Julie “Juicebox” Woodard’s art installation is made from post-consumer materials, mainly plastics, that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill. Look closely at her artwork—can you find something that might have once been used...

• to store a mattress?

• to grab take-out?

• to stop rain?

Except for the small amount that has been burned (and converted into carbon pollution), every piece of plastic that’s ever been created still exists in the world—whether it’s in a landfill, in the ocean, or was “recycled.” Plastic does not decompose. Instead, it just keeps breaking into smaller and smaller pieces, making it harder and harder to remove from the environment, and allowing it to get into everything. If you eat meat, you’re eating microplastics. If you breathe air, you’re inhaling microplastics. If you drink water, you’re ingesting microplastics. Yes, even if you drink bottled water—which a Penn State study found usually contains more microplastics than tap water.

To prevent the reclaimed plastics in these Pockets Of Light installations from entering our waterways, we’ll remove these installations from the waterfront at the first sign of decay.

Making small changes as an individual can be fun, creative, and positively impact your health. Want to help take down single-use culture? Here are a few good places to start:

• Circular Philadelphia

• Good Buy Supply

• Rabbit Recycling

• Ray’s Reusables

• The Resource Exchange

Making big changes as a global community will have the greatest impact. It’s more challenging, but you can still play a part. Want to learn more about the larger powers at play? Here’s a good place to start:

• Sierra Club “Break Free From Plastic Pollution” petition

Trying out a new way to reduce or reuse plastic in your own life? We’d love to hear about it! Tag us on social media using the handles at the top of the page.