The next time you reach for a plastic bottle of water, consider this — of the 2.5 million plastic bottles bought every minute in the US, only 1 in 6 ends up being recycled. Many of the others end up in the oceans, polluting pristine beaches and killing marine life. The problem seems so overwhelming that most people shrug their shoulders and say “What can I do about it? I am only one person!” Not so Angelina Haseltine Pozzi! Her response shows how one determined individual can make a difference. Let us introduce you to the Washed Ashore project.

Our first introduction to Angela and her Washed Ashore project is in downtown Bandon, Oregon, an idyllic small town on the south coast of the state. As we walk through the center, two enormous sculptures appear in a vacant lot — Harry the Fish and Lidia the Seal, both made entirely from garbage.

Henry seems to shimmer in the sun, the orange, yellow and red of his plastics and metals catching the light. He is made of aluminum cans, plastic bottles, lids, and flip-flops, all collected on the beach.

Lydia is a 9-foot giant seal, her neck ensnared in plastic netting to draw attention to the problem that seals can become entangled in discarded fishing nets.

Intrigued, we stop at the Washed Ashore Gallery where a whole new world opens before us. Enormous sculptures fill the space, some hanging from the ceiling, others on the floor, still others affixed to the wall.
As we walk into the hall, we pass under strands of rope, plastic bits, toys and other pieces of plastic attached like tentacles to a steel frame. This is the representation of the gyres where millions of tons of garbage are trapped in swirling eddies that exist in every ocean of the world. It is designed to give you an idea of what a fish sees as it swims through those piles of marine trash.

Next to it is the “Oil Spill,” created from black garbage — eel traps, car parts, flip-flops, plastic toys. It looks as evil as the mess that it represents.

Near the back of the room, a giant jellyfish dangles from the ceiling. Look closely and you will see that his tentacles are made of plastic water bottles and plastic bags that shimmer in the light.

A 12-foot high 10-foot long whale bone cage hangs from the ceiling, created with white plastic bottles and other white items, including one with Japanese writing on it. In the back corner Tula, the Turtle is made from a giant green garbage can lid, bottles, lighters, and netting. A montage on the wall entitled “Fish Bites” illustrates how fish nibble pieces off the plastic that end up inside the stomachs and ultimately kills them.
In the back of the room, several tables are covered with piles of cleaned plastic — plastic bottles, cups, lids, flip flops, lighters, abandoned toys, even shotgun casings. Around the table are groups of adults and children, taking part in a workshop that takes place twice a week.

At one table we find grandparents sitting with their grandchildren, putting together bits of plastic into “kabobs” that will be used in a new sculpture. We ask one of the children what the experience has taught them. “To use and reuse,” says one little girl; “To take care of our oceans,” said another.

Angela is a firm believer that by involving as many people as possible, across the generations, in the creation of these giant sculptures, there will be a gradual change in society as people think about the impact of disposable plastic on marine life. “Ocean plastics outweigh the amount of plankton by at least six to one,” she says. “The power of art can carry an urgent message to the public. We must promote public awareness of the global issues associated with marine debris.”

Formerly an art educator and accomplished artist, Angela had returned to her childhood home of Bandon after a family tragedy, to heal herself along the serene coastline. What she found was a town where the beaches were clogged with plastics and other garbage, floating in on the waves from the Pacific Ocean, where an enormous gyre (Greenpeace estimates it is the size of Texas) sucks in the discarded trash before regurgitating it onto the beaches when the currents and winds are right.

The impact on marine life is devastating. Birds become tangled in nets or discarded soda can rings; to a sea turtle a plastic bottle looks like a jellyfish; and pieces of plastic are turning up in the stomachs of birds and fish across the country. (You may have seen the horrific video shot by Craig Leeson about Midway Atoll where dissected carcasses reveal enormous amounts of plastic in the stomach of the albatrosses.)

Determined to do something, Angela established a project under the auspices of the Artula Institute for Art and Environmental Education, of which she is the Executive Director. With the help of 1,000 volunteers, over the period from 2012, 3.5 tons of marine garbage is collected and taken to the warehouse where other volunteers wash, dry, sort and cut the trash into pieces that can be used in giant sculptures, all made entirely from ocean debris and representing the marine creatures that are at risk. Outside the warehouse (actually a series of Mongolian gers) is Avery the Albatross, also make from garbage, including some of the plastic pieces that would typically be found in a bird’s stomach.

Angela is assisted by a number of individuals, including her husband, Frank Rocco, who serves as Director of Development, and her deputy, Justin Hill, who first joined the project on an art internship before becoming a member of the operation.

The project has been embraced by the citizens of Bandon who contribute where they can — collecting plastics or providing free lodging to outside volunteers who work a minimum number of hours, etc. Volunteers are very welcome if you are looking for a worthwhile project to help.

Washed Ashore is also drawing the attention of a number of marine institutes where the giant sculptures are scheduled to be displayed in 2014. The more attention that can be focused on the issue of marine pollution and plastics, the better the chances that a solution might be found.

So the next time you reach for the plastic water bottle or watch your flip-flops being pulled out to sea on a wave, think of where that plastic is going to end up and think about what you can do to make a difference. Angela and her team did. So can you. It is our collective responsibility!

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact the Artula Institute (attention Washed Ashore); POB 1139, Bandon, OR 97411; (Tel. 541-329-0317).

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