Making a splash with the newly refreshed Divert NS Ocean Action Zone at the Discovery Centre

Located inside the Discovery Centre’s Murphy Ocean Gallery, the newly refreshed Divert NS Ocean Action Zone gives visitors the opportunity to explore how trash gets into our oceans, the impact of ocean pollution, and inspiring ways to create change.  

First installed at the Discovery Centre in 2021, the Divert NS Ocean Action Zone was originally designed with elementary and middle school students in mind. Recently, the installation was revitalized to improve accessibility features and to create a more engaging experience for a slightly older demographic: junior high school students.  

The exhibit includes hands-on activities such as a new digital game where visitors are put in the role of a student leader at a local high school, tasked with reducing the school’s ocean-bound plastic and textile waste. Visitors can also get up close and personal with real objects that often end up littered on our shorelines. Each object has a label that outlines how the trash reaches the ocean and the threats it can pose to human and marine life.  

A visitor favourite, the Tower of Trash, is still installed in the exhibit but has been refreshed with new objects. The collector of the litter in the Tower of Trash, Karen Jenner, is now featured in the exhibit and visitors can learn more about the important work she does to clean up our shorelines. Visitors can get to know other inspiring Nova Scotians making a difference in their community through our Community Hero video series also featured in the exhibit. 

Visit for yourself! Plan your trip by heading to the Discovery Centre’s website.