Re: [DIYbio] Do you have an appreciation of the ocean and are all about open-source?

Looking at the way we trash the ocean with plastic, eating all it's fish and still think that tropical rain forests are the lungs of the planet seems to me that we are in some way disconnected.

What I am currently interested in is the pollution and degradation of water quality close to cities that will eventually end up in the ocean. 

A couple of days ago I walked along the river 'de dommel' which goes straight through the city. (see: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dommel_(water gang) it's in Dutch but it has picture! :P ) They are actually cleaning the bed of the river because a lot of companies dumped zinc in it. I am looking in ways of collecting samples along the river and assessing the quality. While I was biking to the university I could see a purplish reflection on the water. I'm wondering how I can check the quality in some kind of way? 

-Frits

On Wednesday, March 28, 2012 1:53:58 AM UTC+2, Nathan McCorkle wrote:

On Mon, Mar 26, 2012 at 5:03 AM, Frits Stam <f.c.stam@student.tue.nl> wrote:
> Hi, my name is Frits, I'm a Dutch Industrial Design Master student in
> Eindhoven.
>
> I'm working on a project about making society more aware of the ocean. I'm
> looking for people to share ideas with me, this is why I am starting this
> discussion.

I guess I'll start by countering you, and asking, how do you know
there is a lack of connection to the ocean in societies? Which
societies are most unaware? Which societies are having the most
negative impact on the ocean? Which societies depend the most on the
ocean?

--
Nathan McCorkle
Rochester Institute of Technology
College of Science, Biotechnology/Bioinformatics