Tennessee Aquarium joins effort against plastic pollution
The Tennessee Aquarium and 19 other aquariums across the U.S. on Monday announced they are eliminating plastic straws and single-use plastic bags in their institutions in an effort to combat plastic pollution in the world’s rivers and oceans.
The initiative is part of the Aquarium Conservation Partnership “In Our Hands” campaign.
“Whether you’re on the highest mountain in the Appalachians or standing next to the Gulf, we’re all connected to each other by water, through the beautiful streams that make their way to the bigger rivers and the ocean beyond,” Dr. Anna George, vice president of conservation science and education for the Tennessee Aquarium, said in a news release. “Helping keep this water clean, not just for our use and recreation, but also safe for the animals who live there, is one of the most important things we can do for the future.”
About 8.8 million tons of plastic enters the ocean each year worldwide — roughly a dump truck full of plastic every minute of every day, according to a news release from the Tennessee Aquarium. In the U.S. alone, plastic waste averages more than 200 pounds per person each year.
“The public trusts aquariums to do what’s right for the health of the ocean and for ocean wildlife,” Julie Packard, executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, said in the release. “We’re just beginning to understand the full impacts of ocean plastic
pollution on ecosystems, marine life and human health, but we already know enough to say that now is the time to act.”
The aquariums also have committed to significantly reduce or eliminate plastic beverage bottles by December 2020 and showcase alternatives to single-use plastic in their facilities.
The Aquarium Conservation Partnership was first championed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, National Aquarium in Baltimore and Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, in collaboration with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Coalition partners are located in 16 states and include:
› California: Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach; California Academy of Sciences/Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco; and Monterey Bay Aquarium
› Connecticut: Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut
› Florida: The Florida Aquarium in Tampa
› Illinois: Shedd Aquarium in Chicago
› Kentucky:
Newport Aquarium in Kentucky
› Louisiana: Audubon Nature Institute/ Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans
› Maryland: National Aquarium
› Massachusetts:
New England Aquarium in Boston
› Nebraska: Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Nebraska
› New York: Wildlife Conservation Society/ New York Aquarium in New York City
› North Carolina: North Carolina Aquariums
› South Carolina:
South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston
› Tennessee: Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga
› Texas: Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi
› Virginia: Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach; and
› Washington:
Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma and Seattle Aquarium