Author Archives: janisselbyjones
The UnNatural History Musem
The San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat) is a treasure trove of astonishing artifacts that tell the story of Southern California’s ecosystems. Exhibits include fossils uncovered during construction projects and displays that highlight the regions’s biodiversity. I recently had … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Marine debris, Plastic debris
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Sand Toy Success
As a dedicated beach cleaner, I’ve found far too many abandoned plastic sand toys over the years. In fact, it’s rare that I don’t come across at least one during a walk along the shoreline: a plastic shovel half-buried in … Continue reading
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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
Posted in Activism, Art
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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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ShoreSweep 