Student artists are helping people understand how ocean
creatures are affected by human trash. At least that’s the goal of
the annual Marine Debris Art Contest, now in its sixth year. The
contest is sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’s Marine Debris Program.
Aaron K, Grade 5,
Michigan
Hundreds of entries from all over the country were submitted by
students, from kindergarteners to eighth graders. I’ve selected a
few of my favorites for this page, but you can see all 13 winning
entries on the
contest website. The 13 winners will have their drawings
featured in an upcoming calendar, with one picture on the cover and
one for each month. After posting, the calendar can be downloaded
from NOAA’s
website. To enlarge the pictures on this page, click directly
on the image.
Last June, 10 days after the European Union announced major
legislation to ban or otherwise control single-use plastic
products, the European Commission launched a public-relations
campaign to raise awareness and promote individual actions to
reduce the problem of plastics.
The campaign, which asks “Are you ready to change?,” includes a
lighthearted video designed to encourage people to question their
choices of single-use plastics, such as cutlery, water bottles,
plates and straws. Check out the first video on this page.
“The campaign is aimed at young, dynamic adults who are always
on-the-go,” according to a statement by the
European Commission. “The vast majority of this group is well
aware of, and concerned by, the environmental impact of single-use
plastics and the health-related risks caused by plastic waste and
marine litter. But despite the level of awareness among the target
audience, this does not translate into their daily choices: They
continue to enjoy their take-away coffees and use straws in their
drinks.”
A series of short videos cleverly emphasizes “the seductive
power of single-use items,” such as the plastic bag. The script for
the plastic-bag video, the second one on this page, goes like
this:
“Its seduction technique is hard to resist. Always there when
you need it, it waits for you at the end of shop counters, ready to
help out and leave with you, hand in hand. But the morality of this
fake friend is disturbingly flimsy. It will leave you in the first
gust of wind, preferring to hang out with its friends on the beach,
pollute the ocean and threaten marine life.
“Help protect our beaches and oceans. Don’t fall for the
single-use plastic bag. Start a long-term relationship with a
smarter alternative. Why not use reusable carry bags, totes or
baskets? A solid alternative!”
Click on the following to see other videos featuring “seductive”
plastics:
The United Nations has its own public-relations effort to battle
single-use plastics. Called the Clean Seas Campaign, the project
has enlisted the support of more than 50 countries throughout the
world, many with specific commitments to reduce plastic pollution,
according to a
news release and webpage called “Tide-turners” about
nations and private companies tackling the plastic problem. The
United States is not listed among them.
In a UN video, a woman declares, “This relationship isn’t
working; I’m breaking up with you.” But there’s a psychological
problem looming over her conviction. In a new video, released last
week in time for the holidays, the same woman confronts the problem
of running into her “ex.” She learns that even with the best
intentions it is not easy to get away from plastics in our modern
world.
For more information about the European Union’s efforts to
confront plastic pollution, take a look at my
Water Ways post from yesterday.
NOAA’s annual Marine Debris Art Contest continues to attract
creative students able to spread the message about how loose trash
can escape into the ocean and harm sea creatures.
Zilan C., a Michigan
second-grader, was one of 13 winners in this year’s Marine Debris
Art Contest.
Image: Courtesy of NOAA
“The ocean is the ocean animals’ home, not a trash can,” writes
Zilan C., a Michigan second-grader who drew the first picture on
this page. “Everyone should keep the debris out of the ocean and
save the ocean animals’ home!”
“Plastics, rubber, paper and other lost or discarded items enter
the ocean and lakes everyday,” said Yufei F., a Michigan fifth
grader who created the second piece. “Everyone can do our part in
reducing and preventing marine debris. We can also join in cleaning
the beach and clean our streets. When everyone takes action, we can
keep our ocean clean.”
Trashy art is getting better and better. Some years ago, people
started transforming debris found on the beach into sculptures
worthy of an art show. Now the trashy art has gotten so good that
we can actually attend an art exhibit where trashy sculptures are
on display.
Called “Washed Ashore Exhibits,” one group of sculptures has
been placed in an ongoing display at the Smithsonian National
Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
A traveling exhibit will open at Tacoma’s Point Defiance Zoo and
Aquarium beginning next week and continue until Oct. 21. I don’t
believe the pictures on this page or in the photo gallery
of sculptures on the Washed Ashore website truly capture the effect
of seeing these large sculptures up close.
Of course, the whole idea is to raise awareness about marine
debris, most of which begins with a careless discard of trash —
although some of the interesting items were probably lost by
accident. Regardless of the source, these plastics and other
materials don’t belong in the ocean, where they can harm sea life
in various ways, from ingestion to entrapment. Such debris also
turns our beaches into a trash dump.
A free 2017 calendar, published by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, features winning artwork in a contest
that focuses on the problem of trash in the ocean, otherwise known
as marine debris.
By Sallie S., a seventh grader
from Washington state
All pictures on this page courtesy of
NOAA
More than 700 students from around the country participated in
the contest, and one of the 13 winners was a seventh grader from
Washington state named Sallie S. Neither her full name nor hometown
was disclosed, and I never received a response to an email sent to
her on my behalf by NOAA officials.
Sallie’s statement on the back of the calendar: “Marine debris
impacts our oceans and Great Lakes, because the plastic and other
garbage could badly injure or kill the sea animals. What I will do
to keep our ocean debris free is to not litter. Not littering is
very important, because if you litter the debris can go into
drains, then it can go into the lake or the sea. Then once it goes
in the sea, ocean organisms could then die.”
This week, I’d like to share some student artwork from two
contests.
One is a local event in which 10 Kitsap County students are
honored in the Kitsap Recycles Day contest, sponsored by Kitsap
County Public Works. The other contest is for students anywhere in
the country. Called the Keep the Sea Free of Debris contest, it is
sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
Li-Nelshin Co, a fifth
grader at Esquire Hills Elementary School, created one of the
winning posters for Kitsap Recycles Day.
The first poster featured on this page is by Li-Nelshin Co, a
fifth grader at Esquire Hills Elementary School, located in East
Bremerton and part of the Central Kitsap School District.
Li-Neishin wrote this about the poster:
“Recycling is important because we are saving the world for
future generations. My favorite thing to recycle is PAPER because
this way we are not only recycling, we are also saving the trees
that gives us fresh air, shade, preventing soil erosion.”
A couple years ago, the Kitsap Recycles Day poster contest was
moved from November to February and expanded into a broader
educational program. The delayed contest allowed teachers and/or
parents to provide more information than could have been completed
by America Recycles Day, celebrated in November. A new activity
book,
“Close the Loop” (PDF 16.7 mb), is part of Kitsap’s expanded
program.
“It’s incredibly encouraging to see the influx of posters we see
on Kitsap Recycles Day,” said Kitsap County Recycling Coordinator
Christopher Piercy in a news release.
“You can tell each student has a passion for recycling, reducing
waste, and the environment. It is especially fascinating to see the
grasp they all have on the value of ‘closing the loop’ — not just
recycling, but buying recycled content products.”
The other winners are Libby Parker,
kindergartener at Gateway Christian Schools, Poulsbo;
Natalie Oathout, first grader at Emerald Heights
Elementary School; Jeddison Miller, second grader
at Crosspoint Academy; Kelsey Derr, third grader
at Hilder Pearson Elementary School; Saige Herwig,
third grader at South Colby Elementary School; Charlotte
Halbert, fourth grader at Gateway Christian Schools,
Poulsbo; Blake Warner, fifth grader at Crosspoint
Academy; Drew Moar, sixth grader at Manchester
Elementary School; and Gia Acosta, eighth grader
at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic School.
The second poster on this page, a winner in the 2014 Keep the
Sea Free of Debris contest, was drawn by Jessica D., a fourth
grader in New York.
Jessica commented:
“Keep the sea free of debris. Debris is garbage, marine debris
is garbage in the sea. Marine debris is very bad. Marine debris is
mostly plastics, fishing gear and litter. Marine debris is very
harmful and dangerous to undersea creatures. This pollution can
ruin habitats. Marine wildlife can get hurt by marine debris. It
also can cost a lot of money to fix. But you can help fix it by
just cleaning beaches and not littering.”
The contest is sponsored by NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, which
asked contest entrants to create their “vision” of marine debris.
All 13 winners and their comments can be seen on a Gallery
Page on the Marine Debris Blog.
I really love this picture by Araminta “Minty” Little, a seventh
grader at Fairview Junior High School in Central Kitsap. Her
picture shows an octopus grasping trash that has been thrown into
the ocean.
Apparently, the judges in the annual Marine Debris Art Contest
also liked Minty’s picture. They named her one of 13 winners
nationwide out of more than 600 students from 21 states who entered
the contest, which is sponsored by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
Minty’s drawing is a fine piece of work, but she also got high
marks for her concept, which carries a message about the dangers of
marine debris. As part of the contest, she was required to write a
bit about the problem. As quoted on the Central
Kitsap School District’s website, she explained:
“The picture I drew depicts a sea creature surrounded by
garbage. The octopus … is wrapping its tentacles around stray trash
preparing to throw it all back onto land. In the top right tentacle
is a sign reading ‘S.O.S.’ in parody to … an old sailing term.”
To see all the 2012-13 winners, check out the slide show
on the
Marine Debris Blog.
The contest is open to students from kindergarten through eighth
grade. The 13 winning entries will be used to create a calendar
scheduled to be printed in a few months.
“You wouldn’t believe the talent of some of these students,”
said Dianna Parker of NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, which has
conducted the art contest since 2010.
Silverdale’s waterfront is seeing the effects of recent storms
in our area, as documented by Susan Digby, a geography instructor
at Olympic College.
Recent storms have brought
a lot of trash and marine debris to Silverdale’s waterfront. /
Photo by Susan Digby
High stormwater flows have washed litter, debris and dead salmon
into Sinclair and Dyes inlets, where currents and winds from the
south carry the materials to Silverdale’s beaches, including
Silverdale Waterfront Park and Old Mill Park.
“The north end of Dyes Inlet is like the end of a sock,” Susan
told me. “When we get rain and wind, everything piles up
there.”
Photos of all this debris — including parts of three docks —
were taken by Susan on Sunday, just two weeks after her students
cleaned up the beach entirely as part of an ongoing study that
counts and categorizes marine debris that collects there.
A phenomenal amount of trash winds up on our beaches, including
discarded food wrappers that people have carelessly discarded. Just
about anything that floats can wash into a stream or storm drain to
be carried into one of our local inlets. Some debris may be coming
from the nearby streets and parking lots in Silverdale, but some
could be coming all the way from Gorst, as suggested by
drogue studies (PDF 1.6 mb) conducted by the Navy.
As Susan points out, the debris includes lots of Styrofoam,
which can be ingested by birds and sea creatures, as well as baby
diapers and syringes, which are a reminder that disease organisms
are making their way into our local waters with uncertain effects
on the fish and shellfish we eat.
I plan to cover Susan Digby’s student research project in more
detail early next year, after 2012 data are compiled.
A piece of a dock washed up
on Silverdale’s waterfront during a recent storm. Parts of two
other docks also were found. / Photo by Susan
Digby
