Adventure Aquarium Challenges You To Go Plastic Free

During the month of July, Adventure Aquarium will partner with North American zoos, aquariums and other organizations in the Plastic Free Ecochallenge to encourage reduction of single-use plastics.

Participants can take part in a series of challenges and encourage others to adopt actionable sustainable practices to create a plastic-free world. Currently ranked seventh out of 361 teams, individuals are invited to join Adventure Aquarium’s team by signing up for a free account at plasticfree.ecochallenge.org.

“It can take hundreds of years for plastic to break down and decompose, sometimes it can even take up to a 1,000 years!,” said Liz Hann, Collections and Conservation Manager. “The effects of microplastics in our environment has tremendous effects on humans, animals and plants. At Adventure Aquarium, we take part in many conservation practices like Seafood Watch, endangered species awareness weekends, horseshoe crab surveys, AZA Frog Watch and more. Adding the Plastic Challenge to our efforts is exciting and gives everyone a fun way to participate in something important to our Earth.”

Adventure Aquarium aims to educate guests about their favorite animals, the challenges these species face in the wild and simple conservation practices with its new Action for Animals Audio Tour. This free, self-guided audio tour includes simple conservation tips guests can do at home and in their communities.

Adventure Aquarium also participates in several cleanups. In May 2021, Adventure Aquarium and Center for Aquatic Sciences staff volunteered and recycled over 281.5 lbs. of trash from Petty Island in Camden, NJ. The trash included 525 plastic bottles, 126 plastic bags, a tire and a toilet.