Seaside Scrapbook

The “Seaside Scrapbook” project aimed to educate individuals on ocean health through direct action (shoreline cleanup) and literary means (a scrapbook). The shoreline cleanup portion took place on July 23, 2023. The locations targeted were the Berge de l’Anse and the Berge aux Quatre-Vents, with an Ocean Wise booth set up at either location over the course of the afternoon. Bocaux et Co., a zero-waste bulk grocery store, provided refreshments and snacks for cleanup volunteers and passerby. Both locations were cleaned over the course of two hours, after which a small team sorted the trash in order to properly dispose of it. In all, 11 volunteers collected more than 20 kilograms of trash alongside the four Ocean Bridge Ambassadors. They successfully cleared close to 25,000 square metres, or 2.5 hectares, of this shoreline; that’s nearly five football fields in size! The scrapbook portion began immediately after the cleanup. It comprises 22 pages that showcase the cleanup led in July (along with some interesting findings by volunteers), facts about pollution in Montreal and around the world (e.g. the Great Pacific Garbage Patch), and ways to combat pollution in our waterways (e.g. shoreline cleanups, proper recycling practices). During the Urban Learning Journey held in Montreal, QC, the ambassadors presented their month-long work at the Mixed Media Event at Centre Phi on August 18, 2023, as well as the Montreal Biodome on August 19, 2023. Having engaged over a thousand people over those two days, the ambassadors managed to educate the public on the issue of ocean pollution and provide the public with methods to tackle it as well.