Marine Environmentalist to Speak on the Effects of Plastic Waste in Our Oceans

More than a decade ago, Moore established the Algalita foundation to promote understanding and seek remedies for the growing problem of discarded plastic floating in the Pacific Ocean. His main target is the North Pacific Gyre (also known as the Garbage Patch), 3.5 million tons of floating plastic debris that covers an area larger than Texas and rotates in a perpetual circle just north of Hawaii.

As a result of Moore's research on the scope and implications of plastic contamination, he has helped develop monitoring protocols that are now used worldwide to track beach and marine microplastics, including use by the United Nations Environment Programme in Europe. Moore also developed chemical and bacterial monitoring methods for the California-based Surfrider Foundation's water quality advocacy program. He is the lead author of two scientific papers on plastics and plankton, published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, and has been featured in U.S. News and World Report.

A third-generation resident of Long Beach, California, Moore grew up in a sailing family that ventured far and wide across the Pacific Ocean. As an adult, he encountered the gyre while sailing in an area where he expected to find pristine blue water. "There were shampoo caps and soap bottles and plastic bags and fishing floats as far as I could see. Here I was in the middle of the ocean, and there was nowhere I could go to avoid the plastic," he said about the experience. After that first encounter with the gyre, Moore returned to California and dedicated the Algalita foundation to developing research, education, and restoration projects that help safeguard marine environments. The foundation also develops science curricula based on this topic for grades K–12 and promotes public outreach through exhibits and speaker programs.

Upcoming Town & Gown series speakers include Earl E. Devaney, chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board; Larry Burgess, local historian and director of the A. K. Smiley Library in Redlands; and Willie Smits, biologist and founder of Borneo Orangutan Survival. Future programs will include films; musical and theatrical performances; and talks by business leaders, government officials, and environmentalists.

Moore's presentation will be followed by a short reception for the speaker and attendees. To register, visit www.esri.com/culturalseries on the Internet or call 909-748-8011.


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About University of Redlands Town & Gown
The Town & Gown organization strives to promote a positive relationship between the university ("gown") and the Inland Empire area ("town"), provides scholarships to qualified area students, and showcases the cultural and entertainment activities on campus. Town & Gown membership, which costs $30 annually per household, provides access to specific events as well as a variety of other arts and cultural events on campus. To join, contact the university's Alumni Relations office at 909-748-8011.

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