Free screening of The Smog of the Sea

Communications & Events Coordinator Cindy Walker reported to Historic City News that the City of St. Augustine Beach’s “Sustainability and Environmental Planning Advisory Committee” has invited our readers to view the film “The Smog of the Sea” and participate in an engaging community discussion.

The showing of this film will be free of charge and will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29th, at the Anastasia Island Branch Library, located at 124 Sea Grove Main Street, at St. Augustine Beach.

The Smog of the Sea chronicles a journey, led by Marine scientist Marcus, through the remote waters of the Sargasso Sea. Using super-8 footage, underwater cinematography, an original score, and live action footage of the crew’s research, the film provides a new perspective on the ocean and makes a call to action for rethinking single-use plastic.

According to the story, after years of hearing about the famous “garbage patches” in the ocean, the crew is stunned to learn that the patches are a myth: the waters stretching to the horizon are clear blue, with no islands of trash in sight.

As the crew sieves the water and sorts through their haul, a more disturbing reality sets in.  A fog of microplastics permeates the world’s oceans; trillions of nearly invisible plastic shards are making their way up the marine food chain.  You can clean up a garbage patch, but how do you stop a fog?