I begin the evening by wandering around the main gallery room in Belfast Print Workshop - a beautiful building with an industrial yet open and vibrant feel. The works of the gallery’s members fill the walls and range from everything from large-scale to minuscule, from monochromatic geometric shapes to fluid bursts of colour and abstract forms.

But the real reason I’ve come is to attend Citizen Sea’s latest workshop. Citizen Sea is Northern Ireland’s first boat-based environmental charity. Their aim is, “to empower people to engage with and learn about their local marine environment, using science and experiences to help protect our seas.”

Screen printing facilities at Belfast Print Workshop - *Citizen Sea.*

The evening begins with a talk from marine biologist, Amy Mundye, who speaks about her research on the effects of microplastics on hermit crabs. Amy spoke about her time in Indonesia working as a research assistant scuba diver and how she witnessed first-hand the damage humans were causing to marine environments from microplastics, which are pieces of plastic less than 5mm in diameter which never fully break down.

When asked why she chose to focus on hermit crabs for her research, Amy noted the importance of local marine awareness, “I wanted people to know that ‘my actions here are affecting wildlife.’” The hermit crabs she used in testing were from coastal environments in Northern Ireland.

What Amy found in her research was that microplastics can actually change the behaviour of marine life. Hermit crabs need to find a shell, and if they don’t have a large enough shell, they often steal one from another crab. Amy found that the hermit crabs which are exposed to microplastics had a lessened ability to fight for a shell when they are exposed to microplastics.

As we watched the video of the little crab getting its shell ripped from it by a bigger crab, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly sad - despite the fact they kind of look like little sea spiders. The reality that the microplastics broken down from an old toothbrush or a water bottle could cause such far-reaching damage shocked me.

It’s clear that the plastics which end up in marine environments have long-lasting results of which we cannot even know the full implications of. Amy suggests taking action by washing clothes less frequently at lower temperatures. She explains that due to fast fashion, much of our current clothing has a high plastic content in the fabric, and when these are washed, they break down and end up in the waterways. She also suggests avoiding single-use plastic and shopping at eco-friendly shops like Refill Quarter (Ballyhackamore & Lisburn Road) when possible.

In the next section of the evening, we worked with Artist Linda Barbour to create our own eco-friendly tote bags. Screenprinting involved using inks and physical printing pressing to physically ‘press’ a design onto a canvas, bag, t-shirt, etc. Representatives from Belfast Print Workshop also spoke about how they are working to make their practices as sustainable as possible in the future, with some artists even opting for making their own natural dyes from earth materials.

I spoke with Karina Robinson, Operations and Development Officer at Citizen Sea about their plans for the future, “As a grassroots organisation, we are built by dedicated people who donate their skills, energy and time. That's why over the next number of months we are concentrating on developing these relationships, providing our volunteers with the knowledge and confidence to engage, educate and empower our local people.” Citizen Sea aims to have a far-reaching effect on all areas of the community, and funding and dedicated volunteers are essential to this, “We hope, with funding and resources, we will be able to offer boat trips and develop science clubs for schools and community groups in the future.”

Karina says that there are volunteer opportunities right across the organisation from deck crew, boat maintenance, education and training to social media and admin - anyone who is interesting in boats or marine conservation can get involved. Karina also explains how Citizen Sea have started to work with DAERA Marine and Fisheries Division to carry out a few research trips and hope to make this an integral part of their programme. The evidence gathered is used to provide information to support decisions about proposals, plans and projects.' To ensure that the most important areas are effectively protected, we will gather information to help contribute to the decisions regarding Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)”.

Anyone who is passionate about the environment or climate change will have come across the feeling of climate anxiety: a heavy, sinking feeling that the problem is so big that nothing you as an individual can do will matter. In realistic terms, we do need more than individual action to tackle the climate crisis. A real difference will only come from changes at governmental levels and through holding businesses and corporations to strict sustainability codes of conduct.

However, Karina urges not to underestimate the importance of individual action, even when it is discouraging: “it can be so overwhelming and I think you need to just take a step back and do what you can do... the main barrier is the internal barrier that ‘this doesn’t make any difference’” She emphasises the ‘reuse’ in ‘reduce reuse and recycle’ and jokes, “you don’t need to go out and buy all the new bamboo cutlery and straws” [to be sustainable]. It’s important to not get reeled in by every new ‘sustainable’ marketing ploy when the reality is you probably already have something you could reuse for similar purposes.

Citizen Sea has plans to host events like this in the future, where art, education and marine conservation come together: “We want to engage people who wouldn’t be as interested in the marine biology side of things, but maybe have a love for the sea or the outdoors and try and make that sustainability connection.”

You can follow Citizen Sea on Facebook, Instagram and their website.

Beth Healy is Culture Editor at The Scoop and an undergraduate English student at Queen’s University Belfast.

Citizen Sea x Belfast Print Workshop: fusing sustainable art practices with marine education