Blue Gym of Georgia – Plastic litter is a growing problem in the United States and globally. Plastics break down into extremely small pieces over time into microscopic pieces that can be swallowed or inhaled by fish, birds, animals, and people. Litter and debris on coastlines, most of which is plastic, deters people from visiting beaches and parks, thereby reducing the economic benefits from tourism and recreation. We aim to encourage people who visit or are active in outdoor coastal spaces to also pick up litter and debris while in these spaces. In the past, researchers have considered only how the environment can impact our physical activity behavior. However, the Blue Gym flips this idea to promote physical activity behaviors that improve the environment by developing and testing scalable health communication messages to encourage litter and debris cleanup as a form of health-enhancing physical activity.
Coastal Resilience – As part of the Climate Change Working Group through the College of Public Health, we will analyze social environment systems that promote coastal resilience through risk mitigation for the present and prevention strategies for the future of coastal communities. This is a newer endeavor that currently is in the grant writing phase.