Tofino Highlights Plastic Pollution with Art installation by Pete Clarkson called ‘Classic Plastic’

September 6, 2022 Guest User

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On the 21 of August 2022, local Tofino artist Pete Clarkson completed the installation of his latest art endeavor ‘Classic Plastic’ in association with Kim Leckey, artist and designer behind Sea Woven, Surfrider Pacific Rim, the District of Tofino, and funded by the Tofino Arts, Culture and Heritage grant. The installation is comprised of 565 discarded plastic water bottles and caps and is designed to build more awareness around plastic waste in the community, specifically, supporting Surfrider Pacific Rim’s ‘Take Back the Tap’ campaign. Take Back the Tap encourages local residents and visitors to take advantage of the fresh, clean, locally sourced drinking water on beautiful Tla-o-qui-aht territory. Further, the campaign urges businesses to promote more sustainable practices to consumers and discourage the purchasing of plastic water bottles <1L.

The installation is located in front of Gaia Grocery, a registered Ocean Friendly Business under Surfrider Pacific Rim, and stands as a visible reminder for passersby to reduce unnecessary plastic waste and push for more sustainable alternatives within the community.

About Take Back the Tap

The Take Back the Tap campaign, supported by Surfrider Pacific Rim and Tribal Parks is a response to the abundance of single-use plastic water bottles that wash up on Pacific Rim coastlines every day. Surfrider Pacific Rim strives for upstream solutions to tackle the plastic crisis and reduce the abundance of marine debris on both local and remote coasts. Since 2019, Surfrider volunteers have collected and recycled more than 4000 plastic bottles. Although many of these bottles traveled great distances to arrive on local coastlines, the Take Back the Tap initiative aims to change local policy and empower the community, resulting in more awareness of the problem at provincial and federal levels.

https://www.pacificrim.surfrider.org/take-back-the-tap

About Pete

Pete Clarkson is a self-taught Tofino-based environmental artist who’s been creating art from marine debris and recycled materials since 2000. Pete began actively using marine debris as a medium for his work when he discovered the sheer volume and variety of debris he found while working as a Park Warden in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. His work challenges the viewer to consider how their daily lifestyle choices affect the environment, while simultaneously advocating for local coastlines.

Surfrider Pacific Rim’s Take Back the Tap campaign has multiple goals: while eliminating plastic water bottles has been a primary focus, equally important is increasing access to free, clean drinking water and educating consumers on why the water in plastic is often unnecessary. Plastic water bottles have always been one of the most abundant items volunteers find on our beach cleans. They contribute immensely to plastic pollution, and the water is often filled with microplastics as well as toxic chemicals leached from the packaging. This art piece created by Pete Clarkson and Kim Leckey in partnership with the District of Tofino and Surfrider Pacific Rim is a fantastic conversation starter and an opportunity to educate people on the quality of the water in the community.

Amorita Adair, Chair of Surfrider Pacific Rim

The genesis of this project started with the tarp which I found a few years ago on the beach at Port Renfrew. The frayed fabric reminded me of a plastic waterfall, and the idea of a waterfall of plastic bottles followed closely after. I kept the concept simmering in the back of my mind. When I heard about Surfrider’s “Take Back the Tap” campaign I thought it would be a great fit. I’ve done countless shoreline cleanups and seen firsthand the proliferation of water bottles and bottle caps in the ocean. They are consistently among the top 5 items found on cleanups around the world. Adding insult to injury, in many places, including Tofino, bottled water is a senseless substitution for tap water. Compared to bottled water, Tofino tap water is cleaner, cheaper, and pollution-free. Yet, while visiting Tofino, many folks still persist in choosing bottled water – “the choice that lasts forever”.

Pete Clarkson, Marine Debris Artist: