Our struggle with footprints (see end of article for contest*)

As we cruise to the less popular tourist destinations and also the less developed areas, we become increasingly aware of the garbage we create. This is due to the fact that we have fewer places where we can dispose of our garbage, which means storing it on board for a week or so at a time. Also, we have to provision the boat for a longer period knowing we won't have access to a good supermarket for some time. Whatever is brought on the boat in the form of packaging will have to get off the boat somehow. We try to favor products with a minimum of packaging such as cereal in bags without the outer box, large bottles of dish and hand soap to refill our small containers, juice in plastic pouches instead of jugs or cartons, etc. We also don't buy ready meals, preferring to cook and bake ourselves. But we don't have an answer to everything. The products in PET and aluminum cans which make up a large amount of our packaging waste for which we have not found a better alternative other than eliminating from our consumption altogether is beer and diet soda. Hmmmm.

Some cruisers dispose of cans, glass and plastic overboard. They seem to think it's ok after all, the sea is wide and deep, right? They advise to remove the tops and bottoms from cans, break the glass so it will sink and fill the plastic bottles with something so they too will sink. I can't bring myself to throw anything overboard other than green waste. Even that we do only when we are not near an island because who wants orange peels washing up on their shore and even then I am uneasy about it as it takes forever to degrade food waste in salt water (see table below)

This bottle floating by our boat was not going to sink any time soon, even though it was full.

By law in the US it is illegal to dump anything overboard within 3 miles from shore. Within 3-12 miles you can dump food, cloth, glass, metal and crockery as long as it is in pieces smaller than 1 inch. Any type of plastic is illegal to dump at any time. However, with the length of time it takes for things to degrade in sea water, I think it's wise to keep our garbage out of the water and look for places that recycle. So far on this journey which has taken us to 12 countries, we have not found a single marina outside of the USA that provides bins for recyclables.

Garbage in Salt Water Degradability Rates (taken from Dozier's Waterway Guide)

• 2-4 weeks: paper towel
• 8 weeks: apple core
• 50 years: tin can
• 200 years: aluminum can
• 450 years: plastic bottle
• 600 years: glass bottle

This looks like an idyllic island of coconut trees. Take a closer look...

....and see all the plastic that has washed up on shore.

Along the coast of Colombia and through the waters of Kuna Yala (San Blas), we are seeing more and more waste floating in the sea and washed up on shore. The majority of this waste is plastic. Plastic bags and plastic containers of all sorts and sizes. Some is aluminum cans and glass bottles. The rest is logs, branches and coconuts.

It is really a shame to see a beautiful island shoreline littered with plastic. I don't know what the answer is, but I think the responsibility of the manufacturer has to come into play. How can these large multinationals be so eager to export their products to these islands and make their profits without thinking about what the locals should do with the packaging once the product is consumed. Should they not also be responsible for the waste they are creating? They should be embarrassed to see what they contribute to the landscape of our planet. This is not only an issue of littering. The islands don't have the resources for recycling and their solution to too much garbage is to burn it along with other debris. Low heat and high smoke fires make for a lot of toxins in the air.

Having seen all the plastic debris, I was curious as to how much packaging we actually had on board SEGWUN which prompted me to do a quick audit to see what do we contribute in the form of carbon footprint. Plastic is definitely number one on the list. Everything from food to cleaning products to cosmetics and medicines is wrapped or bottled in plastic these days. In Colombia we noticed a huge shift in the grocery industry from PET bottles to plastic pouches for milk, juice and water. There were also a large number of products in stand up pouches with screw tops for things such as sour cream, mayonnaise, sauces, jams, tomato products, and many other condiments. While this form of packaging is still plastic based and doesn't get rid of the waste entirely it certainly reduces it. The next step is making sure there is a proper collection and disposal system in place.

We have to be aware of the consequences of our decisions and purchases and be ready to think a little differently about what impact we have on the world around us if we are serious about making a difference. I honestly can say I have a far different view of the role of the packaging industry now that I no longer have a vested interest in it.

"THE SECOND MOST FREQUENTLY OBSERVED MAN-MADE ITEM SEEN WASHED UP ON SHORE ON A SAN BLAS ISLAND WAS : ___________________"

So now for a little contest*. I mentioned that we were dismayed with the amount of plastic containers of all shapes and sizes we saw washed up on shore on the islands in San Blas. There is a prize of a Segwun t-shirt to the first person that correctly completes the above statement. Send your guess to sy.segwun@gmail.com.

*not an official contest. This is just for a bit of fun.