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HP Sets Sail with the Plastiki

Company to raise awareness of environmental sustainability through relationship with Adventure Ecology

Posted June 26, 2009

HP today announced it will be the official technology provider for the upcoming Plastiki expedition led by adventurer and environmental storyteller David de Rothschild and his organization Adventure Ecology.

HP joined the Plastiki expedition as the voyage’s official technology provider to inspire people to rethink waste as a resource. The Plastiki, a one-of-a-kind 60-foot catamaran created out of reclaimed plastic bottles, self-reinforced PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and recycled materials, is making its momentous voyage across the Pacific Ocean later this year.

HP will equip Adventure Ecology and the Plastiki crew with the powerful yet efficient technology products needed to make the 10,000-mile expedition from San Francisco to Sydney, Australia. HP also collaborated with Adventure Ecology on its interactive activity and educational center, Plastiki Mission Control.

Located at San Francisco’s Pier 45, Plastiki Mission Control was built to educate and inform people about the Plastiki expedition by showcasing the groundbreaking thinking, technologies and sustainable design solutions that are transforming 10,000 plastic soda bottles into a seaworthy vessel. By interacting with 10 energy-efficient HP TouchSmart IQ816 PCs, visitors can find blueprints and sketches, expedition equipment, maps and films, along with fun ways to interact with the Plastiki expedition. Guests will leave the interactive educational center with a better understanding of the effects of waste on the planet and of Adventure Ecology’s and HP’s visions for sustainability.

“We all share the responsibility to preserve our environment,” said Satjiv Chahil, senior vice president, Global Marketing, Personal Systems Group, HP. “Through technology innovation, HP is helps raise awareness of some of the world’s most pressing environmental needs, and delivers solutions – from energy-efficient products to sustainable packaging and transforming processes – that make it easier for our customers to be green.”

“We are pleased to announce HP as the technology partner for our forthcoming expedition, The Plastiki,” said David de Rothschild, founder, Adventure Ecology. “This partnership is not only of great significance due to the long-term mission of Adventure Ecology to promote and influence smarter ‘Planet 2.0’ ways of working, but also because of the exciting opportunity for us to help support HP’s ongoing commitment to reducing the environmental  impact of its products, services and operations. It is our shared vision to create a smarter, more sustainable ‘Planet 2.0’ way of living, through inspiration, education, storytelling and the empowerment of individuals. This partnership has all the right ingredients to create the agents of change that will help to sculpt our future.”

Technology on the Plastiki

During the voyage, the Plastiki vessel will pass through a number of environmentally sensitive regions, including the Great Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch, where plastic pollution twice the size of Texas has accumulated.

HP is equipping the Plastiki vessel with energy-efficient and durable technology that will be used to document and capture data from these regions to better understand the impact of pollution on the environment. With HP technology, the crew will be able to gather information, capture and store their story, and communicate with their land-based crew.

HP is providing:

• HP EliteBook 6930p notebooks with durable magnesium-alloy casing and battery-efficient designs to support computing needs, including navigation, communication, reading and recording data, and video editing. More than 90 percent of each HP EliteBook 6930p PC, by weight, is recoverable or recyclable.
• HP iPAQ 910C Business Messengers and HP Smartphones for reliable connectivity supporting short- and long-distance communications, including text, voice and data transfer.
• HP Pocket Media and HP Personal Media drives for storing preloaded nautical charts, tactical software and maps. Pictures and video of the expedition will be saved to the HP Personal Media drive for the crew to share with a global audience via its website.

Plastiki Mission Control Center
The Mission Control Center at Pier 45 will be open Wednesdays to Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for visitors to experience the Plastiki expedition firsthand using HP TouchSmart computers. At the center, visitors can:

• View exhibits of the boat-building process, from plastic bottles to the final design
• Learn about the effects of waste on the planet and understand some of the solutions to combat the problem
• Track the Plastiki journey on animated maps with information on each stop along the voyage
• Interact with the Plastiki crew by sending text and webcam messages at the “your planet your voice” station