That environmentalism is in vogue is certainly good news for the planet. Whether it’s a boon for the art world is a separate question, one that you’ll have a chance to consider this weekend, as fledgling nonprofit Community Connectome presents “Nurture The Environment,” a one-day event of art exhibition, workshops, and conferences—with a side of musical performance—pivoting on the theme of coastal conservation.

“I can’t even have a good time at the beach when I see all that trash that’s littering it everywhere. It’s really gross,” says Alexandria Carranza, whose Community Connectome has been organizing weekly beach clean-ups since late September. “So we decided to change that, and possibly change people’s mindsets about their own lifestyles, [whether that is] reducing the amount they pollute or reducing the amount of waste they generate in their own homes and recycling or just being more aware of the harmful effects of plastic.”

Nurture The Environment, which doubles as Community Connectome’s public kickoff event, will attempt to bring the issue to the forefront of people’s consciousness partly by way of a pair of workshops:

• “Nurture Your Little Home”: In response to pollution and overflowing landfills, we have created simple and crafty alternatives to re-using potentially recyclable household items. Moreover, participants will also learn unique recipes for household cleaning supplies and interact in creating their own product of choice to take home along with their own re-usable shopping bag.
• “Nurture Your Big Home”: This workshop invites all participants, especially the little ones, to put their artistic skills to the test and create works of art! There will be a myriad of arts and crafts projects available and the major featured project will include painting trash cans and recycling cans. With permission from the city, we will be stationing these bins in the most polluted areas of Long Beach, inspiring citizens not to litter.

Sunday’s event will also feature a variety of musical performers— we’re promised reggae, surf rock, dubstep, and ska—as well as an art exhibition showcasing local visual artists working with original projects inspired by coastal conservation, and showcasing works employing recycled materials. “We want them to stay away from anything that […] is freshly bought,” says Carranza. “[…] Some of the trash we’ve collected [at the weekly beach clean-ups] will be separated, cleaned, disinfected, and re-used to provide material for interactive art at the event.”

As if that’s not enough bang for your buck—speaking of which, the event is free—there will also be a conference “dedicated to the protection and sustainability of Pacific coast environments.” Guest speakers leading the conference include Ananda Lee, executive director of the Long Beach chapter of Surfrider; Claudio Garzon, a supported artist from Save Oceans and Seas; and Jesus Reyes, executive director of Pacific Coast Environmental Conservancy. Other organizations presenting informational tables to engage the public include Green LB, Green Peace, Aquarium of the Pacific, and Savage.

Eco Coffee and Som Roasters will give out complimentary coffee, and various other food/drink vendors will be on-hand.

“Nurture The Environment” on Sunday, November 18, from 3PM to 9PM at the Expo Art Center (4321 Atlantic Ave., LB 90807). For more info, call 562.427.7617 or visit galleryexpo.net.

–Top photo, art by Charles Landholm. Bottom, art by Claudio Garzon.