The Community Environmental Council (CEC) and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper will present An Evening with Captain Charles Moore, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20 at CEC’s Environmental Hub, 1219 State St. Santa Barbara.

In 1997, while sailing across the Pacific Ocean, Capt. Moore took a shortcut through the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Expecting to see clear, pristine waters, he instead encountered a swirling expanse of floating plastic debris — a discovery that would change the world’s understanding of ocean pollution.

The evening with Capt. Moore will open with a 2019 documentary by the Korean Broadcasting System exposing the alarming reality of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and concluding with a Q&A with Moore.

Compelled to act following his discovery, Capt. Moore founded the Algalita Marine Research and Education nonprofit and Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research.

His landmark study on microplastics in the North Pacific Gyre revealed that for every kilogram of plankton in the ocean, there are 6 kilograms of plastics — research widely cited in media and science publications worldwide, the CEC reports.

RSVP here.