Creative Solutions for Marine Pollution by Dakota Parks
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iving along the white sand beaches of the Gulf Coast and the longleaf pine-covered bayous and rivers that feed into the Pensacola Bay system, it’s easy to submerge yourself in nature and forget the everyday stressors of human life. If you talk to a nature enthusiast or environmentalist, however, they will tell you that human life is causing major stress on the local waterways and ecosystem—particularly through trash and plastic pollution. According to The Ocean Conservancy, each year 8 million metric tons of plastics enter our ocean, and at this rate, by 2050 ocean plastic will outweigh all of the ocean’s fish. Two local groups, Keep Pensacola Beautiful and the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program, are working to educate and change public perception of trash as well as garnering action from local communities to clean up the waterways. A recent study published in Science Advances revealed that of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic that has been produced since the 1950s, only a mere 9 percent of it has been recycled, leaving it to accumulate in landfills or pollute waterways. Keep Pensacola Beautiful has been a leading figure in the local effort to reduce litter and pollution. Their annual fundraiser, Pieces Adrift, emerged to not only financially support the mission of Keep Pensacola Beautiful but also to educate the public on the dangers that 16 | DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM
pollution has on the local waterways and environment. The Pieces Adrift art show and silent auction will be held on September 18 at the Studer Community Institute from 6 pm to 9 pm. “The art show does a great job at creating a visual representation of pollution and making people aware of how little changes can make a big impact,” Sigrid Solgard, Keep Pensacola Beautiful executive director, said. “If you’re using a bottle of water once a day for years, you’re only seeing them one at a time. But when you
see the accumulation of thousands of Perdido Bays Estuary program recently bottle caps in one art piece, it changes launched its Trash Free Waters Project your perception. It can also teach people aimed at reducing and preventing waterhow you can reuse borne trash in three “The art show does a major creeks within something instead of throwing it straight in great job at creating the Pensacola Bay the trash.” system: Jones Creek, a visual representation Carpenter Creek and All of the artwork of pollution and making Pond Creek. The projfeatured at the ect received funding people aware of how from the EnvironPieces Adrift exhibit are upcycled and use mental Protection little changes can at least 50 percent of Agency and officially make a big impact.” the materials from kicked off on July 31 trash, litter and secondhand sources. at the Jones Creek cleanup. Emerson Artists can source their own materials Cheney, the Trash Free Waters project or visit the trash shop at Keep Pensacvolunteer coordinator, explained that the ola Beautiful, where they can find unique project will not only intercept trash before items collected from local cleanups and it enters the Gulf of Mexico but also work other everyday items from around the to identify and monitor sources of trash. office. From murals and sculptures to selfportraits and even a repurposed TV fish “The project has a three-part approach. tank, the art at Pieces Adrift is evocative First, is the initial cleanup to remove and often relates directly to the theme of as much trash as possible to create a environmentalism. baseline,” Cheney said. “At the Jones Creek cleanup, we had 47 volunteers “One piece from our first art show that collect around 500 pounds of trash sticks with me is this picture of sunflowout of the creek. Next, we install a litter ers on a piece of plywood. The center boom, which floats on the surface of of the flowers the water and is made out of is suspended cigarette butts, from each side and it says ‘in of the creek to lieu of flowers’ t ra p f l o a t i n g on it with letters litter. It sits on made out of the surface and aluminum cans. doesn’t go all One thing that the way down mos t people to the bottom don’t know is that of the creek, cigarette butts so wildlife can are the most move freely, and l i t t e re d i t e m paddle boards in the United and kayaks States. We live in SS Art teacher Julie Fink and her students at the can actually go a watershed, so all over the top of it. St. Paul Catholic School created this cube collage out of thousands of repurposed bottle Last, we will use of the trash on the caps for the 2020 Pieces Adrift Art Show. side of the road the EPA’s Escape works its way into the rivers and bayous, Trash Assessment protocol, which helps then out into the bay and ocean,” Megan us identify where the trash is coming Washington, Keep Pensacola Beautiful from and work with local businesses or development coordinator, explained. organizations on a solution.” While Pieces Adrift works to educate the public and showcase the impact of litter on waterways, the Pensacola and
As Cheney explained, this is the first time a litter boom system has been utilized in Escambia County, and it will help them
