Emeryville & Alameda Marinas Fight Pollution with Ocean Vacuums!
Join Safe Harbor and Seabin Project to Celebrate New Seabins!
- Emeryville Marina Launch: Fri., Dec. 1, 2pm – 3310 Powell St. in Emeryville
- Ballena Isle Marina Launch: Sat., Dec. 2, 10am – 1150 Ballena Blvd. in Alameda
Seabin Project co-founders Pete Ceglinski & Andrew Turton
Here’s how it all started. Two life-long surfer friends from Australia, appalled by the plastic and debris pollution in our waters, set out to clean up the ocean. They wanted to create a garbage bin that would collect the floating plastic. This got them started cleaning up the marine environment, one marina at a time. How? With the V5 Seabin, a floating vacuum filter device they invented that works like an ocean vacuum 24/7 continuously collecting floating debris – plastic bottles, paper, oil, fuel, detergent and more. Over the last two years Seabin Project co-founders Pete Ceglinski and Andrew Turton secured partners for a pilot study into the effectiveness of the seabin.
Safe Harbor, the world’s largest marine management company, is one of six partners in the Seabin Project pilot study with their first location in Cabrillo Isle Marina in San Diego, CA. “We had a section of water in our Cabrillo Isle marina which had earned the nickname of ‘scum alley’,” commented Kate Pearson, Safe Harbor’s West Coast Regional VP. “It was the downwind corner of Harbor Island that had no natural flushing…we became
Cabrillo Isle, San Diego
a Global Pilot Partner and installed the first Seabin in the US. The Seabin blew our expectations out of the water! The small, compact and quiet machine hums away in ‘scum alley’ and we have pulled 1000 lbs. of trash this first year out of it. We also sort and document the trash, reporting our findings back to the Seabin team so we can look at source issues and educational programming for schools.” The pilot, part of Safe Harbor’s commitment to protecting the marine environment, proved successful and now Safe Harbor is bringing the Seabin Project to the San Francisco Bay Area’s Emeryville Marina and Alameda’s Ballena Isle Marina.
“We’re proud to introduce Seabin as an innovative, cutting-edge technology that respects and protects the marine environment,” says Kate. “It’s versatile, small in size, cost-effective and functionally-effective – everything our marinas and boaters have been asking for.” In an interview on CBS, San Diego, she said that the most common items they pull out of the seabin every day is cigarette butts, pens and straws.
The Seabin Project has evolved into a comprehensive research, educational and technology initiative with worldwide reach, including educational tools for students to get on board. The Seabin Project team believes that each child that learns to dispose of litter properly will grow to be one less source person for pollution of our oceans and waterways. Currently, according to Jambeck Research, 8.1M tons of mismanaged waste enters our oceans every year.
Some cool facts:
- Each device collects about 60 pounds of debris per day – that’s about 1,000 pounds of pollution/yr.
- It’s a cost-effective and 24/7 alternative to the “trash boats” traditionally used to clean up marinas.
- Currently attached to the dock, the Seabin Project team is developing new technologies to get it off the dock and into the water.
Here’s how it works:
- The seabin is installed in a specific problem debris area, attached to a dock.
- Water is filtered from the surface and passed through a catch bag inside the Seabin, powered by a submersible water pump.
- Water is then pumped back into the water leaving the litter and debris trapped in the catch bag. Larger pieces of plastic may attach themselves to the bin.
- Marina operators need to empty the catch bag at least twice a day, as it holds up to two pounds.
The public is welcome at the two fun launch events.
- Emeryville Marina Launch: Fri., Dec. 1, 2pm – 3310 Powell St. in Emeryville
- Ballena Isle Marina Launch: Sat., Dec. 2, 10am – 1150 Ballena Blvd. in Alameda
On their way down the coast to the warm shores of Baja California, Georgina and Joel Peterson returned to one of their old haunts – Alameda on the Bay. And this time, it was by boat. They motored down from Seattle, having to take two days shelter at one point during a turbulent storm, and finally arrived and tied up at a guest berth off the Nob Hill parking lot near Alameda’s Fruitvale Bridge. (Always a good policy to tie up next to a gourmet market!) It had been years since they last lived in Alameda, so much of the city was new to them.
When asked if they had discovered a restaurant they really liked, Georgina immediately said, “I found Feel Good Bakery. They have great bread and pastries!” So we sauntered down to both bakeries, one in the 
vegetarian and pepperoni. Their Holiday Stollen is excellent – not too sweet and perfectly spiced. For those who love sweets, there are Danish with fresh fruit, cupcakes, cakes, tarts and cookies. They bake muffins and scones and even cheese sticks that change daily. Feel Good Bakery bakes with organic locally-sourced ingredients, all non-GMO. Flour, nuts, fruit and cheeses come from local vendors who also are committed to producing the highest quality product they can.
Andy Manakitivipart has been working for Feel Good Bakery since Aug. 2016 and splits his time between the two stores. “I do cashiering and pastries and am enrolled in a two year certification program in Baking at Laney College.” What inspired Andy to start baking? “I used to work at Tucker’s Ice Cream and Henry was a baker and he got me into baking.”
works at both stores also, explaining that it works best for the company that employees understand how both bakery locations operate. “On my down time I hang with the bakers. I like to shape the dough. But it is really hard! The great thing about working here is that you don’t have to stay in one job. If you want to learn something else, you can.” Jessica seems to love her job and has been here for two years.
