education

We are pleased to announce, with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, a Request for Proposals for the Ocean Odyssey Marine Debris Prevention Awards for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Accessibility (DEIJA). With funding from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation will award 10-15 grants, totaling up to $100,000 for this funding competition. Individual awards will range between $5,000 and $10,000 to support initiatives that prevent the adverse impacts of marine debris in communities that are underserved, underrepresented, or overburdened by marine debris. These projects may include marine debris prevention, education, and outreach activities. 

Back to school season is here! There can be a lot of waste associated with back to school shopping in the form of single-use plastic and packaging materials that can ultimately end up in our ocean and Great Lakes. As you prepare your classroom and check off your back to school shopping list, the NOAA Marine Debris Program has resources for both students and educators to prepare for the school year ahead. Our online resources are a zero waste must-have for this back to school season!

The NOAA Marine Debris Program created the Guide to MDMAP for Educators as a resource for educators who are interested in implementing MDMAP surveys with their students. The Guide provides instructions and tips for participating in MDMAP and planning, conducting, and following up on monitoring surveys with student groups. Understanding where, how much, and what kinds of debris are present in the marine environment is important to help combat the problem. This knowledge, along with an understanding of how the amount of marine debris on shorelines is changing over time, is essential to developing new and effective strategies for prevention, education, and outreach. 

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Annual NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest! We received many colorful, creative, and informative entries from around the country, and although we wish we could showcase them all, we are excited to share the winners of this year’s contest with you.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce that our 2024 Marine Debris Calendar is now available for download!

Are you a student or teacher who’s passionate about marine debris? Then get your art supplies ready, because this year’s NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest is officially open! Students in grades K-8 from the United States and U.S. territories can submit their artwork now through December 15.