By Staff Reports
(HONOLULU)– The Oahu-based nonprofit group Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii (SCH) recently spearheaded a unique art project designed to educate and engage locals on the pervasive problem of marine debris, specifically microplastics.
Local artist and SCH volunteer Shannon McCarthy painted an expansive scene of the ocean on five wooden panels that she constructed out of reclaimed wood with an invasive species strawberry guava wooden border. Over the past three months, SCH has conducted educational beach cleanups involving students from Kainalu Elementary, St. John Vianney, St. Louis High School, St. Anthony, Kahalu’u Elementary, and Girl Scouts Troop 840. The microplastics that were collected using rudimentary sand sifters was then separated and glued to the panels creating an intricately beautiful finished art piece, the like of which has never been seen before in Hawaii.
The finished microplastic mosaic was unveiled at SCH’s Point Panics Beach Cleanup on June 21st and was then displayed at Honolulu Hale. This weekend, August 1-2, the mosaic will be displayed at the Jack Johnson concert, to be held at the Waikiki Shell.
During the June cleanup, SCH also announced the First Annual Ultimate Sand Sifter Challenge, a contest that encourages Oahu residents to create and build sand sifters that can efficiently remove microplastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch that have landed on Hawaii’s Coastlines. “The hope is that this mural will directly inspire people to pay attention to the overwhelming amount of marine debris affecting our coastlines,” said SCH’s Executive Director Kahi Pacarro. “Our Sand Sifter Challenge is meant to foster out of the box thinking, entrepreneurial spirit, and teamwork to tackle a growing problem that, if not addressed, will lead to an unsustainable future for Hawaii’s coastlines.”
Open to all ages, the contest will be judged on the amount of plastic removed, efficiency, cost to replicate, use of reusable base materials, and portability. The winner will receive a $2,500 prize and an additional $2,500 to build five replicates of the sand sifter to be distributed to partner organizations and individuals who clean Oahu’s coastlines.
About Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii
Sustainable Coastlines is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. One hundred percent of donations go to support beach clean up efforts, coastal advocacy, and community education. Established in January of 2011, over 5,000 SCH volunteers have collected more than 36,000 lbs. of marine debris from Hawaii’s coastal areas.
For details on the Sand Sifter Challenge, visit www.sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org/ultimatesandsifterchallenge or search “Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii” on Facebook. Please contact Kahi Pacarro at kahi@sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org for more information.