Author: Anne Harshbarger

The ocean mural created by the Green Team at the beginning of the week

In order to show their classmates the effect humans and our trash have on the oceans, the Green Team at Morehead City Elementary School created an ocean mural and progressively added debris to it throughout the week. They started with a mural of an empty ocean, then filled it with beautiful marine life and put it on display in the cafeteria. One student on the Green Team, who helped create the mural, wrote:

Little did they know in a few days they were going to get a look at our real ocean, the one that isn’t perfect like in the movies.

About a week later, the Green Team went back and added trash and other everyday objects to their mural to show how marine debris that humans generate may interact with marine life and the ocean ecosystem.

The same mural at the end of the week, complete with marine debris

This activity demonstrated the idea that “away is not away” – when we throw away garbage, it doesn’t disappear. If it doesn’t make it to the landfill, it may eventually end up in the ocean, where marine life may become entangled or mistake it for prey.

The student wrote that her classmates were shocked by the transformation of the mural. When change happens slowly, like the accumulation of marine debris on local beaches, people are slow to notice, but if the same change happened quickly, like the transformation of the mural, people would be shocked at the true impacts humans have on marine ecosystems. At the end of this activity, the student wrote:

It really showed how unaware they are of what is really happening and what problems we are facing. I hope this project will inspire other kids to learn more about reducing, reusing, and recycling.

To hear her full perspective on the MES marine debris mural, read the rest of her letter below!

Nobody loves marine debris, so Valentine’s Day may seem like a strange time to write a blog about it. However, we think about marine debris every day, and Valentine’s Day is no exception! Here are a few happier ways to incorporate marine debris into your celebrations of love:

Make an upcycled valentine: Unfortunately, your local beach or waterway likely contains a lot of debris. Fortunately, you can give that debris a new purpose! Collect and clean marine debris, then use it to craft an upcycled valentine for someone you love! Here are some of our ideas:

• Flip-flop heart: Flip flops are a common find on beach cleanups; if you find a pair, matched or mismatched, you can overlap them to form a heart!
• Message in a bottle: Plastic bottles are another commonly collected type of debris. Wash one out, decorate, and put your own message inside! When you’re done with it, be sure to recycle!
• Mosaic valentine: Small pieces of plastic may break off when an object gets weathered and becomes brittle, or even before plastic enters the ecosystem. Gather up as many red, pink, and purple pieces as you can find on the beach, and use them to make a mosaic valentine!

Blow bubbles instead of blowing up balloons: Balloons can be extremely dangerous to wildlife if they are released into the environment. Even if they float away on accident, they will eventually come down, and marine life could mistake them for their next meal! Instead, try blowing bubbles! You could even use a stainless-steel straw to blow your bubbles, then use it to share a milkshake with your sweetheart!

Toast your date with a reusable aluminum cup: Aluminum cups are lightweight and portable, but reusable and easy to clean! Take a pair on your beach picnic to toast your date while the sun sets.

Make a date to collect trash: Take your date to a local beach or park and pick up debris together – picking up marine debris is a great way to show the Earth your love!

In 2017, Duke University Marine Lab launched its first community science research project focusing on marine debris. The year-long interdisciplinary program developed by DUML researchers, local teachers, and community members is intended for fourth and fifth grade classes in Carteret County. After learning about marine debris in their classrooms, students traveled to DUML to go out in the field and collect marine debris in the Rachel Carson Reserve. 

This fall we had 19 classes from Morehead City Elementary, White Oak Elementary, and Beaufort Elementary visit DUML to conduct marine debris cleanups (students at Tiller School and St. Egberts are scheduled for this spring). In just three months, we collected 1,802 POUNDS of marine debris. The most abundant item the students collected were cigarette butts with a total of 1,713. Students also collected a total of 638 plastic bags, 427 plastic bottles, 93 plastic straws, and 26 balloons. Some the most unique pieces of marine debris that were collected included a bike handle, a rug, light bulbs, a skateboard, and even a wedding band!

The collected marine debris were taken back to DUML to be weighed, cleaned, and sanitized. After picking the pieces of marine debris that were deemed “art-worthy”, the students took them back to their classrooms to make marine debris art mosaics and sculptures.

Thank you to all of the teachers who came to the vision workshop, piloted the program with their classes, and helped launch the marine debris program in their schools!