New programs at the N.C. Coastal Federation’s Fred and Alice Stanback Coastal Education Center continue with a Sept. 10 presentation by Bonnie Monteleone about the impact of plastic debris on the world’s oceans.
Monteleone said the presentation will offer new information to those familiar with her work as an artist, scientist and advocate through the Plastic Ocean Project at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, since the project changes and evolves as she continues to uncover the answer to a question she asked in 2008.
“It started out with just a question. I wanted to know if it was an urban legend that plastic was accumulating in the north Pacific, in an area known as the North Pacific Garbage Patch. That was my first question, and the second question was, if it’s happening there, is it happening in the north Atlantic?” Monteleone said.
Monteleone traveled the oceans in search of an answer. One experience in particular served as an aha moment. Standing on a beach in Hawaii, Monteleone watched the waves deposit plastic fragments on the shore in pockets 10 inches deep.
“That was a moment when I thought, ‘Oh dear God, I would hate to see this happen to Wrightsville Beach,’” Monteleone said. “That’s really when I decided that I was going to take these plastics and show people what I witnessed.”
A traveling art exhibit is one way Monteleone shares the impact of her research. Using 25 feet of canvases, Monteleone fashioned plastic she collected from 10,000 nautical miles of research in the image of Katsushika Hokusai’s famous painting, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” With support from Project AWARE, the exhibit has traveled more than 3,700 miles from the East to West Coast.
Monteleone also continues to explore the impact of marine plastics through undergraduate research conducted in collaboration with the chemistry, biology and marine biology departments at UNCW. Monteleone will share new findings during the presentation about chemicals that leach out of plastics and how those chemicals bioaccumulate in the fatty tissue of marine life.
Science or art, Monteleone hopes the information disseminated through the Plastic Ocean Project inspires people to get involved and prevent plastic from reaching the ocean.
Tracy Skrabal, coastal scientist and office manager at the coastal federation’s southeast office, said Monteleone was selected for the Coastal Speaker Series for her ability to empower change.
“For many of us, out of sight is out of mind when it comes to plastic pollution in the ocean, but Bonnie has really brought it to the forefront. She’s incredibly engaging,” Skrabal said.
Skrabal said Monteleone’s message keeps her on track in a personal effort to avoid single-use plastic water bottles.
“I have always been somewhat conscious but now I can hear her voice, and I see these artworks that she’s done and it’s all from plastic we just throw away. It’s such a waste,” Skrabal said. She has not used a plastic bottle since January.
Monteleone will speak at 7 p.m. Sept. 10. The event is free for federation members and $10 for nonmembers.
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