With nearly 300 million tons of plastic produced every year, half of which is for single use, it may not be surprising that more than eight million tons of plastic finds its way into our oceans each year as well. Plastic is inexpensive and incredibly versatile, with properties that make it suitable for many applications. However, these qualities have also resulted in plastic becoming a serious environmental issue, including in the Long Island Sound.
The Bruce Museum Seaside Center and Friends of Greenwich Point are joining forces to present programs on the first two Sundays in November to help educate the public about the issue of plastic pollution in our seas and provide some local solutions to this global epidemic. Part of the Fred Elser First Sunday Science Series at the Seaside Center, the events are free, open to all, and held at the Innis Arden Cottage/Seaside Center in Greenwich Point Park, Old Greenwich. No beach pass is needed.
On Sunday, Nov. 5 from 1:30 to 4 p.m., the feature-length documentary film A Plastic Ocean takes us on a four-year global odyssey with researchers who document the latest science, proving how plastics, once they enter the oceans, break up into small particulates that attract toxins like a magnet. These toxins enter the food chain, where they are eventually stored in seafood’s fatty tissues and ultimately consumed by us. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. with remarks by the film’s sponsor, Go Pure, maker of a portable water purifier, and the local organization Bring Your Own, which is working to reduce use of plastic bags. The film begins at 2 p.m.
On Sunday, Nov. 12 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., author Marcus Eriksen will discuss his book Junk Raft: An Ocean Voyage and a Rising Tide of Activism to Fight Plastic Pollution. In 2008, Eriksen and a friend traveled 88 days and 2,600 miles on a raft made from 15,000 plastic bottles to build awareness and spark a movement to save our seas from plastic pollution. Eriksen is the co-founder with his wife, Anna Cummins, of 5 Gyres Institute, an organization that focuses on reducing plastics pollution through science, education and adventure. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. with family activities all afternoon; the talk begins at 2 p.m.
The Bruce Museum Seaside Center is supported in part by Osprey Private Client. For more information, contact Seaside Center Manager Cynthia Ehlinger at cynthiae@brucemuseum.org or 203-413-6756 and 203-413-6735.
