Lake Erie Foundation Awarded Multiple Grants for Plastics Display
Published: Friday, July 22, 2022 12:00 pm
By: Lake Erie Foundation
Lake Erie Foundation in collaboration with the Maritime Museum of Sandusky has been awarded multiple grants to develop and install a new, interactive, and educational display on the critical issue of plastics and microplastics in Lake Erie. The project team is led by Peter Huston, LEF Plastics Committee Chair, “LEF is excited to partner with the Sandusky Maritime Museum to create an interactive display that informs and educates museum visitors about the microplastic crisis.”
Molly Sampson, Executive Director of the Sandusky Maritime Museum is the project co-lead and she said, “By partnering with LEF on this new exhibit, the Maritime Museum of Sandusky is able to use the Foundation’s expertise to educate our visitors and encourage them to become better stewards of our waterways, ensuring we preserve the lake for future generations.”
This project would not be possible without the generous support from the following funders:
- Mylander Foundation
- Wightman-Wieber Charitable Foundation
- Ottawa County Community Foundation
- Cyrus Eaton Foundation
Lake Erie, the smallest Great Lake, has the second highest quantity of plastic particles out of all the Great Lakes, and one of the highest concentrations of microplastics in the world. Lake Erie has as much plastic, and even more in some cases, than the huge garbage patches reported in the oceans. Because of its rough waters and location near multiple cities, the plastics break down into microplastics, which are almost impossible to filter out of the water. These microplastics can disrupt natural food webs and even reduce the quality, size, and reproductive capabilities of the local fish we eat. The United Nations ranks plastic pollution as the second most dangerous threat to the global environment, only behind climate change.
How can you help? Take action - July is national Plastics Free July. Here’s what you can do to reduce using single-use plastics and help Lake Erie - Take a Stake in the Lake – make the pledge to reduce – reuse – recycle – today!
To learn more about the problem with plastics and microplastics, go to our website.
tags: Community Outreach, Environmental Impact, Lake Erie
