Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #10

Well it's the home stretch until all systems go... Spent this past weekend checking out more gear at Patagonia and REI. I picked up some real essential stuff to keep things as dry as possible. I got a 25 Liter Outdoor Research Dry Sack and a XX-Large REI Duffle Bag along with a few smaller dry sacks. Everyone is being so supportive and informative once I tell them about the research expedition. They ask a a ton of questions and most are really interested in following the voyage . Besides dealing with all the gear I've been working on getting my fitness to the highest level so I hit the pool again for another 1/2 mile swim on Sunday after cycling and running on Saturday. On Sunday evening I got together with some friends in the "green world" of Los Angeles for a farewell dinner for Trevor Martin and Jenn Breckenridge who are heading to San Francisco in January to live and work. Both have been involved in most every event or festival I have been apart of over the last 3 years. I am sure they will rock in San Francisco but we will miss them here in LA. I also had the pleasure of sharing some great conversation with Karen Solomon from Opportunity Green. She said she will definitely be following our progress and get the word out through her network as much as possible. Being one of the leaders of green movement she also knows and has worked with Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins from Algalita.org and 5Gyres.org so I am happy to have her on board with her support. One last thing, a special thank you to Jenn Breckenridge for telling me about www.Stumbleupon.com. She is a social network guru and I really appreciate the tips she shared with me last night. Until next time...

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #9

First of all I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. It's a beautiful day in Los Angeles. The kind that makes so many people move from everywhere else in the world to here to call it home. One day soon I hope to spend another Christmas with my Mom and brothers in Dallas because it always means an amazing feast cooked by my Mom. I have been in Los Angeles for 20 years now and it's been way too long since I have been home to celebrate the holidays with my family. I will put that on my list of high priorities for next year. Speaking of next year, the New Year is right around the corner and the days are passing by at the speed of the blink of an eye. I will spend the next 10 days getting together the rest of the gear I need so I am ready for whatever conditions we encounter. I have been told that I need some heavy duty rain gear like the fisherman use because staying dry is the key along with layers to stay warm. Next week I will head down to San Pedro to check out some of the gear they have down there because with the Port of Los Angeles being there they will have anything I will possibly need. I may also go out on an all night fishing boat I've been invited to tag along on just to get a feel for what to expect. Since all the stores are closed today I'm just going to take it easy and relax and watch the Lakers' game against Cleveland. Other than that I am planning on going for a run a little later to work off some of the many cookies I've eaten.

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #8

Christmas is just 2 days away as 2009 swiftly slips into the books of history. I haven't had time to really reflect much over the last year but all and all it has been a very busy one. I have traveled far and wide from Florida, Texas, Utah, Missouri, Memphis, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego to Hawaii meeting new friends and learning more than I ever thought I would about the environment. I have been so fortunate to meet amazing people who are the leading forces in the world trying to change things for the better. Hence my involvement with Algalita via EcoUsable is part of that journey. I have spent the last few days reaching out to more possible sponsors and even with the holidays in full swing people are willing to help out as much as they are able. Witz Waterproof Cases www.witzprod.com are the latest to join the voyage saying they will provide me with some of their equipment to protect my cameras, electronics and paperwork which is great. I met the VP of Sales for Witz Chris Cannon earlier this year at the Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City and we have run into each other throughout 2009 at various events and trade shows so I am very happy to have Witz on board for the trip. I have also been working out fully again and I've really been concentrating on swimming. Monday I hit the pool for a 3/4 mile swim and yesterday I did another 1/2 mile. Last night I went to go see two friends of mine play some music in Venice at a place called The Stronhold. I hadn't seen Brett Dennen and Tom Freund since last years EcoGift Festival where we all played so it was good to see them both. Tom spent the year globe trotting the world opening for Ben Harper who produced his latest CD and Brett did the same. Brett's newest CD "Hope For The Hopeless" http://www.brettdennen.net/ is outstanding and worth checking out(I am listening to it right now)! He had a breakthrough 2009 touring all over the world and capped off the year with an appearance on the David Letterman Show a few months ago. I am hoping to do follow in their footsteps in 2010 when I release my CD "Turning Stones". Other than that I have been learning as much about the Pangaea Sea Dragon vessel as possible and have been watching video blogs to educate myself on what to expect. Here is a cool blog www.panexplore.com/vessel.php on the vessel that was made while they were converting it from a racing boat to a research boat. Until next time...

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #7

Well it's the beginning of a new week and just over 2 weeks until I leave for St. Thomas US Virgin Islands. I pretty much took the day off yesterday and spent it baking Christmas cookies and making fudge with my 12 year old son Christopher. We started our baking tradition last year using my family's recipes and it really is a great thing for us to do together. Besides the big mess we made in the kitchen, we ended up making 5 different types of cookies and tasty treats that we will give out as gifts to friends and family. The sugar cookies (150 year old special recipe) and fudge are usually every one's favorites and if they taste as good as all the cookie dough and batter we ate while baking them, I'm sure people will love them. I did take a short break in between preparation and baking to go back to Sports Authority to pick up a few more things for the trip. I got a water proof The North Face Wind Jacket and a heavier fleece all purpose The North Face Jacket. I also picked up some water proof outerwear pants in case we need to work in the rain. Because of all the gear I bought on Friday combined with the new stuff, I qualified for a $200 gift card. When it was all said and done, I ended up getting the heavier all purpose The North Face Jacket and the water proof pants for free which was a real bonus. Thank you to the manager at the Sports Authority in Lawndale, CA for making that happen. I really appreciate it. I still need to get some snorkeling gear and fins so that will be next on my list to find. It's great to be feeling better and yesterday I was able to run 3 miles in the evening and I am planning on getting to the gym for a long swim later today. That's about all for now...

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #6

I feel like I am playing catch up after missing most of the week due to illness but luckily I have some very productive last few days. My priorities have been to continue to reach out to possible sponsors and gathering my gear for the trip. I still need to figure out my return flight from the trip too. I will either need to get a hopper flight from Bermuda back to St. Thomas or I will need to book a one way from Bermuda. Either way it will probably work out to be about the same if I had booked one ways to and from each destination. On the gear front I am excited to have Hybrid Lights "Solar Lite" along for the voyage. They have offered to give all the crew one of their super cool, water proof solar flashlights. I used a smaller version camping over the summer and they are great. They hold a charge for up to 3 years and are super bright. Thank you Linda Aguas for making that happen. I also went to Sports Authority to get some basic gear since so much is on sale for the holidays. One thing I am focused on is making sure I am as comfortable as possible on the trip regardless of conditions. We have been told to expect every kind of weather so warmth is key. I picked up some Pepper long johns, a Columbia fleece jacket, a pair of fleece pants, an Asics Thermopolis long sleeve shirt, a couple of The North Face beanies, 2 pair of thick WigWam socks and 3 different type of gloves for various conditions. It's a start and over the next week I will gather a few more things especially socks. I also picked up a small Martin Guitar for the trip. I was leaning towards taking a Ukelele but I gave into a guitar. I didn't want to take any of my expensive guitars that I use for recording or touring so I got the Martin. I have wanted one for a while and since I had a $50 off coupon at Guitar Center and it was on sale I couldn't pass it up. So that means I will be making music on the high seas and I hope I am inspired to write some new songs too. Stay tuned......

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #5

It's been a few days since I last wrote due to the fact that I have been under the weather since early Tuesday morning. There has been a stomach flu bug going around for a while and it finally caught up with me. Being sick really does set you back that is one thing that is for sure. Now I feel like I have to catch up on everything I needed to due over the last 3 days. I started off Monday great and it went downhill from there. I had gone down and rode my bike 8 miles along Balboa Creek where it runs into the Pacific Ocean to shoot some video of the plastic accumulation after the first major storms. The most shocking thing wasn't how much plastic I saw but how much Styrofoam debris there was. After that I headed to EcoUsable and did some work and ended my day with a 3 mile run. Then the bug hit with full force. Sometimes you just have to give into it and rest so I did. Luckily I was feeling well enough to book my ticket to St. Thomas US Virgin Islands last night and I started making a list of equipment and clothes I will need. I am set to leave LA January 4th and arrive in Miami then catch a flight to the Virgin Islands. Everyone has been asked to arrive 2 days before departure so we can get acclimated and do emergency training. I can't believe it is now less than 3 weeks away! I have to go try on some Keen shoes today so I know my size and I am hopeful they will get me a pair as one of the sponsors. I also reached out to GoPro HD cameras to see if we can get a few cameras for the voyage to capture anything we happen to see in the best quality possible. Until next time...

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #4

It's Monday and I know I have a bunch to do to get myself ready for the trip. I have been getting correspondence over the last few days from some of the others who are going on the adventure. So far I have heard from Leslie Moyer and Stiv Wilson. The funny thing is I only know Dr. Marcus Eriksen his wife Anna Cummins from my work with EcoUsable and now I am embarking on a voyage with 12 strangers on this voyage. One thing is certain we will all know each other much better after this trip. Marcus said they met with Pangaea the other night to get some of the details on the trip and conditions to anticipate. This is what I know so far... it's the North Atlantic Ocean in winter which sounds like it could be cold. Everyone is really excited about this adventure and we are all trying to work together sharing knowledge and gathering supplies. Stiv mentioned in an email that he is hoping to get the opportunity to swim with dolphins... wow I didn't even think about that but how cool will that be. I am certain I will experience things I never have and the biggest thing for me right now is preparation. I am reaching out to everyone I know for gear and sponsorship to insure I have everything I need to maximize the experience. Since I will be the resident musician on the trip, everyone is asking if I am bringing a guitar. Not sure on that one yet because of everything I may need to take but I will definitely take a ukelele to write with and keep me company out on the open ocean. As a matter of fact the crew are already requesting a song for me to learn so we can record an "eco" version. I always like challenges so I will give it my best shot. Well that's the word today....

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Blog #3

It has been a productive day so far today because I have been at an event connecting with many of my friends and business associates in the green world of LA. I had a chance to meet with Linda Aguas from Hybrid Light and I spoke to her about getting some of their great Solar Lights for the trip. Also I met the owner of Bambu Dru who makes very cool organic clothes made of bamboo and hemp that I hope to get a few T-shirts from for the trip. Everyone I have told about the expedition are very excited and curious and are offering their support in every way they are able. I may even have some great organic dark chocolate to take along if I am lucky. Hopefully the momentum will continue to build and others will step forward to lend their support either with product or small cash contributions to help pay for flights and hotels. I reached out to Apple Inc. yesterday and I hope they will join the journey too. Anyway that's about all today on this very wet day in Los Angeles.

Jon T. Howard - North Atlantic Gyre Exploration Expedition Blog #2

Today is a cold crisp day in LA after a badly needed rain last night. I am working on my list of things I am hoping to get from some sponsors and will start reaching out to them later today to assist me on my exploration expedition to the North Atlantic Gyre. I just spoke with Anna Cummins from Algalita Marine Reasearch Foundation about some logistics and she said Keen may be willing to give us some footwear as part of their sponsorship deal. That would be great because they have amazing stuff and I really need some proper shoes for the voyage. There is so much to do over the coarse of the next 3 and a half weeks especially with the Christmas holiday season thrown in. Besides all of todays planning, I am hoping to get down to the LA River sewer wash where it drains into the ocean today to shoot some video of the plastic build up after the first major rains of the season here in LA.

Planning and making arrangements

This is the first in a series of blogs that I will be doing leading up to and during my trip with Dr. Marcus Eriken and Anna Cummins of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation to explore the North Atlantic Gyre. I feel honored to be asked and I am very grateful that EcoUsable Inc. has given me this great opportunity to go on a once in a lifetime journey. Algalita is one of the worlds foremost researchers of the North Pacific Gyre and now are on a quest to research the 4 other gyres known in the world. So into the great unknown we go.... I will be joining a crew of 14 that includes researchers from AMRF and Pangaea aboard the Sea Dragon, Pangaea's 72 foot research vessel as we set sail from St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands to Bermuda on an 11 day voyage of exploration. We will be examining the role plastic pollution plays in transporting Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the marine environment. I have so much to do and thankfully I recently updated my passport. I have a list of essential things I need and I am looking for clothing & equipment sponsors to join me on the trip. I will post a list of necessities in the next few days....