Check out this Getting Curious episode! Jonathan Van Ness has invited Marcus Eriksen from 5 Gyres to the pod. Marcus tells us about his 88 day journey from California to Hawaii sailing on a raft made from 15,000 plastic bottles to research microplastics in the ocean and raise awareness about plastic pollution. Then Marcus answers all our questions like: how did plastic become so popular in the first place, why is so little of our plastic recycled, and what can we do on an individual and systemic level to create stronger policies and more robust solutions? Plus, Jonathan and Marcus go deep on the ongoing Global Plastics Treaty negotiations.Marcus has led expeditions around the world to research plastic pollution and used that research to drive solutions. He co-published the first global estimate of marine plastic pollution and the discovery of plastic microbeads in the Great Lakes, which led to the federal Microbead-free Waters Act of 2015. He and his wife Anna founded 5 Gyres with an 88-day journey from California to Hawaii on a Junk Raft that they built from 15,000 plastic bottles. Now, Marcus and 5 Gyres continue to lead with scientific research to drive upstream solutions through education, advocacy, and community building.New episodes of Getting Curious drop on Wednesdays. On Mondays, join us for Pretty Curious. our podcast on all things beauty!Subscribe to Extra Curious for exclusive episodes of Ask JVN, where Jonathan's answering your questions about sex, dating, and more.You can follow Getting Curious on Instagram and Twitter @curiouswithjvn. Transcripts for all episodes are available at jonathanvanness.com/podcasts.Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices