The funds will help the aquarium build a new educational exhibit at the aquarium’s sea turtle area.
The South Carolina Aquarium has received a $300,000 pledge from Ingevity, a Charleston-based manufacturing company, to help the aquarium build a new educational exhibit at the aquarium’s sea turtle area. It will help fund digital elements, art and a collection of plastics that have been removed from sea turtles in an effort to educate the public about the dangers plastics have on the marine reptiles, and the greater ocean.
Destiny, one of our past patients, was quite the feisty one. Luckily, Dr. Shane is an expert at soothing even the sassiest of loggerheads! #journeyhome #protectwhatyoulove
Posted by South Carolina Aquarium on Tuesday, January 30, 2018
"You don't have to look any farther than patients in our Sea Turtle Care Center to realize the devastating impact plastic pollution has on our oceans and streams," South Carolina Aquarium President and CEO Kevin Mills said in a statement released to the media. "We're grateful to Ingevity for responding to the call and helping us to educate the public about responsible consumption."
The funds will also go to help rehabilitate animals that have been injured by plastic pollution, whether they got entangled by plastic or ingested plastic.
"Ingevity's sustainability efforts extend beyond our facilities into the communities where we operate," Ingevity President and CEO Michael Wilson said. "Our goal is to purify, protect and enhance the world around us. The "Respond Gallery" ties into Ingevity's goals by highlighting ways we can all make an impact and protect the environment. We're enthusiastic about the development of this interactive space and the awareness it will bring to the community."
The South Carolina Aquarium is having a busy winter helping stranded and cold-stunned sea turtles. In addition to rehabilitating the reptiles, the aquarium has instituted tracking of several so you can plot their journey’s off the Atlantic Coast.
