag on hel audio

https://helaudio.bandcamp.com/album/surrender

Tavaha episode music by theta orogen on nopatience records (https://theta007.bandcamp.com/album/theta )

and Tom Arthurs / Isambard Khroustaliov on Not Applicable
(http://not-applicable.bandcamp.com/)

Ice-9 is supported by:
Fram High North Research Center (https://framsenteret.no/)
The Norwegian Arts Council (https://www.kulturradet.no/)
Innovation Norway (https://www.innovasjonnorge.no/en/start-page/)
Koro-Public Art Norway (https://koro.no/)

Hello x is produced by Ice-9, with Christine Cynn, Anneli Stiberg and Valentin Manz. Associate producers include Marina Borovaya and Annika Wistrøm. Sound mix by Nathanael Gustin.
Digital design by Ismet Bachtiar
Storygenerator developed by Furkle Industries