Midway Atoll, one of the most remote islands on earth, is a kaleidoscope of geography, culture, human history, and natural wonder. It also serves as a lens into one of the most profound and symbolic environmental tragedies of our time: the deaths by starvation of thousands of albatrosses who mistake floating plastic trash for food.
The images are iconic. The horror, absolute. Our goal, however, is to look beyond the grief and the tragedy. It is here, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, that we have the opportunity to see our world in context. On Midway, we can not deny the impact we have on the planet. Yet at the same time, we are struck by beauty of the land and the soundscape of wildlife around us, and it is here that we can see the miracle that is life on this earth. So it is with the knowledge of our impact here that we must find a way forward.
16 Comments
Hi guys,
I’m curious where most of this plastic is coming from? Is it coming from Japan or everywhere?
The studies say that 80% come out of our rivers. ALL rivers in the world. The plastic we found on Midway had lots of English writing but also lots of Chinese, Japanese etc. The ocean is simply the lowest point where it all mixes together.
Hi Chris and Midway team,
I just learned about your film and am very interested in discussing screening it at the 2012 Princeton Environmental Film Festival.
You can reach me at (hidden) or by phone at 609-XXX-XXXX
Thanks,
Susan Conlon, PEFF Festival Director
I’ll be interested in seeing this when it comes out. Please keep us apprised of this!
So beautiful!And what a shame from humanity;they will never learn.
greetz from Antwerp,Belgium.
We need to be human enough to watch them die in front of our eye!
as if a mockery to the vary way we are, the way we live..
how can the so called development side-slipped to such an extent.. unnoticed?
People need to know. What a joy and sadness to hear about this project… I’m spreading the word for sure. @ Delphine: ‘they’ doesn’t exist. Everyone is one, one is everyone.
I’d like to learn a little more about the present and the future of Midway Journey
Chris and the Midway team,
Guys, this is one of the most amazing videos I’ve ever seen!
Wow, it’s art, it’s amazing beautiful and it’s a punch in the face for all human beings.
Loved the way you could capture feelling, terror, pain, but also joy and happiness in the birds eyes. It’s almost like we can see ourselves thru their faces….
Just wanted to say how much I LOVED your work, hope you can keep it up and show it to the world. We need it.
Congratulations and best wishes from São Paulo, Brazil
Does that really matters where those plastic came from? If those are not from your country, will any of us be satisfied and feel no guilt about it?
From my point of view, we’re all to blame because all of this. There’s no such thing as “this was only a tiny peace of paper, or chewing gum i trowed, this doesn’t mean any harm…” Yes it does!
Wonderful short film! Great images to raise awareness about how we are slowly ruining ife on our planet. Are part of the donations used for clean up efforts of the island?
Continue your great work!
Hi,
I was wondering if you could give us an update on this film, your last blog from what I see was July 2012. I am really interested in the finished project and would like to donate but want to make sure your initiative is still alive.
Thank you and all the best!
Alicia
Has this project ended? I’m sure the plastic hasn’t.
I saw the trailer a while back, shared it, lost it, then found it again jut now. It is also one of the most amazing videos I’ve ever seen. It is art, as Laís Aranha says, and so straight from the heart, it bowls me over. Thank you very much for making this movie. I photograph nature around where I live and try to make my images so beautiful that people will be moved to protect and love our beautiful planet and all that lives on it.
The bottle caps and other things killing the birds are such small things. We never think about the small things,but they sure do add up! This was really hard to watch! Even though i myself do not litter and i live in the dessert, birds are probably still dying from these exact things all over! I would love to believe that people would one day care enough to really do something to save the planet and the oceans and the whales!
Hi team,
Please continue to do the work you are doing, so grateful to the team for this. I will do my work to spread more awareness. Such small things each human could do to prevent this from continuing, we all need to do our work, we share this place with others that have no voice…..
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