Page 34 - Life in Naples November 2018

Pozzi vows, “Until we run out

of plastic on the beach,
W ashed
we will keep doing our work.”

A shore

Art to Save the

Sea Exhibit Comes

to Naples Zoo

by Kelsey Burr, Naples Zoo Marketing Associate

t’s an issue that most people know about: plastic pollution in
our oceans. But sometimes the message doesn’t quite hit home
until people see just how much plastic is washing ashore.
“Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea” aims to do just
that. By creating art sculptures made entirely of debris
that’s washed ashore, the organization’s goal is to educate
Ia global audience about plastic pollution in oceans and

waterways and spark positive changes in consumer
habitats. Since the project began in 2010, thousands of
pounds of trash have been removed from beaches. That
trash was then processed into more than 70 works of art,
which travel the country to raise awareness about the
plight of the world’s oceans and marine life.
Washed Ashore will be featured at Naples Zoo from
November 17, 2018 to April 21, 2019 and will showcase
11 large sculptures. At Naples Zoo, our mission is to
inspire people of all ages to respect, value, and help
conserve wildlife and our natural world, and this exhibit
fits that mission perfectly.
All of the sculptures are of animals that are affected
by plastic pollution. The 11 pieces coming to Naples
Zoo are a sea star, shark, jelly, polar bear, penguin,
humpback whale tail, seal, salmon, octopus, a parrot fish,
and a trigger fish. Each piece is carefully created, with a
specific message. For example, the seal piece is made of
a variety of lids, buoys, netting, and wheels to represent
that seals can become entangled in nets, ropes, and
rubber rings or directly ingest bits of plastic.

34 Life in Naples | November 2018