Tennessee Aquarium Partnership
A Shared Vision
iSustain is proud to maintain a long-standing Tennessee Aquarium partnership dedicated to keeping plastics out of streams, rivers, and oceans. The Tennessee Aquarium’s mission to connect people with nature and inspire informed decisions about water and wildlife aligns perfectly with iSustain’s commitment to supporting programs that protect the environment and preserve natural resources.
Microplastics Research
Our ongoing sustainability efforts lead the way in the Tennessee Aquarium’s fight to keep plastic waste out of streams, rivers, and the ocean. Our partnership extends that support to local watershed initiatives and aids in ongoing microplastic research.
A study by Dr. Andreas Fath of Furtwangen University revealed that surface water in the Tennessee River contains microplastic concentrations 80 times higher than those in Germany’s Rhine River. In response, the Tennessee Aquarium partnership brought together experts and organizations to research and address this pressing issue. Dr. Fath noted that while the exact cause remains uncertain, the high concentration may result from the breakdown of larger plastic waste in landfills, which eventually enters waterways.
The majority of microplastic research has focused on the marine environment to date, thus scientific funding to better understand the multifaceted challenges of microplastics in freshwater has never been more important. Through their collaboration with Dr. Andreas Fath and others, the team at the Tennessee Aquarium is investigating:
- Sources of microplastics
- Microplastic distribution throughout the water column
- Potential impacts of microplastics on freshwater aquatic organisms
iSustain’s Commitment
iSustain remains committed to the Tennessee Aquarium partnership, providing ongoing financial support to the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute in the fight against microplastics. Through this collaboration, iSustain and the Tennessee Aquarium continue working to keep plastics out of streams, rivers, and oceans worldwide, advancing their shared mission of protecting aquatic ecosystems and preserving natural resources.