Trash Turtle

Trash Turtle is a life-sized leatherback sea turtle sculpture created entirely from upcycled household plastics and debris collected during shoreline cleanups. Developed in collaboration with students from Urban Assembly New York Harbor School and artist Jenny Marketou, the piece was commissioned by The Explorers Club and The Leatherback Project for World Oceans Week 2024.

As creative lead and conservation storyteller, I helped translate marine science into a physical form audiences could confront face-to-face. Constructed from the very materials that threaten its survival, the sculpture fused art, education, and activism—connecting students directly to ocean conservation while transforming discarded waste into a powerful symbol of both harm and hope.

Impact: By recreating the leatherback at its true scale—one of the largest living reptiles on Earth—Trash Turtle forced audiences to reckon with the sheer size, presence, and vulnerability of these ancient animals. Viewers came face-to-face with the reality that the plastics in their daily lives can end up in the bodies and habitats of creatures larger than themselves. The installation reached students, scientists, and public audiences alike, transforming plastic pollution from an abstract concept into a tangible confrontation. In doing so, it deepened understanding of one of the most pervasive threats facing sea turtles today—and empowered the next generation of ocean stewards to see both the problem and their role in solving it.