MIAMI – Students celebrated the launch of “Plastic Free Cities” on Saturday morning with a cleanup challenge at Goodlet Park in Hialeah in collaboration with Ocean Conservancy, Debris Free Oceans and Big Blue & You.
According to studies, the health of Biscayne Bay is in crisis, with pollution killing off coral, fish and nearly 80 percent of the seagrass.
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Ocean Conservancy, the nation’s oldest marine conservation nonprofit, is empowering high school students to take action.
Under the new program, high school students will learn innovative ways local businesses can improve sustainability.
After completion of the program, students are expected to go out and talk to business owners in person, encouraging them to enroll in Miami-Dade’s Plastic Free 305 program, a pledge to reduce or eliminate single-use plastics.
According to a news release, Ocean Conservancy was the first in the nation to commission a comprehensive study on the sources of plastic pollution in Miami.
Researchers recorded 10,122 litter items and 55% were commonly used plastic items like food wrappers and tobacco products.
The report showed plastic fragments, food wrappers and tobacco products are the top items contributing to urban litter in Miami, consistent with data from Ocean Conservancy’s annual International Coastal Cleanup.
Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges.
For more information, visit http://www.oceanconservancy.org or you can follow the group on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.