Florida Microplastic Awareness Project: Multimedia & Outreach Materials
Presentations and videos
These presentations and videos provide good background information about microplastics in the marine environment.
Beyond the Plastic Bag This 50-minute YouTube video is the recording of a webinar given in November 2018 by Dr. Maia McGuire from the Florida Microplastic Awareness Project.
We held a series of three webinars for Microplastic Awareness Month in 2018.
- September 8th's webinar was, "Plastic in the Ocean--what we do and do not know."
- September 13th's was "Thinking Beyond 'Skip the Straw'."
- September 20th's was "Bioplastics--better than petroleum-based plastic?"
EPA has a series of webinars about microplastics (early 2017) under its Trash Free Waters program. You can find links to the webinars here
PowerPoint Presentation (39 MB). Microplastics: What's the BIG Deal? (previously Microplastics: the sources might surprise you.) Originally given by Maia McGuire at the Florida and National Marine Science Educators' Association meetings in 2015, this presentation is updated every few months (or as new research results emerge). The presentation was last updated on January 28, 2019. Be sure to read through the notes section for each slide--there are several links and citations contained there. To download the presentation, right click on the link and "save as..."
The Nurdles' Quest for Ocean Domination. This 5-minute Ted-Ed video is suitable for a wide range of audiences.
Important Links
NOAA's Marine Debris Program website has several downloadable documents containing information about microplastics.
South Carolina Sea Grant's Summer 2014 issue of Coastal Heritage magazine is devoted to the topic of microplastics.
New York Sea Grant's fact sheet on Microbeads in the Great Lakes contains good information based on research projects in that region.
Check the Household Products Database to find out which personal care products contain polyethylene.
Outreach materials
Microplastics Fact Sheet (pdf)
Microplastics fact sheet for youth (pdf)
Microbead-free waters act factsheet (pdf)
5 Things You May Not Know About Plastic Recycling (pdf)
Bio- vs. petroleum-based plastics (pdf) This fact sheet explains about the different types of bioplastics, what "compostable" means when it is used to describe plastic and ways that bioplastics may not be as different from petroleum-based plastics as you think.
Microplastic Awareness Month memes, infographics, etc.
What's in Your Deodorant? This activity can be used with youth and adults to show the variety of personal care products that can contain microplastics, as well as the need to read ingredient labels on these products. Note that some products (especially facial scrubs) have now removed plastic microbeads (as of spring, 2017). The product images here were taken in the fall of 2016.
Microplastics 3-panel display (each panel is 16" x 28") pdf file (707 KB)
Are You Plastic Aware? (Poster, 24" x 48") pdf file (3 MB)
Microplastics in Estuaries poster (Dawn Witherington) (24" x 48") pdf file (4 MB)
Printable FMAP Pledge Sheets (pdf)
Printable fliers (pdf format):
Please Don't Put Plastics Down the Drain (suggested for posting in bathroom facilities)
8 ways to reduce plastic waste
The GTMNERR has created printable cards that can be used to ask restaurants to help reduce plastic pollution (and save money) by only serving straws on request (or providing paper straws). The back side of the card has more information and resources for the restaurant to use. You should print the "No more plastic straws" cards as a double-sided document.
Questions? Contact Maia McGuire, UF/IFAS Extension Sea Grant Agent by email or at 386-437-7464
