Brothers Paddle Two of America’s Most Toxic Waterways: Watch the Series #BroCleanBKLN
08 December 2017
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Sam and Gary Bencheghib in Newtown Creek, Dec. 2. Marco Vitale
Environmental activists and filmmakers Gary Bencheghib and Sam Bencheghib stand up paddled the Newtown Creek and the Gowanus Canal Dec. 2 to show the global scope of the pollution crisis and the importance of acting now to clean our waterways.
<p style="">Gary and Sam are producing an eight-part video series documenting the state of both waterways as well as interviewing experts and sustainable leaders in Brooklyn to give more insight to the current environmental situation here. The series entitled #BroCleanBKLN premiered on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/1490167961038416/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> Dec. 7.</p><p style="">The French 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 U.S. and also the site of one of the largest oil spill in U.S. history, a culmination of decades of oil leakage. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjU4MzkxMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMDAxNzY5MX0.URpmdzSJwbsGw23OqKikDBL-O64uKRw-4kmb3tigYtg/img.jpg?width=980" id="b8483" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b246db3bb1ba01a656a1f3af558581f4" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption..."> Sam and Gary Bencheghib in Newtown Creek, Dec. 2. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Eliana Alvarez Martinez</small></p><p style="">In 2010, the creek was also named a Superfund site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Gowanus Canal, also a Superfund site, has been referred to as "one of the most contaminated places in America," poisoned with industrial pollutants and pumped full of raw sewage. The EPA's cleanup is still in its preliminary stages and it remains highly polluted with the creek bed coated with old tires, car frames and discarded junk. Although the pollution is not entirely noticeable at first sight, the slight smell of petrol and revolting toilet smells are still persistent.<br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNjU4MzkxNS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NzAwNzM4OX0.clsPjLyQOaDKCBYwYFcfNLFgDlvhvMhc7RkDZ8EvaHo/img.png?width=980" id="9772c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4c285acc71eb6e7da62388a9de04c662" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption..."> Sam and Gary Bencheghib in Gowanus Bay, Dec. 2. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Marco Vitale</small></p><p style="">By both river mouths, the brother's journey quickly turned around when they saw a lot trash floating on the water's surface. So Gary and Sam decided to turn their expedition around and clean up the rivers. </p><p style="">"There is no more away, even in a city like New York our waterways are filled with plastics," said Sam Bencheghib. </p><p style="">The older brother, Gary, who has been a Brooklyn resident for the past four years said to his camera crew at the end of the expedition, "In increasingly uncertain times for our environment, there has never been a more important time than now to take action to clean up and restore our waterways. If we can start by showing a good example here in New York, the world will follow!"<br></p><p style=""><strong>MORE FROM SAM AND GARY </strong></p><p style=""><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/indonesia-worlds-most-polluted-river-2488279793.html" target="_blank">How Two Brothers Convinced the Indonesian Government to Clean Up the World's Most Polluted River</a></p><p style=""><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/plastic-pollution-citarum-2472861171.html" target="_self">Meet the Brothers Kayaking Down the World's Most Polluted River</a></p>
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By Gary Bencheghib and Sam Bencheghib
We have all heard about the accumulation of plastic pollution in our ocean and the devastating effects it is having on marine life, but very little has been done to stop the plastic from its source.
With more than 80 percent of plastic pollution in the ocean originating from rivers and streams, we have decided to create a shocking visual of the world's most polluted river, the Citarum in Indonesia, by kayaking down it on two plastic bottle kayaks made from repurposed trash.
<p style="">We launched <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/1387469417974938/" target="_blank">Plastic Bottle Citarum</a> to help make people think about the dangers that pollution has on human health. Located in West Java, the Citarum river is the water source for 15 million people for drinking, cooking and bathing.</p><p style=""><span></span>The two kayaks we are paddling were built by the bamboo experts, EWABI. Each kayak has a bamboo frame and is filled with 300 plastic bottles to keep us afloat, which were collected by our partner, EcoBali, from school groups and waste facilities.</p><p style="">The goal of the expedition is to raise awareness of the dangers of plastic pollution and to inspire positive change by documenting some of the incredible and innovative efforts that are fighting the plastic epidemic in Indonesia. </p><p style="">During our expedition, we will be producing a series of five short videos documenting our descent down the river and highlighting the change-makers living on the river who dedicate their lives to cleaning up the Citarum and educating the local community on the impacts of pollution.<br></p><p style="">Follow our journey on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/makeachangeworld" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/makeachangeworld/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.<br></p>
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The Ganges River. Photo credit: Flickr
While the U.S. makes it easier for coal companies to dump mining waste into streams and waterways, other countries are acknowledging the importance of water and granting personhood to these precious resources.
The High Court of the Indian state of Uttarakhand ruled that the Ganges and Yamuna rivers and their tributaries have "legal and living entities having the status of a legal person with all corresponding rights, duties and liabilities."
The decision marks the first time a court has recognized a non-human as a living entity in India.
<p>Judges Rajeev Sharma and Alok Singh <a href="http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/river-ganga-named-indias-first-living-entity-court-names-parents-too-1671581" target="_blank">cited the example</a> of New Zealand's Whanganui River, which became the first in the world to be granted the same legal rights as a person last week.</p><p>The decision by New Zealand's Parliament marked the end of the country's longest-running court case, as the Whanganui Iwi have long fought for the recognition of their authority over the river and consider it "an indivisible and living whole."</p><div id="14a61" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="FU27DO1580927381"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="843621886437310464" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">World's First River Given Legal Status as a Person https://t.co/cQqscoDqi4 via @EcoWatch https://t.co/LJeUbX8QT8</div> — Climate Council (@Climate Council)<a href="https://twitter.com/climatecouncil/statuses/843621886437310464">1489970106.0</a></blockquote></div><p><span></span>Similarly, the Ganges and Yamuna are considered sacred by the country's majority Hindu population.<br>
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"The rivers are central to the existence of half of the Indian population and their health and well being," the court said in its ruling. "They have provided both physical and spiritual sustenance to all of us from time immemorial."</p><p>
The rivers now have "legal parents," or state officials who will be the human face of the rivers. The central government has also been directed to establish a management board within three months to lead conservation efforts.
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<span></span>The ruling gives the rivers a legal voice that could potentially save the highly polluted waterways from further destruction.
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<span></span>As <a href="http://www.india.com/news/india/ganga-and-yamuna-declared-living-beings-by-uttarakhand-high-court-parents-appointed-for-rivers-1946577/" target="_blank">India.com</a> explained, since the Ganges and the Yamuna are now legal persons, "if anyone is found polluting the rivers, it would be equivalent to harming humans."
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy85NjgzNDc1L29yaWdpbi5wbmciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjE3ODUzMjcyfQ.yMwl0FUISwzB2tIvOE8Ud6WCVGn9-pHy7_1JRUkm6N0/img.png?width=980" id="c7873" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3a1a7abb6af09271cc59e50d3b91ca62" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">The Yamuna River from the Taj Mahal.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit..."><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ben_maynard1969/9539796104/in/photolist-fwZX2b-pB9JuZ-pBfnw5-oWRisR-7Pa5qr-pTHwpY-e4dPTa-pBdqyD-hTzGu-kJBmv9-eQkKwk-oWRgFV-pTpj6V-fGFt3-5k5cMD-oWMMCN-oWMNq9-3Ko1Ex-cG6yu3-NheYmQ-pBddQP-pTpAxn-aBAoUp-pTHNMh-axiY2d-axf6Xv-pTznUa-pRu4zs-pBfg9q-5bRU6Z-aBCUjE-axiEwh-oWQKN8-ax222V-dha8Li-axhNPu-avszSY-kJy9tZ-kbsiJX-pRu4dL-7z1GcN-kFZybN-5Le1xW-aSw7nt-qCZgu-iQh3Hd-aWNwGX-qLVbuJ-oWNjd5-7PvYKE" target="_blank">Flickr</a></small>
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The judges noted that the once-mighty Ganges and Yamuna rivers are "losing their very existence." <br>
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The 1,569-mile Ganges River is a considered a lifeline for the hundreds of millions of people living along its banks. But increasing urbanization and industrialization of one of the world's fastest-growing economies have tarnished the waters. More than 1,500 million liters of raw sewage is discharged into the Ganges every day, along with 500 million liters of industrial waste, <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Politics/IwxheezmdiazU5mWtiWU2K/Uttarakhand-HC-recognizes-Ganga-and-Yamuna-rivers-as-living.html" target="_blank">Live Mint</a> noted.
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A 2016 <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Politics/IwxheezmdiazU5mWtiWU2K/Uttarakhand-HC-recognizes-Ganga-and-Yamuna-rivers-as-living.html" target="_blank">NPR</a> report described the Yamuna, the main tributary of the Ganges, as the "dirtiest river in the country" and a "toxic cocktail of sewage, industrial waste and surface runoff."
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India's governments have <a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/india-water-lawmaking-idINKBN16S0ZB" target="_blank">spent billions</a> of dollars on efforts to clean the Ganges. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also promised to restore the river.
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As more countries step up to legally protect their waterways, will the U.S. be left behind as our lawmakers continue to gut environmental protections?
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Last month, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/">President Trump</a> signed legislation that repealed the Office of Surface Mining's Stream Protection Rule, a law that protects waterways from coal mining waste.
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"In eliminating this rule I am continuing to keep my promise to the American people to get rid of wasteful regulations," Trump said at the signing.</p>
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