Why is ETERNAL called ETERNAL?

The family activities on this site are based on a sculpture of a 60 foot jellyfish made of plastic grocery bags.  ETERNAL, the title of the sculpture that was created by scientist, artist, educator Maris Polanco refers to the long-lasting nature of plastics in our environment. 

People use plastic bags for an average of 12 minutes, yet scientists estimate that the bags take 500 to 1000 years to degrade. Even then, the plastic never completely breaks down, making it a truly “eternal” substance. When plastic disintegrates from UV radiation, its pieces litter the tides in the form of micro-plastic, enter the food chain at the microscopic level, and then accumulate through biological magnification at successive levels up the food chain.

People use plastic bags for an average of 12 minutes, yet scientists estimate that the bags take 500 to 1000 years to degrade. Even then, the plastic never completely breaks down, making it a truly “eternal” substance. When plastic disintegrates from UV radiation, its pieces litter the tides in the form of micro-plastic, enter the food chain at the microscopic level, and then accumulate through biological magnification at successive levels up the food chain.

Watch videos about ETERNAL on YouTube