Create with Us: The Plastic Ocean Classroom Experience Guide

Ch. 1 A Plastic Soup

Capt. Moore describes his first encounter with the plastic pollution phenomenon in the subtropical zone of the North Pacific Gyre. He explains how the Oceanographic Research Vessel Alguita, and its name, came to be. 

Ch. 2 Synthetic Evolution 

Moore takes us on a tour through space and time through the world of plastic. He begins with the research labs studying plastics effects on marine ecosystems, visits plastic production factories, and takes us all the way back to the origin stories of the first synthetic polymers.  

Ch. 3 Surfing the Learning Curve 

After his first experience of the plastic soup, Charles hones in on initial investigations and research. He describes this scientific process as one of curiosity and serendipity.  

Ch. 4 Swept Away: The Oceans as Global Dumpster 

In this chapter, Moore gets into the details of how and why plastics are accumulating in our oceans. From ships dumping waste on the high seas to litter generated on land, it was a wild free for all with a newfangled material, the harm of which wasn’t considered before Capt. Moore raised the red flag. 

Ch. 5 The Plastic Sea Around Us 

Charles tells the story of his first expedition to study plastic pollution in the North Pacific Gyre. He shares his questions, thoughts, and investigation process. After the voyage he connects with an oceanographer friend to discuss his findings and try to identify some explanations. 

Ch. 6 The Invention of Throwaway Living 

How did we get from the frugal habits of reuse to the excessive use of disposable products? Moore talks us through how this transition occurred through the 1900s with anecdotes from his own childhood. 

Ch. 7 Harm 

Charles and his colleagues at Algalita, and some other organizations, begin the process of analyzing the first ocean gyre water samples for plastics. In the beginning, it was still unclear from a scientific perspective whether plastics in the ocean were worth investigating – whether they were something posing a threat. 

Ch. 8 The Plastic Age 

Moore teaches us about the many uses of plastics across industries and questions the validity of our reasoning for using so much plastic. He discusses industry arguments for worshiping plastic and challenges industry faces when trying to be sustainable. 

Ch. 9 Gonzo Science 

Charles Moore shares how the international community of scientists studying plastic pollution grew over the late 1990 to early 2000s. Attending several science conferences, Charles kept working to spread the word and advance the study of this newly identified pollutant. 

Ch. 10 The Message Finds Its Medium 

The first film about plastic pollution, Synthetic Sea, is produced, providing a straightforward way to raise awareness in a bigger way. Moore also dives into the harms of the chemicals often associated with plastics, a new reason for concern. 

Ch. 11 Net Losses 

The Captain describes his time at the French Frigate Shoals, the largest atoll in the Hawaiian Island archipelago. His discusses how the fishing industries adoption of plastics and contribution to ocean plastics are harming monk seals and other species by entanglement. 

Ch. 12 Indigestible 

In this chapter, Moore lays out the earliest studies of plastic being ingested by marine organisms. Plastic is known to be ingested by organisms like lanternfish, seabirds, turtles, pinnipeds, and the list goes on. 

Ch. 13 Bad Chemistry 

Charles tells us about the work of a Japanese scientist studying the pollutants found on plastic pre-production pellets around the world. He explains that plastics are a vehicle for a cocktail of chemicals either added into plastics during production, and other pollutants picked up by plastics in the environment. 

Ch. 14 Debris Forensics 

Moore explains the ways in which you can use plastic debris to infer information about the source of the debris, what it was used for, how it might have ended up in the environment, and how animals might have interacted with it. He also shares how Algalita worked to create the first policy in California regulating plastic pellets. 

Ch. 15 Erasing our Plastic Footprint 

Charles analyzes and critiques our existing strategies for managing and reducing the plastic flood. He also introduces up-and-coming ideas for how to reduce our reliance on plastics, bringing in a philosophical discussion about consumption. 

Ch. 16 Refuse 

Capt. Moore reflects on the deeper realizations of his decades-long (but continuing) journey of discovery of the ocean’s plastic problem. He shares that he believes we need to reconsider our human population’s trajectory of constant growth, production, and consumption.