Beach Plastic Turned Art : Saving Our Oceans

The other day I was at the beach and a little girl of about 3 was tiptoeing quickly along the hot sand. She came to a sudden stop, squatted down and picked up a piece of garbage.

“Trash, mommy!” she exclaimed, as she handed it over to be put where it rightfully belonged.

I smiled at the cuteness of it, but as the thought settled in, I began to realize how many people were at the beach and how many of us had probably walked right by that same piece of garbage. Sitting nearby, I hadn’t even noticed it.

I’ve always had a soul that is drawn to water. It gives me a sense of peace and rejuvenation. So it bothers me to know that the problem of garbage on our beaches extends far beyond that little piece of trash at my local beach.

Turning Beach Plastic Into Art

Artists Richard and Judith Lang have spent years walking Kehoe Beach in Northern California collecting plastic that washes ashore. Instead of simply throwing it away, they clean and sort what they find and transform the debris into colorful works of art.

Since they began collecting together in 1999, the Langs have used found beach plastic to create everything from jewelry and sculptures to large-scale photographs. Their work turns something ugly and troubling into something beautiful while drawing attention to just how much plastic ends up along our shores.

Beauty With a Message

The Langs sort their finds by color, shape and type before turning them into art. Their collections have included everything from bottle caps and old lighters to pieces of toys and other everyday plastic objects.

It’s beautiful to look at, but there’s an uncomfortable truth behind it: every colorful piece had to wash up on the beach before it could become part of the artwork.

You can read more about Richard and Judith Lang and see more of their beach-plastic artwork in Smithsonian Magazine’s feature, “Making Beautiful Art out of Beach Plastic.”

Every Little Bit Matters

Maybe that little girl at the beach had it right. We don’t have to walk past something just because it isn’t ours.

Picking up one piece of litter may seem like a tiny act, but it’s one less piece left on the beach and one less piece that can make its way into the water.

Our oceans, lakes and rivers give us so much. Taking a moment to leave them a little cleaner than we found them is one simple way to return the favor.

Let’s make our oceans, lakes and rivers a cleaner work of art. 🌎