SCIENTIFIC INSIGHTS ON MARINE PLASTIC POLLUTION

The Ocean Plastics Lab is a public exhibition about science. It showcases the contribution of science to understand and combat the problem of plastics in the ocean. The Lab will travel to various locations worldwide, inviting the public to engage with scientific work being done right now around the world. In the context of current discussions about science in society, the Lab demonstrates science’s fundamental role in tackling societal challenges and highlights that society is an integral part of science.

TRAVEL EXPENSES CAN BE COVERED if you are a founder of a startup working with plastic products, plastic waste and you are interested in speaking during the Ocean Plastics Lab exhibition in April, in Brussels, please write a message to [email protected].

BACKGROUND

At their June 2015 summit in Germany, the leaders of the seven largest industrial countries (G7) recognised the growing global challenge of litter in the oceans, especially plastics, and agreed to a G7 Action Plan to Combat Marine Litter. The G7 Science and Technology Ministers echoed this concern and intent to raising awareness among citizens through educational work (“ocean literacy”). The Ocean Plastics Lab is a contribution to this engagement.

THE EXHIBITION

The immersive and experienced-based exhibition spans four containers, which invite visitors to assume the role of a scientist and explore in a hands-on manner the extent and impacts of plastics in the ocean. Container 1 introduces visitors to the problem of marine plastics. Containers 2 and 3 take visitors on a tour of how scientific knowledge is created and applied to understand and to tackle the problem of plastics in the ocean. Exhibits highlight what scientists are doing to identify and quantify plastics in the ocean as well as to analyse its effects on marine animals, ecosystems and humans. Container 4 shows how to make informed personal decisions and invites visitors to participate in citizen science activities.
The exhibits encompass interactive installations, displays and animations on loan from science and civil society partners from across the G7 and other interested countries.

ACTIVITIES AND POTENTIAL VENUES

The Ocean Plastics Lab will start traveling from September 2017 onwards. At each location, the Lab will act as a hub for launching further activities, to create a multiplier effect helping to include the local audience in long-term engagement.
The Ocean Plastics Lab is cooperating with another traveling exhibition, the Plastic Garbage Project. Wherever possible, this indoor exhibition – developed by the Zurich Museum of Design with the support of the Drosos Foundation – will be displayed in museums or exhibition spaces in cities the Ocean Plastics Lab is traveling to. By targeting both public places as well as museums, the two complimentary exhibitions will reach and inform an even wider audience about the problem of plastics in
the ocean. The following locations could be considered for the next 18 months. A typical exhibition is expected to last two
weeks in prominent open-air locations.

• G7 Science Ministers Meeting, Torino, Italy
  (September 2017)
• Parvis Hôtel de Ville, Paris, France
  (November 2017)
• European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium
• Capitol Hill Ocean Week, Washington D.C., USA
• G7 Presidency, Canada
• Berlin, Germany