South Carolina Aquarium Joins Forces With 19 Top U.S. Aquariums to Tackle Growing Plastic Pollution Threat

South Carolina Aquarium, along with nineteen aquariums across the United States, has joined forces to create a new Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP) to address one of the gravest threats facing ocean and freshwater animals – plastic pollution. Today, the ACP announced the launch of a nationwide consumer campaign and a business commitment to drive a shift away from single-use plastic among their visitors, in their communities and beyond.

“The public trusts aquariums to do what’s right for the health of the ocean and for ocean wildlife,” said Julie Packard, executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. “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.”

Partnering with aquariums across the nation is a natural evolution for the South Carolina Aquarium’s plastic pollution initiative. Following upon the heels of its successful Breaking Down Plastic summit held in April, the institution is committed to raising awareness and encouraging positive change in the reduction of single use plastics. In addition to these ongoing educational and outreach efforts to inform the public of plastic pollution and its harmful effects, the South Carolina Aquarium continues to develop additional tools and resources aimed at curbing the flow of plastic into its state’s waterways.

“We’re no strangers to plastic pollution, with more than 8 million tons floating in Charleston Harbor at any time,” said Kevin Mills, South Carolina Aquarium President and CEO. “We find it in patients that we treat in our Sea Turtle Care Center, and in phytoplankton at the bottom of the food chain. Together we can do something about it. The solution is in our hands.”

In fact, since opening the Aquarium has seen more than 17 cases of plastics ingested by sea turtles in its Sea Turtle Care Center, with most of those cases treated in the last two years.

Through the national “In Our Hands” campaign, the ACP institutions hope to empower their 20 million visitors and millions more in their communities to drive a national shift away from single-use plastic and toward innovative alternatives. The campaign includes a website that inspires visitors to make positive everyday behavior changes and raise awareness of the issue.

All 19 aquariums are also supporting this shift away from single-use plastic within their own businesses. As of today, all ACP members have eliminated plastic straws and single-use plastic take-away bags in their institutions. In hopes of additional plastic reduction, the aquariums have also committed to:

• Significantly reduce or eliminate plastic beverage bottles by December 2020
• Showcase innovative alternatives to single-use plastic in their facilities

“As leaders in aquatic conservation, aquariums are expected to walk their talk, and that’s exactly what this partnership is meant to do,” said National Aquarium CEO John Racanelli. “We are uniquely qualified to set an example for others—in reducing our plastic footprint, encouraging sustainable operating practices, and inspiring hope in a public that is hungry to be part of the solution. We’re right where we should be.”

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. In the United States alone, plastic waste averages more than 200 pounds per person each year. If nothing changes, by 2025 the flow of plastic into the ocean is expected to double.

But it’s not just the ocean that’s affected: Plastic pollution in lakes and rivers has been found at levels as high as, or higher than, in oceanic gyres that concentrate plastic trash. Today, there are an estimated one billion plastic particles floating on the surface of Lake Michigan alone.

The Great Lakes are the largest surface freshwater system on the Earth, making up approximately 21 percent of the world’s supply of surface freshwater. Additionally, more than 3,500 species of plants and animals live in the Great Lakes basin.

“Approximately 22 million pounds of plastic flows into the Great Lakes each year – in Lake Michigan alone, it is equivalent to 100 Olympic-sized swimming pools filled with bottles,” said Shedd Aquarium President and CEO Dr. Bridget Coughlin. “Small actions can turn into big solutions, and we believe the 24 million people in the United States who rely on this beautiful, massive resource for their drinking water, jobs and livelihoods want to be part of that wave of change. We look forward to working together in these commitments.”

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 & Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach; and
• Washington: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma; and Seattle Aquarium

This summer, the aquariums will focus on raising awareness, sparking consumer action and sharing their own success stories to highlight the many ways they’ve cut back on single-use plastic in their operations.

They are working with business partners to showcase innovative alternatives to single-use plastic products and will collaborate with vendors to accelerate design of new products and materials. They are also finding ways to use less plastic packaging in gift store items, and scaling back on single-use plastic in their cafes and restaurants.

The aquariums are also using their collective voice – at the local, state and national level – to support policies that reduce the flow of plastic pollution into the ocean, rivers and lakes. Beyond sponsoring clean-up events and education programs, many have backed successful efforts to stem the use of plastic shopping bags and plastic microbeads found in personal care products.

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Editor’s Note – This is an unedited press release

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