Museum of Litter

Museum of Litter in the News

There was a great article about us today by Don Crinklaw in the Fort Lauderdale SunSentinel -- in the East Side Forum (pg 11) and the Eastsider (pg 6). Here's a link to a readable copy of the article:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-esb-litter-0128-20100128,0,7058162.story

The Bradenton Butt

 

At a BP gas station on Manatee Avenue in Bradenton, FL: A couple drove up to a pump and both opened their car doors.  The man got out of the passenger side with difficulty as he maneuvered his cane and the door with a lit cigarette in his hand. As soon as he cleared the door, he pitched the cigarette butt to the pavement and stepped on it. Thankfully he extinguished the butt -- after all, we were at a gas station! He was a nice guy, and offered a friendly greeting. Disarmed by his disability and niceness I was momentarily mute, however, neither is an excuse for littering. By then he had already gone inside the service station. I hesitated for a moment, then went over to his open window and left a Thank You for your Donation to the Museum of Litter card on his passenger seat. Wish I could have been a fly on the dashboard to see his reaction and hear their conversation. Dear nice guy: if you're reading this,  please let me know what you think.

Museum of Kitty Litter? I don't think so!

 

Was at the AAA Office in Bradenton, FL. After getting a few maps, I mentioned to the woman at the counter something I had seen in the parking lot. I handed her my card telling her I was from the Museum of Litter and had seen one of those plastic outdoor Cigarette Butt receptacles laying on its side in the landscaping. A sign at the entrance to AAA states there is no smoking inside. "What chance is there a smoker will dispose of their butt properly if there is no ashtray in site near the door?" I asked, and wanted her to know where the receptacle had ended up.  As I was speaking, she got a quizzical look, burst out laughing hysterically, and admitted, "Oh! I thought you were talking about a Museum of Kitty Litter."

 

Sometimes when I mention Museum of Litter I get a blank look. Do you think they also think kitty litter? I just thought that maybe litter wasn't a pet peeve of theirs and they didn't relate. Guess I will have to be more specific.

The Dolphin & Starbucks Litter

On Naples (FL) beach watched a dolphin frolic in the Gulf waters. The beach was relatively clean but couldn't help but notice the clear plastic Starbucks cup. We need to keep the litter off the beach and out of the water if we want to protect these beautiful creatures from ourselves.

Still Decorating this Crazy Christmas Tree

I know. It's after Christmas. Our shop is closed for the holidays. But our Litter tree is so much fun, I just can't stop decorating. I've added some 'ornaments' that I've had concerns about, condoms and fish hooks and broken glass.

Condoms:  I wanted this to be a family-friendly tree and was trying to keep the litter clean.  After much internal debate, I decided to hang them up high on the 7 foot tree. My thinking: if a kid is tall enough to see the condoms, they're old enough to know what the condoms are for.

Broken Glass & Fish Hooks: I didn't want anyone's fingers near either of these, yet feel it is an important statement so we know the kind of litter on the beach. Now that the shop is closed, these items are safely displayed on the tree.

If you'd like to see more closeup photos of the litter 'ornaments' on our tree, click on the

following link:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/museumoflitter/

A LITTER CHRISTMAS TREE reminds us we share One World - Elaine Devine

This may not be the most unique or unusual Christmas tree, but it's got to be one of the greenest. All decorations are 100% local litter temporarily up-cycled into ornaments.

Thanks to all the adventurous spirits who attended our Litter Tree-trimming party -- it was the most fun I've ever had trimming a tree -- litterally!

There was lots of joy and laughter as we marveled at the nonsensical things that end up littering the beach as well as conversations about whether these items were left behind, lost by boaters or dumped by cruise ships.

The creativity shown was amazing; from using a child's sun-hat as a tree topper to the intriguing vignettes made from various litter combinations.

Thanks for letting us share our Litter tree with you. We hope it brought some whimsy into your day. Please share with family & friends to spread the word about a litter-free environment.

 

  

A LITTER CHRISTMAS TREE reminds us we share One World - Elaine Devine

This may not be the most unique or unusual Christmas tree, but it's got to be one of the greenest. All decorations are 100% local litter temporarily up-cycled into ornaments.

Thanks to all the adventurous spirits who attended our Litter Tree-trimming party -- it was the most fun I've ever had trimming a tree -- litterally!

There was lots of joy and laughter as we marveled at the nonsensical things that end up littering the beach as well as conversations about whether these items were left behind, lost by boaters or dumped by cruise ships.

The creativity shown was amazing; from using a child's sun-hat as a tree topper to the intriguing vignettes made from various litter combinations.

Thanks for letting us share our Litter tree with you. We hope it brought some whimsy into your day. Please share with family & friends to spread the word about a litter-free environment.

 

  

We're having a Tree-Trimming party -- decorating with litter, of course!

A tree-trimming party is being held for the Museum of Litter at Frame 'n Art Gallery, Saturday, Dec. 19 from 2 to 5pm (See details below). The litter laden tree will be the frame shop's window display during the rest of the holiday season.

Everyone is encouraged to BYOL (Bring Your Own Litter) or choose from litter provided by the museum from their large inventory of (sanitized) litter collections. See a small sampling below:

This event is being held to keep the conversation about litter going until we are litter-free.

The Museum's litter-art will be displayed.

Refreshments will be served. It will be a fun family event. We'll celebrate the season, our love of a clean environment and a tree tradition with a twist.

TREE-TRIMMING: Where & When:

Frame 'n Art Gallery, 235 Commercial Boulevard, Suite 106, Lauderdale by the Sea, FL 33308, 954-267-9202, Saturday, December 19th 2-5pm.

BIG BUTT Problem in Britain

Of course, we all know the big butt problem is worldwide.

Many thanks to Keep Britain Tidy for giving us permission to share this creative video with you.

Plastic Free Fridays in Memory of X310

Thanks to Ron Hirschi and two of his great projects, SOAR (Save Our Albatross Research) and Museum of Endangered Hawaiian and Ocean Animals for permission to share the following information and photos.

X 310

Born on Pihemanu, Midway Atoll March 2008.

Died in June 2008.

 

Like many albatrosses, X310 was fed plastics by her parents, because parent birds are increasingly unable to tell real food from the endless stream of bottle caps, markets, lighters, toothbrushes, and other plastic in the ocean. An estimated 46,000 pieces of plastic float in every square mile of ocean, making it tougher for the birds to find flying fish eggs and squid, their natural diet.

You can help by choosing to be plastic free this and every Friday. Choose not to buy foods wrapped in plastic, toys make of plastic, computers, pens and especially bottles with detachable plastic caps.

THANK YOU FOR GOING PLASTIC FREE FRIDAYS

Project SOAR http://soaronhirschi.blogspot.com/