The SplashTrash Story
Have you ever had an epiphany?
An experience that totally changes your life?
In early 2016, I spent four months on the beautiful Caribbean island of Utila, Honduras and was devastated by the amount of trash on the beaches and in the ocean. As an environmental communicator and lifelong lover of the sea, I felt I had to do 'something’.
Beachcombing a plastic beach.
In the evenings I would scour web pages, discovering marine debris research and organizations and beach trash artists around the world. I found that what was happening to the beaches and ocean in Utila was happening.......everywhere.
It changed my life....
I began to beachcomb, searching through piles of trash, plastic crunching underfoot and finding 'treasures' that emerged into 'art' - mostly mobiles and totems made out of children's toys.
Returning home to Santa Fe, New Mexico, I couldn't seem to let it go.
I created an arts-based, interactive exhibit on trash in our oceans for the ReUseApalooza Festival.
After a lot of thought, I created the idea of the SplashTrash Tour and sent out email introductions to twenty-seven organizations in thirteen towns along the Gulf Coast asking if they would like to host the Tour in early 2017.
My friend brought her children to see it. They brought their friends and their friends brought their friends. Even though they lived thousands of miles from the ocean, the kids were fascinated.
They encouraged me to take the show on the road!
My vision was to have six hosts.
And that's just what manifested.
From January to April 2017, the SplashTrash Tour travelled to six locations along the Gulf coast of Florida creating dialogue and action around plastic in our oceans and what we can do to make a difference.
Stay tuned for what's coming next!
© SplashTrash 2016
SplashTrash Intl. by SplashTrash Intl. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Please give credit to SplashTrash Intl., the SplashTrash Tour, Bette Booth, www.splashtrash.org
