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Digital Educational Resources
Need educational resources or materials? The Marine Debris Program has free activities, videos, and more available online. Learn about marine debris and have some fun, wherever you might be, with digital debris educational resources for all ages!
Learn more.
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Follow the link below to download the app today (Credit: 808 Cleanups).
Submitted by: Michael Loftin, 808 Cleanups
The 808 Cleanups App continues to help volunteers log data and inspire more to get involved! Covering all islands, individuals and organizations are welcome to use the free 808 Cleanups App to log their data and photos for their cleanups. The App provides a public database of stewardship in both list and GPS form. More exciting updates to come in 2021!
Learn more and download the app here.
Marine debris from a grounded boat. Can you spot the Hawaiian monk seal in the photo? (Credit: Katie Cartee).
Submitted by: Dena Sedar, Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources
The Hawaiian word laulima translates to “many hands make light work,” and this is true when it comes to keeping coastlines in Hawai‘i free from marine debris. In March 2020, community volunteers and a team of employees from three divisions within the State of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) came together to remove debris from a grounded boat at Makoleʽa Point on Hawaiʽi Island. DLNR protects resources from mauka (towards the mountain) to makai (towards the sea), and staff from the Division of Aquatic Resources, Hawaiʽi State Parks, and Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement worked together to remove debris that was potentially hazardous to the endangered Hawaiian monk seals that frequently haul out on the beach at Makoleʽa.
Learn more about DLNR here.
Dr. Sarah-Jeanne Royer (left) and Kayla C. Brignac (right) testing the stability of the baskets intended to contain the samples for the plastic weathering experiment (Credit: Jenna Karr).
Submitted by: Kayla C. Brignac, Hawaiʻi Pacific University Center for Marine Debris Research and The Ocean Cleanup
Researchers from The Ocean Cleanup and Hawaiʻi Pacific University Center for Marine Debris Research have partnered together to create the first plastic weathering time series and archive in tropical marine conditions. This multi-year monitoring experiment began on April 15th, 2021, and is housed at the Hawaiʻi Pacific University’s Makapuʻu Campus and the Center for Marine Debris Research. This will be the first study to provide empirical data on vertical transport mechanisms, effects from the presence of a biofilm, plastic degradation rates, and chemical timestamping capabilities for different floating polymers with differing debris sizes and shapes. Samples taken from this time series at various intervals throughout the years will also be stored and preserved in an archive for future analyses.
Visit the link below to watch the Trashion Show online (Credit: Mālama Maui Nui).
Submitted by: Gabrielle Schuerger, Mālama Maui Nui
The Art of Trash is an annual, juried exhibition that inspires community members to reimagine our resources, such as previously used materials, as elements for creative inspiration. The Art of Trash is broken down into two categories: an Art Gallery and a Trashion Show. Each year, the annual Art of Trash exhibition is kicked off with the Trashion Show. This year we filmed it! All Art Gallery and Trashion Show entries are original works made from recycled and/or reused material. Jurors make their selections based on the transformation of material, good craftsmanship, and, of course, overall creativity.
At Mālama Maui Nui, we aspire to be mindful of our resources and consider such a form of gratitude in our stewardship. Be inspired and consider your perspective and practices regarding “waste” through this exploration of creative material transformation.
Learn more.
Juvenile green turtle (Chelonia mydas) found entangled in monofilament fishing line receives treatment at MOC Marine Institute's Honu Rescue Lab (Credit: MOC Marine Institute).
Submitted by: Thomas Cutt, MOC Marine Institute
Interactions in nearshore coastal fisheries continues to be a primary threat to sea turtles in Hawaiʻi. In 2020, Maui Ocean Center (MOC) Marine Institute documented 276 stranded sea turtles, 83.33% (n=230), due to fishing gear interactions. Among the documented fisheries interactions in 2020, the majority were due to entanglement in fishing line (n=124).
Learn more in the MOC Marine Institute’s 2020 Sea Turtle Report.
Stephanie Mock with feed bags previously donated to local cleanup organizations (Credit: Kualoa Ranch).
Submitted by: Stephanie Mock, Kualoa Ranch
Kualoa Ranch has feed bags, recycled from horse and pig operations, available to local community groups for beach cleanups.
If your organization is located on O'ahu and is interested in a free donation of recycled feed bags, please reach out to Stephanie Mock, Kualoa Ranch Sustainability Manager, at smock@kualoa.com at least two weeks prior to your event. Reaching out earlier is recommended allowing Kualoa the chance to collect the number of bags needed.
Buckets filled with marine debris after a solo family beach cleanup (Credit: Surfrider Foundation Kaua'i Chapter).
Submitted by: Cynthia Welti, Surfrider Foundation Kaua'i Chapter
Surfrider Foundation Kaua‘i Chapter has a new program, well-timed as the island opens for tourism again. The Ocean Friendly Visitors Program helps visitors enjoy Kaua‘i while also leaving it a bit better. Surfrider Foundation Kaua‘i Chapter collects more than 10,000 pounds of marine debris from Kaua‘i beaches every month and looks to residents and visitors to help pick up marine debris.
Visitors are encouraged to act in six key areas:
- Keeping Kaua‘i beaches clean and beautiful by picking up debris
- Minimizing use of plastics
- Protecting the island’s reefs
- Protecting marine life
- Practicing COVID-19 etiquette by preventing personal protective equipment debris
- Dining responsibly by eating at Ocean Friendly Restaurants
The Ocean Friendly Visitors Program is promoted through social media and through hotels and resorts.
Seven submissions were entered from Kahaluʻu Elementary, Hahaʻione Elementary, ‘Ilima Intermediate, Hawaiʻi School for the Deaf & Blind, Island Pacific Academy, St. Andrew's Schools, and Mililani High School (Credit: Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation).
Submitted by: Lisa Jeffers-Fabro, Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation
In honor of Earth Day, Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation hosted a Plastic Free Hawaiʻi School Mural Art Show at the Kōkua General Store in Haleʻiwa. Hawaiʻi students and school groups grades K-12 incorporated marine debris, plastic bottle caps, and other plastic items collected from cleanups or recycling drives to create inspiring murals to evoke issues surrounding plastic pollution around the theme of UNITY. Visitors were able to view the murals in person, engage in meaningful conversations, and help vote for a winner! The grand prize winner will receive a water refill station for their school and an Upcycle Hawaiʻi virtual presentation. Runners-up will receive gifts from Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation and Upcycle Hawaiʻi. Congratulations to all the students who participated and for being stewards of our island home!
Parley for the Oceans will be hosting hands-on educational workshops, check out the link below to learn more (Credit: Parley for the Oceans).
Submitted by: Nicholas Schippers, Parley for the Oceans
Parley for the Oceans is launching a collaborative community hub dedicated to educating, inspiring, and empowering a new generation of ocean ambassadors. The Parley AIR (Avoid, Intercept, and Redesign) Station invites visitors to take a deep dive into the importance of the oceans and the actions we can all take to protect them for future generations. Parley and partner organizations Sustainable Coastlines Hawaiʻi, Zero Waste Oʻahu, Changing Tides Foundation, Bishop Museum, and Nā Kama Kai will be offering hands-on workshops covering everything from marine plastic pollution and upcycling to ocean exploration and material innovation. Learn from this group of dedicated educators and join Parley’s movement to Avoid, Intercept, and Redesign. Open from Wednesday to Sunday, sign up for sessions at BishopMusueum.org.
Submitted by: Mark Manuel, NOAA Marine Debris Program
The NOAA Marine Debris Program is excited to announce our new monthly webinar series, Salvaging Solutions to Abandoned and Derelict Vessels. Every fourth Wednesday of the month at 3:00PM EST, the webinar will feature experts on a topic related to abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs), to share perspectives and solutions from across the country on common ADV issues.
Please feel free to share this broadly and stay up-to-date on the upcoming monthly topics by visiting our website, subscribing to our newsletter, or emailing us at SalvagingSolutions@noaa.gov.
The articles written by partners are not the opinions of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and do not imply that NOAA recommends or endorses those expressed by partner organizations. These opinions and their associated actions will be carried out by interested partner organizations and are not affiliated with NOAA or the NOAA Marine Debris Program.
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