North Fork Plastic Reduction and Elimination Project on “Exploring the Pacific Ocean and Beyond in Pursuit of Plastic: Plastic Pollution, Science and Solutions”

The North Fork Plastic Reduction and Elimination Project hosts Writer, Artist and Scientist Erica Cirino speaking on “Exploring the Pacific Ocean and Beyond in Pursuit of Plastic:  Plastic Pollution, Science and Solutions” at the Peconic Lane Community Center, Friday, May 17 at 6:30 pm

The North Fork Plastic Reduction and Elimination project is a collaborative effort organized by the North Fork Environmental Council and North Fork Audubon Society.  The project takes a multi-prong approach focusing on educating the public on the risks of plastic pollution to humans and our environment while encouraging action through legislative advocacy and implementing practical alternatives.

Erica Cirino is a writer, artist and scientist who explores the human connection to nature–wild creatures in particular–and human impact on planet Earth. She has sailed across the most polluted part of the eastern Pacific Ocean and to remote reaches of the South Pacific Ocean, observed the work of plastic pollution science pioneers in California, documented the most polluted beach in Hawaii, met with world-class scientists in Denmark and Western New York, visited some of the most degraded ecosystems in Asia, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean, as well as the people working to clean them. Her purpose: Find out the truths about plastic pollution and what it’s doing to the planet, wildlife and people. Erica shares her testimony during her presentation, “Exploring the Pacific Ocean and Beyond in Pursuit of Plastic,” a part of her “Go and See Tour” project which is funded in part by a Safina Center “Kalpana Chawla ‘Launchpad’ Fellowship.”

As a writer, Erica covers stories about wildlife and the environment, most often related to biology, conservation and policy. Her stories appear in Scientific American, VICE, Ars Technica, Audubon, The Atlantic, New Scientist, Hakai Magazine, Oceans Deeply, Proto and other popular science publications. As an artist, Erica possesses a strong command of various disciplines. She is an award-winning photographer and mixed-media creator who combines her artistic finesse with her knowledge of wildlife physiology and ecology to devise striking, thoughtful works focused on wildlife and environmental subjects. As a scientist, Erica is posted as guest researcher at Roskilde University in Denmark. There, she is taking a close look at the efficacy of policies meant to mitigate plastic pollution.  

Currently, Erica is focused on covering stories about the global plastic pollution crisis—from documenting plastic in different ecosystems, to investigating the latest science measuring the extent of the issue, to new solutions that could prevent further ecological destruction and harm to wildlife. Erica gives lectures about her experiences reporting these stories in the field around the world as a journalist.