Author Archives: janisselbyjones
Reflecting on a Decade of “Making to Make a Difference”
As I arranged containers filled with colorful beach plastic for the activity I had planned for 3rd through 8th graders participating in the San Diego Area Writing Project’s Young Writers’ Camp, I paused to reflect. The eye-catching hues created a … Continue reading
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Tagged artivism, makingtomakeadifference, marinedebris, plastic pollution, youngwriterscamp
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Thirty Single-Use Plastic Utensils: A Call to Action
Over the years, I’ve collected countless single-use plastic forks, spoons, and knives during my solo beach cleanups—but yesterday, I set a personal record. I picked up thirty plastic utensils along the stretch of coastline I regularly walk. Several of them … Continue reading
Spiraling Into the Current
A joyful and inspiring day unfolded at the June 2024 EcoFest Encinitas, where I had the honor of exhibiting Spiraling Into the Current in the stunning glass Hatch Gathering space at Fox Point Farms. This colorful spiral, made entirely from … Continue reading
Posted in Activism, Art, Education, Festivals, Marine debris, Plastic debris
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Balloons Blow
I picked up five balloons during a recent beach walk. If you’ve spent time at the beach or on the ocean, chances are you’ve seen stray balloons too. That’s why the @surfridersandiego Rise Above Plastics team is advocating for lighter-than-air balloons bans … Continue reading
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Tiny Shovel, Big Problem
The expression “When you’re in a hole, stop digging” is a reminder that continuing the same actions when faced with a problem will often only make things worse. For decades, we’ve been digging ourselves into a plastic pollution hole by … Continue reading
Posted in Plastic debris
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Black Hole
“If you feel you are in a black hole, don’t give up. There’s a way out.” —𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘏𝘢𝘸𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 Much of what’s happening may feel like spiraling into a black hole, but there are things we can do to avoid a … Continue reading
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Conflagration
From the Cambridge Dictionary: 𝗡𝗼𝘂𝗻 [ C ] formal US /ˌ𝔨ɑː𝔫.𝔣𝔩əˈɡ𝔯𝔢ɪ.ʃə𝔫/ UK /ˌ𝔨ɒ𝔫.𝔣𝔩əˈɡ𝔯𝔢ɪ.ʃə𝔫/ 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝗿, 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲: •𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭-𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
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Have you heard?
Have you heard? Apparently, plastic straws aren’t a problem. Yet, when I walked the beach in Carlsbad on Friday, I found all of these. During a White House announcement, Trump stated that paper straws “explode” and added, “I don’t think … Continue reading
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Plantae Plasticae
Did you know that ferns are among the oldest plant groups on Earth and that the earliest known fern fossil dates back millions of years before the dinosaurs? Artificial greenery has been around a long time too. For example, ancient … Continue reading
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Bombas Plasticus
World Bee Day, celebrated on May 20, prompted me to revisit Bombus Plasticus and explore new research regarding the impacts of plastics on bees. Researchers from the University of Reading identified microplastics as one of the top emerging threats to … Continue reading
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ShoreSweep 