Through Feb. 15, Carnegie Science Center’s RiverView Cafè will display an exhibit depicting the fallout from single-use plastic waste and plastic pollution.
The Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurant program’s Straw Forward demonstrates a community-wide, collaborative effort to inspire a conversation about the issue of plastic pollution from a local perspective.
More than 25,000 plastic straws collected from 37 Pittsburgh-based restaurants, nonprofits and businesses between June and October 2018 are part of the exhibit.
It also includes discarded plastic-based items pulled from the banks of the Allegheny River with Allegheny CleanWays, yarn from First Mile (of Thread International) that was upcycled from plastic bottles saved by citizens in developing countries, and other repurposed materials from Construction Junction and the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, science center officials state.
Pittsburgh-based Shift Collaborative is a partner in development of the installation’s concept, design and construction.
“Carnegie Science Center strives to foster a scientifically literate community through all of our exhibits, and this inventive take on highlighting the issue of plastic pollution is a great way to get our visitors thinking about the impact that plastic has on our environment,” says Jason Brown, science center interim director.
From 7-9 p.m. on Feb. 4, the science center’s Café Scientifique will host a public screening of an abridged version of the documentary “A Plastic Ocean,” followed by a panel discussion with local experts.
Details: carnegiesciencecenter.org
Mary Pickels is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Mary at 724-836-5401, mpickels@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MaryPickels.
