The Battle for a Cleaner Beach Environment

The Battle for a Cleaner Beach Environment

Participating in Heal the Bay’s beach clean up at Dockweiler beach helped me realize that beach pollution is an issue that concerns most of the beaches in California. At the beach, there was a decent amount of trash that could be found lying anywhere in the area. As I was walking around, I found a variety of trash such as: bottle caps, wrappers, napkins, plastic bags, plastic/styrofoam cups and a whole lot of other miscellaneous items that were left behind. Items like these that are left behind are hazardous to the environment and the animals that live in and wander around the beach areas. Plastic is not a biodegradable product because it does not naturally decompose like other materials and is of no use to the environment unless it is recycled.

The plastic waste that gets left behind in places like the beach tend to get mistaken as a food source for animals that are living and wandering around the area. For example, certain marine and bird species consume plastic waste like bottles, caps, or pieces of plastic bags, thinking it is some sort of food source when in reality, it is not. This reduces their lifespan and they eventually die because plastic can not be properly digested by any organism. So, for my art project, I decided to make a picture with a frame using the trash I found. The frame is made out of some of the items that are polluting the beach and dangerous to the species that live around the area. Inside the frame is a picture representing the future beaches in California, cleaner and more environmentally friendly. This can be possible by participating in beach clean ups, disposing trash properly, recycling. So then one day the picture inside the frame can become a reality.  

Man's Best Friend

            

Man and Pet

            On Sunday, January 26, I participated in the Heal The Bay cleanup project at Dockweiler Beach. It was interesting to see what type of trash was left behind on the beach. I was never aware of any trash until I took part in this project. In a pristine environment, I expected the beach to be clean and free of gunk. I learned that humans are causing animals to become extinct, and I learned that the Earth is not a very safe environment. Animals such as polar bears, birds, sea animals, and more from all around the world suffer from mistaking trash for food. Their digestive systems cannot break down trash. The buildup of trash eventually kills the animals. I am glad that I helped protect the animals.

Trash along the beach comes in all shapes and sizes. I collected chip bags, balloons, strings, bottle caps, candy wrappers, foam, bottles, ball, and much more. Using some of the trash that I found at the beach, I created a simple picture. This picture represents how a person could change the world by taking the garbage with him. If everyone were the human in the picture, the Earth would be a much safer and cleaner place. Using plastic food wrap, I bundled specific types of trash, including a ball, candy wrappers, strings, a shoelace, and small plastic materials. The purpose of my project is to let people know how we can change the Earth. The person in the picture represents how people should be living. People should be living a life without littering and be helpful towards the environment. The picture shows him dragging the trash with a shoelace. The shoelace represents a leash, and the trash represents an animal or a pet. If people cherish animals, then trash would not be seen on the ground. The picture is a message for people to be like him.

             

Caught Up in the Mess

                                                             

                                                            Caught Up in the Mess

            With this art work I made out of trash, I want to send the message that this issue of marine pollution doesn’t only affect the sea animals, but it also affects us. A lot of us may not realize that the chemicals get into the system of the fish and seafood, and humans consume these, so we also get the chemicals into our bodies. The trash also gets into the water, making the ocean filthy and pollutant-filled, thus, getting into humans. This was why I created a person /face with a rope around his neck at the bottom of the diorama. This symbolizes the effect that these pollutants also have on humans. When we throw these toxic pollutants into the ocean, we are also killing ourselves. Every second, a fish ingests our deadly trash. As you can see on the top right corner, I put a fish stuck in a plastic, with cigarette butts, styrofoam, and a lighter cap inside it. This represents what fish go through and die of. It really is a cruel way to die. Marine mammals also die from the fuel from the lighters. On the bottom left corner are trash French fries. I created this aspect of the art to tell people that after we consume our food, we throw it into the oceans, thus destroying all ocean life. This is shown more by the quote: “After you enjoy, you destroy.” I want anyone who sees my art to realize that time is running out. Every day we are killing ocean life, the more we also harm ourselves. The animals’ lives are not the only ones at stake here, our lives’ are too. If we don’t do our part to protect and care for all ocean life, we will pay the price for our own mistakes. So let’s stop and make a change.