Washed Ashore, an Oregon NGO, takes advantage of too much plastic in the ocean

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Washed Ashore, an Oregon NGO, takes advantage of too much plastic in the ocean - You can too

An estimated 8 million tons of plastic are additionally dumped each year to the already 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic trash, becoming an increasingly larger threat to marine species and ecosystems. A nonprofit organization in Oregon has found a way to take some of that plastic and turn it into a teaching tool.

The Washed Ashore Project has made the education and awareness of this ongoing challenge its mission through the creation of their found object sculptures, but they need support to continue their work. The donations given to the project will help pay employees, buy materials for the sculptures, and create educational materials.

Launched in 2010 and led by artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi, the art created takes pieces of plastic found from the ocean and transforms them into different sculptures of marine animals such as a Styrofoam coral reef and a plastic bottle sea jelly. There's even a sculpture dubbed "Henry the Fish" made from, among other things, lighters, beach shovels, and toothbrushes.

The project has created a large community of artists, students, and volunteers that have helped Washed Ashore process 17 tons of debris and create over 65 sculptures. According to One Green Planet, they collected 7,000 pounds of marine waste, creating 18 sculptures in their first year alone. Over 12,000 volunteers have helped clear over 300 miles of coastline beach debris and from that amount, 98% is being used each year.

Funded by the Artula Institute for Arts & Environmental Education and NOAA Marine Debris Program, the NOAA page states, "... students and teachers will come away with a deeper understanding of the marine debris problem through the lens of art and science."

Washed Ashore describes the process: Volunteers help process the marine garbage for the artists by collecting, cleaning, and sorting it. They also help the artists put the sculptures together. The sculptures, other than being memorable works of art, are visual educational tools for the organization. People learn about ocean waste from the process of preparing the sculptures and just by viewing the amount of plastic used in each sculpture lends into an understanding of how much waste ends up in the world's oceans.

The project also has a continually updated schedule of traveling exhibitions that visit different zoos, aquariums, and parks across the United States. Over 15 million people have seen these exhibits.

Ninety-five percent of the debris they collect is petroleum based which includes plastic bottles, bags, and toys, and nylon nets. This kind of plastic breaks down into toxic chemicals such as BPA, which eventually cause harm to humans, once they make it back to shore.