The more we learn about the statistics behind plastic waste – the more alarmed we become. The United Nations Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution estimates that land-based sources account for up to 80 percent of the world’s marine pollution, 60 to 95 percent of the waste being plastics debris.
The Washed Ashore Project aims to make a change. The brainchild of environmentalist artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi, it raises awareness about plastic pollution through community cleanups and workshops. The collected trash is then used to create large scale sculptures of sea life threatened by marine debris.
It all started when Haseltine Pozzi noticed the immense amounts of plastic pollution on the pristine southern Oregon beaches. Now, together with a team of over 10,000 volunteers, she works to eliminate plastic waste. So far, over 20 tons of debris were turned into over 70 sculptures of the animals. These sculptures tour as the Washed Ashore Project traveling exhibit, educating and inspiring countless people to take action in their own lives to prevent contributing to this global problem.
“As the beaches around the world wash up more stuff from the land and less from the sea I believe we must examine our relationship to rivers and oceans,” writes Haseltine Pozzi on her website. “I attempt to scoop up part of what might be below the blue waters and place it in front of us. In some ways it may be an escape, but at the same time a confrontation.”
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