Microplastics are less than 5mm in size and account for over 90% of the world's marine plastics. But they are often missed in beach clean ups and many people do not see them. This protocol is designed to count microplastics on sandy beaches.

Lula Gil founded Water Journey, a movement communicating sustainability through art and water sports. Her art consists of transforming plastic waste she finds at Rio de la Plata River, into pieces of art to raise awareness about the plastic pollution affecting the seas and inspire people to connect with Mother Nature through their habits. For her, art evokes sensitivity and helps to understand this topic from an intimate perspective. Here is a quick and easy step-by-step guide with a few tips to create plastic art.

To address the problems of marine plastics and public science, we created an educational tool geared towards children: the Ice Cream Scoop Trawl. This is a simple technology that children can help make and use it to learn about marine plastics. It is used to test for presence of marine plastics at the water's surface. An ice cream container is modified so that water can pass through it and fitted with a handle so that a child can pull it through water.

Flooding can occur almost anywhere in our country, and people are affected every year by flood damage to their homes and communities. It is important to know about the types and causes of flooding and how to make the right choices when building or purchasing a home. In this activity children will become aware of the importance of elevation to prevent flood damage through hands-on activity.

Every year during Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup, hundreds of thousands of volunteers comb lakes, rivers and beaches around the world for trash. Over the course of nearly three decades, more than 9 million volunteers have collected nearly 164 million pounds of trash. But our ocean needs help more than once a year, and you can take a lead role on the front line of one of the world's most preventable problems by doing your own beach or waterway cleanup.

Marine debris isn't an ocean problem - it's a people problem. That means people are the solution. And, tackling the problem of plastic in the ocean begins on land. Although it may seem daunting, there are simple actions we can take to reduce waste and prevent debris. If you're feeling crafty, here are some DIY projects that will transform plastic into something you can use in your home or garden.

Created with baby's tights, soda pop bottles, and other inexpensive and easy to find materials, Babylegs can be used to trawl for floating marine microplastics from a boat (motorized or hand-propelled). It is designed to mimic the type of samples collected by the more expensive Manta Trawl: floating microplastics less than 5mm in size. BabyLegs usually requires trawl times of 20 minutes to an hour, so is not appropriate for use by hand. If you do not have a boat and would like to check local waters for plastics, we recommend the Ice Cream Scoop, or a shoreline study.

Learn more about the process behind creating 3D printer aquatic macroinvertebrate models. Plus, gain access to the files needed to print your own. In Orleans Parish, if you are in need of access to a 3D printer, check out Delgado Community College's FabLab!