cargo exchange: This is what makes the world go round. And round, and round. Hondas, Hyundais and Toyotas are shipped from Portland, Oregon to southeast Asia, Hondas, Hyundais and Toyotas are shipped back. 40% of the Columbia River's barge traffic is carrying pre-cooked frozen french fries to Asia.

Every year, an estimated 2,000 containers of cargo fall off ships mid-ocean, many spilling their contents. Which is why there are 40,000 hockey gloves, millions of sneakers and thousands of bathtub toys circulating the oceans as we speak.

That contributes to the fact that plastic now outnumbers plankton 6 to 1 in the mid-ocean gyres. I find this fascinating, which is why I did a lecture on the topic last spring. Inspired, my friend Allison Farrow and I will be developing the concept into a performance art piece that we intent to perform in 2005. Buy local.