Artichoke Dance Company takes recycling to another level while creating a personal relationship with their environment. Their performance required them to literally comb New York City beaches. Not only did they find sand in places they never knew they had but also raised issues that New York City residents never knew needed attention! In fact before dancing in the sand they collected waste materials, primarily plastic, and made their costumes out of the debris. They have stated that "this work continues our ecology trilogy that began with the Human Mapping Project. This work investigates the exponential growth of single use plastics and the repercussions that plastics are being discovered to have on the environment and in the human body." I was astounded to come across the following list.
Top 10 debris items found worldwide during the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup:
1. Cigarettes and filters, 3,216,991 2. Plastic bags, 1,377,141 3. Food wrappers and containers, 942,620 4. Caps and lids, 937,804 5. Plastic bottles, 714,892 6. Paper bags, 530,600 7. Straws and stirrers, 509,593 8. Cups, plates, forks, knives and spoons, 441,053 9. Glass bottles, 434,990 10. Drink cans, 401,412
Whether we like it or not litter is affecting our beaches, neighboring wildlife and the local water supply. I have seen countless images of animals caught in ocean debris. These animals have no way of freeing themselves once trapped in our urban ecosystem. It is our responsibility to be mindful of these tragedies. As mundane as it may sound recycling, reducing and reusing are all effective ways to minimize the effects we have on the environment. The following images by artist Chris Jordan are commonplace. [imagebrowser id=1]
Take it from Artichoke Dance Company and find ways to reduce your carbon footprint.
For upcoming performances visit: ArtichokeDance.org