Final days to see Straw Forward Exhibit at Science Center

WHAT: The Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurant program will unveil its much anticipated Straw Forward™ Art Installation at Carnegie Science Center.

Straw Forward demonstrates a community-wide collaborative effort to accelerate an important message about the global issue of plastic pollution–from a local perspective. The installation comprises more than 25,000 plastic straws collected from 37 Pittsburgh-based restaurants, nonprofits, and businesses between June and October of this year. It also includes discarded plastic-based items pulled from the banks of the Allegheny River with Allegheny CleanWays, yarn from Thread International that was upcycled from plastic bottles saved by citizens in developing countries, and other repurposed materials from Construction Junction and the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse.

The concept, design, and construction of the installation was developed through a partnership with the creative team from Pittsburgh-based Shift Collaborative.

WHEN: Tues., Jan. 15, 2019 – Fri., Feb. 15, 2019

WHERE: Carnegie Science Center, One Allegheny Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15212

WHO: Carnegie Science Center and Sustainable Pittsburgh leaders, local elected officials, and numerous project partners will give remarks and unveil the sculpture.

WHY: Single-use plastic straws represent one small component of the negative ecological impact of plastic pollution, ranging from disposable items like take-out containers and water bottles, to beach toys and commercial plastic waste (e.g. barrels, fishing line/nets). Straws also represent a challenge in the waste stream as they cannot be recycled by traditional means. For plastics that aren’t responsibly disposed of or can’t be recycled, they continually break up over time, turning into tiny bits of microplastics, clogging the bellies of marine life and possibly ending up in the food humans eat.

Sustainable Pittsburgh and Carnegie Science Center recognize the importance of keeping the needs of the disability rights community in conversations about the movement to decrease plastic waste, as plastic straws and other single-use plastics improve the livability and access for people living with certain disabilities and medical conditions. Best Buddies Pennsylvania is a partner of the Straw Forward project.