Committed to cleaning the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' - washingtonpost.com
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This Week's Federal Player: Holly Bamford
Committed to cleaning the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch'
From the Partnership for Public Service
Monday, December 21, 2009; 9:03 AM
In the Pacific Ocean, a floating garbage dump exists
between Hawaii and California that is hundreds of
thousands square miles wide and has been estimated to
contain approximately 3.5 million tons of debris.
This "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" is the most extreme
example of a serious nationwide and international
problem: marine debris dumped into the oceans and
waterways.
As director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's (NOAA) marine debris program, it is
Holly Bamford's role to coordinate nationwide clean-up
efforts, collaborate internationally on solutions to
problems such as the garbage patch and develop
prevention methods.
"Marine debris knows no political boundaries. It is an
international problem," Bamford said. "The vision of the
program down the road is global oceans and coasts free
of the impact of marine debris. The whole purpose is to
protect our marine environment."
Though types of debris vary, from land-based to oceanbased sources, there is a common origin: people.
"Marine debris does not fall out of the sky, it comes
from someone's hands," Bamford said. "We are the main
cause of the problem, but also the key to the solution."
One way that Bamford and her team are helping to
reduce marine debris is through an innovative program
that focuses on the removal of discarded fishing nets and
other equipment. This gear can entangle and kill marine
life. To combat this problem, NOAA's marine debris
program, with Covanta Energy Corporation, the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Schnitzer
Steel, has created the Fishing for Energy partnership.
This program provides bins at 16 ports mainly on the
East Coast for fisherman to dispose of their gear at no
cost. The gear is then transported to the nearest Covanta
facility and converted into energy. It is estimated that a
ton of nets can power a home for 25 days.
"The Fishing for Energy program is a great example of a
public-private partnership," Bamford said. "We are not
only cleaning up the environment but also creating an
alternative source of energy. There is a direct commerce
relationship."
The program is one of 160 projects developed since
Bamford set up operations in 2005. There have been
efforts to identify the best practices for preventing,
removing and disposing of abandoned vessels; a
program to deal with abandoned lobster pots and fishing
traps ; and a number of educational campaigns.
"Holly has an incredible strategic vision," said Brian
Julius, deputy director of NOAA's Office of Response
and Restoration. "NOAA is a science agency, and I think
that one of the things that Holly has really worked to do
is to make sure the work that they do is grounded in
science."
Holly Bamford
BIO BOX
Meet the Federal Player of the Week, Holly
Bamford.
Position: Director and chief, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Marine Debris Program
Age: 38
Location: Silver Spring, Md.
Education: B.A., Business Management and
Environmental Studies, Franklin and
Marshall College; M.S. and Ph.D.in
Environmental Chemistry, the University of
Maryland.
Awards: Coastal America Presidential
Partnership Award, 2009, 2010; National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Administrator¿s Award, 2004, 2007; U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency Gulf
Guardian Award, 2009; and National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Certificate of Recognition, 2004, 2005, 2009.
Hobbies: Running, biking, exercising,
photography
Volunteer Work:Participation in the annual
International Coastal Cleanup; chairperson of
community architectural board.
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Committed to cleaning the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' - washingtonpost.com
One of the areas that Bamford and her team are taking a lead role in researching is
microplastics. Plastic products never completely breakdown, but instead divide into tiny,
multi-colored plastic bits that resemble confetti. These microplastics can make up a sizable
portion of marine debris and are ingested by marine species, from whales to zoo plankton.
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With very few people in the world working on theissue, Bamford is collaborating with Joel
Baker, a University of Washington professor, to examine the problem and develop practical
solutions.
"Sometimes it is hard to demonstrate the impacts of this form of marine pollution to the
public, the fishing community and coastal managers because it is typically submerged and
not seen," Bamford said. "However, once we present our research on the degradation caused
by litter and debris on our seafloors, on our beaches, and in our waterways, people will be
more inclined to reduce, reuse and recycle a non-degradable item, which in turn reduces
marine debris."
This article was jointly prepared by the
Partnership for Public Service, a group
seeking to enhance the performance of
the federal government, and
washingtonpost.com. Visit
www.ourpublicservice.org for more
about the organization's work and go to
www.servicetoamericamedals.org to
nominate a federal employee for a
Service to America Medal.
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