Bro Clean
Brooklyn
On December 2nd 2017, Gary and Sam stand up paddled two of America's most polluted waterways, both located in New York City.
The brothers started their journey at the Newtown Creek just under the Grand Street bridge and paddled outwards into the East River.
The Newtown Creek located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn is the oldest continuous industrial area in the United States and also the site of one of the largest oil spill in US-history, a culmination of decades of oil leakage. In 2010, the creek was declared a Superfund site by the US Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA"). However the clean up is still in its preliminary stages and it remains highly polluted with the creek bed coated with old tires, car frames and seats.
The Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, New York, has been named “one of the most contaminated places in America”, poisoned with industrial pollutants and pumped full of raw sewage. The canal was also declared a Superfund site in 2010 and a clean up has just commenced in mid-October 2017.
The Eco Champions of New York
The video series documents the state of both waterways and interviews sustainable leaders in Brooklyn.
The videos include a portrait of Ken Butler, a man who for 40 years, has been transforming the objects he finds on the streets of New York into incredible one-of-a-kind instruments. You will also meet Isavel Varela, the zero waste minimalist designer, Christopher Swain, the toxic avenger who swam both the Newtown Creek and the Gowanus Canal and the Halcyon shop which is keeping old vinyls out of landfills. Wearable Collections is focused on keeping clothing, textiles and shoes out of landfills while generating funds for charities. The Gowanus Dredgers promote waterfront stewardship and is raising awareness of sewer overflow issues that affect the Gowanus Canal.
THIS EXPEDITION WAS MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF
