PROJECTS
MONTHLY BEACH CLEANUPS
Surface 71 ambassadors have partnered with Friends of Palm Beach to conduct monthly beach cleanups along the coastline of Palm Beach. Volunteers work for a period of two hours to collect macro and micro plastics and other types of debris along our beaches. Friends of Palm Beach supplies the gloves, grabbers, buckets, and bags for collection. Students are able to receive community service for their participation. Each cleanup averages between 50-100 volunteers, and we are able to collect as much as 2500 pounds of trash on some of our biggest cleanup days.
OCEAN CURRENT DRIFTER STUDIES
Surface 71 ambassadors have an active role as citizen scientists when it comes to collecting and interpreting the latest ocean current data. We have partnered with the ANGARI Foundation and their affiliates: NOAA, CARTHE Consortium, and the University of Miami to play an integral role in drifter science. Ambassadors have deployed small and large drifters at different times of the year to amass and record data.
OCEAN PLASTICS MARINE SCULPTURES
Inspired by the WashedAshore.org project on the west coast, Surface 71 began collecting, sorting, washing, designing, and building our own east coast version of the project. We are proudly displaying three of our sculptures for the summer of 2018 at the Manatee Lagoon-An FPL Eco-Discovery Center. Additionally, our sculptures have been featured at the E4 Green Show, Lagoon Fest, and will be debuting soon for a permanent installation in the downtown West Palm Beach waterfront.
GRASSROOTS APPEAL TO LEGISLATORS
Passionate to not only highlight the plastic pollution that exists in our waters, we are adamant that change must happen. Ambassadors are communicating with local, state, and national leaders to affect change to laws in Florida and beyond so that the use of plastics can be refused by communities. At this time, we have several cities who have signed resolutions to ban plastics in their cities once Florida law has been changed allowing them to effectively do so.
GREEN SCHOOL INITIATIVES
Surface 71 and Conniston Middle School are advocating for changes in our school district to further efforts for refusing, reducing, and reusing plastics at our schools. Several changes have already been initiated, like the elimination of styrofoam in cafeterias, implementation of student managed paper/plastic recycling programs, and the steady replacement and installation of refillable water stations in schools. We continue to encourage schools and students to be cognizant of being better global citizens.