LSU CC&E Professor Named Everyday Hero by Keep Louisiana Beautiful

On February 9, LSU College of the Coast & Environment Professor Mark Benfield was named one of eight 2020 Everyday Heroes by Keep Louisiana Beautiful, or KLB. Founded in 2000, KLB is a Keep America Beautiful affiliate with 41 affiliates and 172,000 volunteers that participants improve communities and transform public spaces in Louisiana. Benfield was honored with the Golden Can Award, which recognizes a public servant who displays a deep commitment to KLB’s mission in their daily work by going above and beyond the call of duty.

“We’ve got a real trash problem not only in our state but in our country, and the solutions are local. They start with organizations like Keep Louisiana Beautiful,” Benfield said.

KLB recognized Benfield for his research examining microplastic flux from the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico and its environmental impact on coastal food webs. Additionally, since the COVID-19 pandemic, Benfield launched a global research project to map the amount and types litter from personal protective equipment—such as disposable masks, gloves, and shields. Citizen scientists submit geotagged images of this “waste PPE” in Louisiana and in neighborhoods worldwide.

Furthermore, his work using a drone to map plastic trash on barrier islands was recognized by the National Geographic Society last year when his team was selected as a finalist in the data visualization part of the Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge.

“Dr. Benfield’s research raises awareness that what we throw away can persist in the environment and have unforeseen consequences. The solid waste problem that plastics present is not only about the health of our environment, it is about our own health. Mark is an excellent example of how the faculty of the College of the Coast & Environment are committed to our community and environmental stewardship,” said Chris D’Elia, professor and dean of the College of the Coast & Environment.  

To help with Benfield’s global effort to document waste PPE in neighborhoods, email covid19waste@gmail.com.