Incline Village, Nevada (August 15, 2022)
Dr. Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins, pioneers of plastic pollution research and co-founders of The 5 Gyres Institute, will deliver groundbreaking research on plastic pollution in US National Parks at Outdoor Media Summit 2022. Their most recent project, Plastic-Free Parks study, will be the most extensive study on single use plastic in national parks, to date. Outdoor Media Summit attendees will be among the first to hear findings from this report.
Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz mobilizes volunteers from around the country to document plastic pollution in US National Parks. From July 1 to September 30, volunteers will collect plastic trash in National Parks and document each piece of trash using the TrashBlitz web app. This data will be compiled into a report that highlights which plastic trash items are most commonly found as well as which companies are responsible for producing those plastic items. These findings will be used to support legislation to reduce single-use plastic in protected spaces.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Outdoor Media Summit to protect our national parks from plastic pollution,” said Cummins. “Plastics are a global issue and the solutions lie in better design, industry engagement and policy change. Outdoor Media Summit’s leadership can play a crucial role in driving positive change.”
For more than a decade, 5 Gyres has been at the forefront of research and advocacy for plastic pollution issues. The couple has led 19 research expeditions in all five subtropical gyres (the ocean currents where plastic swirls into large garbage patches) as well as many of the world’s lakes and rivers.
“The conversation around plastic pollution largely went under the radar during Covid and it’s time to restart that conversation,” said Yoon Kim, founder of Outdoor Media Summit. “In my opinion, plastic pollution is one of the most critical issues to the health of the planet, and I hope our partnership with The 5 Gyres Institute can help create solutions to this global issue.”
For more information, visit outdoormediasummit.com.
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About Outdoor Media Summit
Outdoor Media Summit is the education conference for media and marketing professionals in the outdoor industries. For two and a half days, top outdoor media and brands participate in keynotes, breakout sessions and group activities to stay ahead of the trends in digital publishing. Each year, the keynote addresses revolve around a hot button advocacy theme relevant to outdoor media and marketers while breakout sessions focus on technical digital media education.
This year’s conference will take place at The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort in North Tahoe, Nevada from October 30 – November 1, 2022. For more information, check out:
outdoormediasummit.com/overview
outdoormediasummit.com/explainer
Or email [email protected]
About The 5 Gyres Institute
The 5 Gyres Institute is a leader in the global movement against plastic pollution with more than 10 years of expertise in scientific research and engagement on plastic pollution issues. Since 2009, the team has completed 19 expeditions, bringing more than 300 citizen scientists, corporate executives, brands, and celebrities to the gyres, lakes, and rivers to conduct first-hand research on plastic pollution. Through this research, 5 Gyres engages diverse stakeholders in understanding the science to drive impact as well as conduct community outreach and citizen science to implement data-driven solutions. With over 1,400 Ambassadors in 66 countries, 5 Gyres supports and is supported by community members with information, tools and connections to help drive local change to fight this global crisis.
About TrashBlitz
TrashBlitz is a data collection platform and community-focused research project created by The 5 Gyres Institute. The community-based project is designed to engage local stakeholders in measuring plastic pollution and other trash across various cities – from shorelines to riverbeds to urban neighborhoods – and utilizing data to generate relevant action plans. TrashBlitz provides robust research protocols, a web-based platform that identifies problem products and brands, and a network to bring diverse stakeholders together to co-create solutions to stop plastic pollution at the source.