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South Miami Senior High School Junior Amelia McKay, 16, knows a thing or two about the dangers posed to the environment by discarded plastic and other marine debris. After all, she’s spent hundreds of hours studying the issue and has taken action through her project, plastic smART, an educational program for youth that combines art and science to highlight the dangers of plastics and simple ways to reduce their plastic footprint.
Amelia, with the help of community volunteers, has created a beautiful piece of art made almost entirely from discarded materials that were found in the ocean or along the beach. A sea turtle made entirely from steel, is set beside discarded lobster traps and colorful buoys. They are all fashioned into a composition to showcase the extent to which marine debris clutters the marine environment.
“I began a citizen scientist journey as a member of Girl Scout Troop 26,” explains Amelia. “The purpose was to identify a problem and take action to educate the community about it. The project had to be sustainable so that when I left for college, it would live on through the work of other volunteers.”
Amelia, who is a candidate for the Girl Scouts’ Gold Award, the equivalent of the Eagle Scout Award, began her research by mining for microplastics on a beach alongside members of Miami Eco Adventures at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center. She worked side by side with Ed Pritchard and Alison King.
“We are so very proud of Amelia and amazed by her work ethic and creativity, blending art, science and education to create this masterpiece that will engage and inspire many audiences to take action on the issue of marine debris,” says Pritchard, Interpretive Programs Supervisor for Miami Eco Adventures.
In addition to the art piece on display at Crandon Park, Amelia is leading groups of students through weekend educational sessions designed to educate them on the issue. The day culminates with a beach cleanup after which selected marine refuse collected are arranged into a piece of art on the beach. Amelia wrote the curriculum and the educational program will continue when her time with the project ends next fall.
A library of reference material is also being developed under Amelia’s leadership. “We want the students to have books to refer to when learning about the problem of plastic and other marine debris,” she explains. “There will be story time hours at Miami Eco Adventures and other educational programs. Anyone wishing to donate a book can do so on our Amazon Wish List here.”
Royal Caribbean is using Amelia’s curriculum as part of the company’s “Seastainability” program, whereby the cruise line will translate the curriculum into Creole and French and use it at the Royal Caribbean school in Haiti.
“The plastic smART project is a result of years of planning, and a testament to this young artist’s vision and leadership. We are all incredibly proud of Amelia and what she has accomplished,” says Lizzie Hunter, Magnet Fine Arts Instructor at South Miami Senior High School.
For more information about plastic smART, please visit https://plasticsmart.wordpress.com/.
