Great week working with young people at #EDSCIFEST at Dynamic Earth. A chance to examine one of the most common litter items and common forms of plastic PET [Polyethylene terephthalate] that ends up in our seas.
Visitors joined me to calculate how much energy (petrol) we can save by recycling plastic bottle. Bottles weighed 11 – 45 grams and using an Embodied Energy formula for PET we calculated that the energy value of 100 bottles each weighing 30 grams would contain the energy/petrol equivalent to travel 84 km in a small car, or 385 calories, enough energy to walk 7km. Thought provoking images and values to share and make us all determined to make sure we don’t drop but recycle all our bottles. Thanks to everyone who attended, donated bottles and helped out with the event. Looking forward to bringing all the #LitterCUBES to #EDSCIFEST 2020.
If you, your friends, beach cleaning groups, schools, business’s can help please get in touch. I am asking people to collect seven “known offenders” to illustrate the volume, nature and energy contained in the plastic litter on our beaches. 
I am arranging for collection barrels to be placed in the locations I will be working in and I will send out bags and labels for posting smaller items like fishing line and cotton bud sticks. #LitterCUBES will be completed and shown at the following locations in 2019
This project is being made possible with partial funding from individual donations, r.a.g and Schallion co-operative giving collectives, Tayside Biodiversity Partnership , Eyemouth Marine and with much in-kind support from Eyemouth, Ullapool, Dunbar Harbour Trusts and 
Please visit the exhibition, take a closer look and let me know what you think. 
I would like to thank all people involved from Shetland who helped Littoral Sci Art Project win a 
One of the lowest tides this winter took place on the 2nd February- allowing access to see some of the biggest and heaviest of our marine algae – Laminaria (Kelp) beautifully bowed over, shiny and relaxed in the slack water . 
The ‘stand of the tide’ provided me the opportunity for a few hours observation of these brown seaweeds. Close up its easy to appreciate that they produce the main plant material for the coastal food web. Anchored along the low water line and out into the sub-tidal zone the submerged kelp form ‘forests’ – a perfect habitat for fish, shellfish and other animals to get food and find hiding places. 
The rich biodiversity of our coastline is fascinating and clear to see when walking through this dynamic inter-tidal world/zone .
As the media begins to wake up to the ‘Plastic Pollution’ issue evidenced on our shore lines, I revel in my momentary ‘Plastic Free’ time in the Littoral Zones
littoral: sci-art project 