‘Talking trash’ with kids in Nova Scotia
Discovery Centre joins forces with Divert NS to expose issues of ocean waste
There’s a local movement underway encouraging people to start talking trash — about the trash that ends up in our oceans, that is.
On the shorelines, trash is an obvious eyesore amidst our coastal views, but what happens to that trash once it’s out of sight beneath the water’s surface tells an even more concerning story.
The Discovery Centre has partnered with Divert NS, the agency responsible for promoting waste reduction strategies provincewide, to share this unseen story through a new permanent exhibit, now open to the public inside the Murphy Ocean Gallery.
Our daily plastic consumption habits have had adverse effects on our ecosystems and this new exhibit will shed light on the impact of our actions and choices, explains Jeff Maccallum, CEO of Divert NS.
“We really want to demonstrate why we should care. On a larger scale, we all know how plastic waste harms marine life, we hear about the turtles, but ultimately it does impact us as well in the food chain,” Maccallum says. “We all have to share this planet together, and especially where we border an ocean, we have a greater respect for the ocean from a livelihood perspective.”
As manager of exhibits and facilities at the Discovery Centre, Ruth Munro says the Divert NS Ocean Action Zone exposes the problem of ocean waste from all angles, allowing a realization of the interconnectedness of the entire planet, to provoke thought and inspire change from visitors of all ages.
The new exhibit begins by addressing the scale of the issue in terms of size and variety, as visitors are greeted by an imposing sculptural element made of the many types of waste collected on Nova Scotia shores. Walking though, visitors will discover what happens to those various waste elements over time, their breakdown process, the threats they impose on marine life and ultimately, the food chain and our food sources.
The goal is to arm visitors with enough takeaway knowledge about the impact of their choices when it comes to personal consumption, and to offer simple steps each person can take to positively contribute to a collective action plan to help solve this problem.
Munro says the organization’s shared values of knowledge and ocean preservation aligned to form the perfect partnership — with Divert NS providing invaluable insights and expertise on the issue, and the Discovery Centre providing the platform and support to distribute that message.
“They had a lot of good stories to tell and knew all the right partners to do the research needed to ensure this was as connected to Nova Scotia as possible,” says Munro.
The two organizations are also working in tandem to support the development of a virtual learning component associated with the exhibit, allowing schools across the province access to the important research displayed in the exhibit.
“We want people to know waste starts on land, and this is a great exposure to kids. It’s a big issue we want to raise awareness about.”
The Discovery Centre is now open Thursdays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. To buy tickets for your preferred day and time slot, visit thediscoverycentre.ca.