By Maryam Alchami
UNIVERSITY CITY, SHARJAH — Many American University of Sharjah students learned about the impact of plastic pollution on marine life by taking part in the mid-January “Sea of Plastic” event organized by the Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences.
It was held in the CHM building lobby and was done in partnership with Greenpeace MENA and the Environment and Protected Areas Authority, with contribution from Goumbook, a UAE-based sustainability-awareness organization.
Geared toward students traveling between classes, it included an EPAA installation and various activities meant to raise awareness of plastic’s impact on aquatic life.
BCE faculty Dr. Sandra Knuteson, Dr. Fatin Samara, and Dr. Sofian Kanan led discussions alongside demonstrations. These included a “pin test” that gathered data on marine debris, contributing to ProjectCollect, a global database aimed at tracking and addressing plastic waste.
The effort also involved BCE students, and an AUS alumnus who led the EPAA exhibition.
Attendees viewed a documentary created by Greenpeace, titled “A Sea of Plastic,” which explores the issue from an academic perspective across the UAE, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.
This documentary is available on YouTube under the same title.
The EPAA is also aiming to inform and engage the community in conservation efforts. For more details about the initiative, visit the EPAA’s official website at: https://epaashj.ae.
