Building Empathy Through Scenes of Marine Pollution
With the help of soft toys and decorations, the “Under Havet” exhibition allowed visitors to understand how marine pollution destroys the habitat of marine life. The first leg of the exhibition commenced at IKEA’s Taichung Store. Scenes of an ocean polluted with marine debris were reconstructed. Moreover, the toys in these scenes were personified to let children form emotional bonds with them. Aside from raising environmental awareness among children, this method also encouraged them to value natural resources and do their part in protecting marine life. Furthermore, the exhibition featured faux food creations made of plastic waste, a grim reminder that marine creatures may fall sick, die, and even end up as human food if they accidentally ingest microplastics polluting the ocean.
Such vivid scenes allowed the public to relate to the harrowing experiences endured by marine life. Mrs. Hsiao, who comes from New Taipei City’s Wugu District, said that this event has allowed her children to better understand marine life’s value, leading to internalized environmental awareness. She shared that her son once spotted her discarding a plastic bag, and he reminded her to recycle the plastic bag instead of throwing it away. This incident has left a lasting impression on her. Mrs. Hsiao’s sons are five and seven years old, respectively. Usually, young children do not have much awareness of the environment. Nevertheless, this exhibition has successfully built empathy toward marine life among the boys through the use of toys. Promoting sustainable consumption practices among children at a young age greatly benefits environmental protection efforts, and Mrs. Hsiao is very pleased and relieved about this.