The number of stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way, is around 400 billion. Now let’s up the number to 5.25 trillion — that is the estimated number of pieces of plastic in our oceans.
Putting that into perspective, there are 13 times more pieces of plastic in the planet’s oceans than there are stars in the galaxy.
Here in South Florida, Miami is surrounded by stunning coastlines and sandy beaches, waterways and an oceanfront that everyone expects to be clean and attractive. People come from all over the world to spend time in Miami and Miami Beach. Miami thrives on tourism and the benefits are seen through the money brought into the area economy and the jobs that are created to support this industry.
“But clearly visitors don’t come to Miami expecting to see the beaches and the ocean littered with plastic, trash, and empty cans and bottles; they don’t visit by the millions each year to witness waves of marine debris,” said Caitlin Pomerance, co-founder of Debris Free Oceans (DFO), a South Florida based non-profit that is creating awareness of the proliferation of ocean waste through education.
Pomerance and Jeremy Waks founded the organization in 2014 to inspire local communities to take responsibility for their waste (specifically plastics) so that the beaches, reefs, and the ocean can retain their ability to thrive. DFO uses a five-step approach to facing marine debris:
Reduce (single-use products);
Re-use (products one already owns);
Recycle;
Recover (remove debris from the environment), and
Redesign (remaking marine debris into other usable products).
By facing the issue of marine debris head on in this way, DFO has cleaned up more than 10,200 pounds of trash from reefs and coastlines of South Florida since 2014. The organization has educated more than 1,250 students about the issue, successfully consulted with two corporations to eliminate waste in their daily practices, and they successfully encouraged the City of Coral Cables to work toward becoming the first municipality in Florida to ban plastic bags.
Debris Free Oceans does its important work through several effective programs. DFO hosts lifestyle awareness events such as eco-fashion shows and conducts education by presenting to students in classrooms. Additionally, they also provide sustainability consulting with corporations on how to become more green.
DFO also hosts engaging cleanup programs, such as SCUBA cleanups, paddle-board cleanups, and the ever-popular “Keg & Kleans” where volunteers enjoy a cold beer donated by a local brewery and served in reusable cups after a long day of cleanup on a local beach front.
“By offering a creative range of effective outreach and programming, and by working with a dedicated team of volunteers, our hope is to lift some of the burden that Miami and Miami Beach feel under the incredible weight of marine debris,” Waks said.
“We can no longer accept that the number of pieces of plastic in our world oceans so greatly outweigh the number of stars in our sky,” Pomerance added. “Debris Free Oceans is trying to change that, but we need your help to do it.”
Local schools, businesses and organizations interested in hosting a presentation by a member of the DFO team or in scheduling a team-building cleanup are encouraged to visit www.debrisfreeoceans.org.
Steffani Ruf is a DFO program intern.
