Houston Find: Message in a Bottle

Quick disclaimer: Please note that this content is not sponsored. This is my opinion and my view and is not associated with the Houston Museum of Natural Science. 

Hello Friends! I wanted to share some info on a new exhibit hall that just opened at the Houston Museum of Natural Science that I found most interesting. This exhibit is called Message in a Bottle. I thought this new exhibit sounded really weird, but once I entered I was surprised at how interesting it really was. 

Chad Pregracke, founder of Living Lands and Water, found over 50 bottles containing messages while helping cleaning up waterways around the country. Each bottle is put into a rustic shadow box he created. Chad and his team have been cleaning up the Mississippi River since 1998. The picture below shows the amount of items he has pulled and the variety of items he found. 

This exhibit is very different than any exhibit you would expect to find in a museum. It has some humor from some of the silly notes tossed into the water, but it also gives us a look into the human curiosity. The curiosity of "I wonder who will find this note" or "I wonder how far this will go." It is also amazing to see how trash can be turned into treasure that the Houston community gets to visit and admire. 

The one thing that really inspired me to share this with y'all is the fact that he found these bottles removing trash from the river. This exhibit is not only interesting, but it brings attention to the water pollution we continue to let happen. Not only does water pollution affect us, but it also affects the ecosystem. Chad and his team are helping reduce the amount of water pollution and help create a better environment. 

Plastics that are thrown into water ways break down and form microplastics. This tiny plastics are then consumed by the small animal life as they mistake this for food. The BPA in plastic along with other chemicals are now in those animals and the other animal life that eat them. Why should this worry you? Well any seafood you eat will also contain those chemicals, which means in the end it not only affects the animal life in the rivers but it now affects you to. 

Even beyond plastic, the trash found in rivers contain all sorts of things that at the end of the day affect the animal life. Think about metals and rubbers and other items. They break down and are consumed by fish and other animals. Even if they are not consumed by eating, think about the animals that drink the water and we eat. Those animals now have ingested a variety of toxins. Just a thought. 

This exhibit gives people a chance to really see that there is a need for change, but also to see the treasures in trash. Walking through the exhibit, I really saw the beauty that can be found in making a change. If you are in Houston or the surrounding areas I would definitely take a trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. You can see this exhibit with a purchase of a general admission ticket. For more information about tickets, pricing or memberships click here. 

Do you know of any good finds in Houston that share your passion for change or sustainability? Let me know in the comments below

Love Always,
Mikala