Pagi | Plastics Awareness Global Initiative

breaking the mold 

Plastic pollution is a global epidemic with profound impacts on local coastal communities. 

CMBC's Plastics Awareness Global Initiative (PAGI) began in 2018 in response to this epidemic. PAGI aims to:

  • bring global awareness and scientific insights to a quickly overwhelming global issue of plastic saturation in the environment
  • coordinate efforts throughout the world addressing the pressing problem; and,
  • leverage the expertise from Scripps Institution of Oceanography to the daunting challenges associated with the growing social/environmental problems of plastics in the ocean

Since then, PAGI has spearheaded two main projects - a symposium and working group on plastic ocean science (2018), and a 6-month accelerator program focused on identifying effective, evidence-based approaches that will curb the flow of plastic into the ocean (2021).

Symposium | PAGI: Ocean Science

October 1-2, 2018 symposium and working groups considering the scope, scale, and science of plastics in the sea.

READ SYMPOSIUM PRESS RELEASE 

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RECORDING | October 1, 2018 

RECORDING | October 2, 2018

Scripps-Rady Ocean Plastic Pollution Challenge

The Scripps-Rady Ocean Plastic Pollution Challenge was a unique 6-month accelerator program focused on identifying effective, evidence-based approaches that will curb the flow of plastic into the ocean, with a specific focus on marine conservation and marine cultural preservation areas along California’s coast. The inaugural program ran January - June, 2021, and participants engaged in a series of virtual short courses, team-based research, and a final two-day challenge to pitch solutions to an expert panel.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CHALLENGE

PAGI's IMPact

* Indicates CMBC member faculty, researcher, staff, or alumni.

  • (2022) Stimulating Interdisciplinary Solutions to Plastic Pollution Through Competition: Insights from Team SD Zero, the 2021 Scripps-Rady Ocean Plastic Pollution Challenge Winners
    • Authors: Tanya Torres, Allison Kellum*, Lauren Hackney*, Julie Hopper, Kristina Phipps 
    • Poster presented at 7th International Marine Debris Conference (7IMDC) in Busan, Republic of Korea, 18-23 September 2022.
  • (2022) Relative exposure to microplastics and prey for a pelagic forage fish
    • Authors: Julia Chavarry*, Kara Law, Andrew Barton, Noelle Bowlin*, Mark Ohman*, and Anela Choy*
    • Research paper published in Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 17, 064038
  • (2021) Advances toward solutions for marine plastic pollution in southern California: Key recommendations of the white papers produced during the 2021 Scripps-Rady Ocean Plastic Pollution Challenge
    • Authors: CMBC and Center for Social Innovation and Impact, Rady School of Management at University of California San Diego. 
    • Summary of white paper recommendations produced during the "research" phase of the Scripps-Rady Challenge.
  • (2021) Toxicity of Microplastics Explorer (ToMEx) Workshop
    • Organizers: Kara Wiggin*, Scott Coffin (CA State Water Resources Control Board), Leah Thornton Hampton (Southern California Coastal Water Research Project)
    • Virtual Zoom workshop for UC San Diego students and Scripps-Rady Challenge participants on the use and application of a database and analytics tool focused on the effects of microplastics on humans and ecosystems. Wednesday, 8 September 2021.
  • (2021) Solutions for Ocean Plastic Pollution: Moving from Blind Spots to Innovation
    • Authors: Charlotte Stevenson and Holly Rindge*
    • ECO Magazine, Special Issue: Marine Pollution
    • Magazine article about the Scripps-Rady Challenge