Two topics appeared to dominate the sessions: the economics of ocean health, and the need to continue to engage, inform and educate the public about the vital role of the ocean in the Earth’s life support systems.

There were many interesting panels and workshops, among which presentations on Ocean Wilderness Areas, Ocean Acidification, Oceans of Faith and Offshore Energy. Plastic Pollution Coalition presented on two panels: Seas of Plastic, and Artists for Change.

Executive Director and Co-founder Daniella Dimitrova Russo spoke about the urgency and immediacy of plastic pollution. Quoting Victor Hugo, she said “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. Public understanding of plastic pollution as the cross-section of some of the major challenges facing our society today is such idea.”

Daniella pointed out the viral spread of the term “plastic pollution”, and the growth of the members of the coalition, whose combined reach is now into hundreds of thousands of people. “It is a unique confluence of public interest, an idea whose time has come, and a powerful sense of personal responsibility”, she said, discussing the growth of the organization.

Daniella pointed out the urgent need to rethink our relationship with plastic: a material that is durabele, lightweight, inexpensive, toxic and lasts for hundreds of years must be used with an appreciation for its benefits, as well as its dangers.

She challenged us to trade our obsession with convenience for the beauty of objects made to last.

Co-founder and Creative Director Dianna Cohen spoke on a panel discussing the role of art in raising awareness about the ocean. She described her 2010 project, “Oceans of Plastic” where in the course of 4 weeks, 200 elementary students at the Benjamin Franklin International School in Barcelona created a 3×7 m ocean made out of recycled plastic bags.  It was hand-sewn together into a quilt-like 2D form.

Over the course of four weeks, students are creating sea life from plastic bags; from whales to schools of fish, seaweed to corals, crabs and lobsters.  Through referencing books, models, and even a trip to see the film “Oceans,” students are creating realistic depictions of these creatures.  This creation process has been documented through both film and still photos.

The plastic ocean brings together the disciplines of science and art. A presentation of this art installation allows a collaboration in which the students and the artwork talk about many issues simultaneously. Watch the video of the project!

For more information on specific presentations and topics, visit the Blue Vision Summit website.

To make it easier to find all of these great resources, we’ve pulled them together into one page, with links to materials and contact information for the organizations that have prepared them. Whether you’re looking for ideas for a great art project that gets young kids excited and helps to inform them, or a curriculum that focuses on the science behind plastic pollution for highschool-age students, you’ll find it in our Educators Toolkit. As usual, if you’re looking for something you don’t find here, or you’ve got a question related to any of the materials, please contact us or leave a comment and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Thank you for helping to nurture the next generation!

Trash for Teaching collects clean, safe and interesting manufacturing cast-offs from local factories and repurposes them for use by kids, teachers and artists. “Minimizing Waste / Maximizing Education” is their motto, something they have been doing for 6 years, during which this little non-profit has diverted over 250,000 pounds of materials from local landfills and served over 160,000 students.

Trash for Teaching offers workshops for teachers, parents and families. Their warehouse in Los Angeles is an amazing resource and really fun to visit. Recently they have launched a line of educational and fun DIY toys called Cast Away Kits.

Trash for Teaching collaborated with the band OK Go in the making of this amazing music video.  It is a pleasure to welcome Trash for Teaching to the Coalition. Don’t miss the video!! Have fun!

Sea Studios Foundation announces the launch of the Think Beyond Plastics Southern Sail, in partnership with Sealife Conservation, a sailing journey along the California Coast from November 4 to November 21, to raise awareness on plastic pollution in the ocean.

The sailing expedition will visit the California coastal communities of Morro Bay (Nov 4), Santa Barbara (Nov 9), Santa Monica (Nov 12), Long Beach (Nov 13) , and San Diego (nov 18-21). Full schedule here.

Each city will host a screening of the Sea Studios film Dirty Secrets from Strange Days on Planet Earth, an award-winning PBS series, hosted and narrated by Academy Award nominee Edward Norton.  In addition, at each stop there will be an opportunity to go out on an educational sail aboard the marine research vessel Derek M. Baylis.

This sailing tour is a part of the Sea Studios program Think Beyond Plastics, an ongoing collaborative effort to educate the public on the dangers plastic pollution, and to inspire people to eliminate single-use containers and plastic items. The Think Beyond Plastics campaign recently won Best 360 Campaign at the 2009 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.

Don’t miss this opportunity to watch films and go sailing while learning about plastic pollution.

Full program and schedule here.

This footage was broadcast by the CHBC News channel for the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada, and posted on the internet on November 2nd, 2009. Link to original news post and footage here.