questions include, “How can we reduce plastic waste at our school?” or “How can we teach our school community about the harmful effects plastics have on the environment?” If the problem is defined as a schoolwide lack of knowledge about the use and harm of plastics, students can collect plas- tics around the school found in trash and recycling bins to design, model, and build plastic artwork that shows how much plastic is being used. Students could use the plastic artwork to share the harmful effects plastics have on the environment, especially marine life, through signs or the construction of the artwork. The collected plastics could also be processed into filaments for 3D printing of plastic toys 9. By allowing students of any grade level to lead the challenge, there will be greater buy-in from students, staff, and parents, and an increased chance for an outcome which could affect positive change in the entire school. Conducting educational outreach programs is another
effective strategy for promoting positive community changes. Schools partner with local organizations with expertise in plastic waste initiatives to bring engaging activ- ities and experiments to the classroom 10. These organiza- tions — including universities, zoos, aquariums, research institutions, or other non-profit organizations — often have curriculum already designed and modified for any grade level or age group. An example of an organization that offers a plastic prevention educational outreach program is the National Marine Mammal Foundation (NMMF). The NMMF Prevent Ocean Plastics for a Porpoise program educates students on the ways that plastic pollution affects marine life and how to prevent plastic pollution from end- ing up in the ocean11. Activities are focused on the plastic lifecycle, a watershed model, and the endangered Vaquita porpoise 11. Hearing about plastics and the effects of plastic waste from an expert engages students in a local effort to prevent plastic pollution and motivates them to participate in the program. Implementing a schoolwide sustainability curriculum is
the most important and effective school-based strategy to change school culture and create community action on plas- tic waste reduction. Doing so educates students, teachers, staff, and parents of the harmful effects of waste in the envi- ronment and aids in the development and implementation of a sustainability action plan. Teachers, in all subjects, receive training in the curriculum, which focuses on environmen- tal education, waste management, and waste reduction. The curriculum may be developed by teachers and through col- laborations with environmental education institutes or orga- nizations. The Waste Wise Schools Program in Victoria, Australia promotes a sustainability curriculum and a com- mitment by schools to produce zero waste12. The program, developed by a local organization, EcoRecycle, encourages public and private schools of all grades to design a curricu- lum that creates a schoolwide action plan to reduce waste 12. Schools that successfully reduce plastic waste earn the des- ignation, certification, and statewide recognition as a Waste Wise School.
Non-profit strategies The most effective non-profit strategies for reducing plastic waste and creating community action are plastic campaigns, citizen science projects, and water quality testing.
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Non-profit organizations formulate international and
national slogan campaigns to remove plastic waste from beaches, parks, and streets in communities. Successful slo- gans are catchy and easy to remember so that community members think twice before using plastics or disposing of them improperly. Campaigns and slogans may have a broader goal beyond plastic waste, such as tackling all waste or pollution in a community. For example, Neat Streets is an anti-littering campaign that encourages the public to improve their waste disposal13. However, campaigns may also target specific audiences with a more specific outcome. The Fishing for Litter (FFL) campaign involves working directly with commercial fishermen in the United Kingdom to remove litter from the ocean13. The fishermen are asked to collect the litter, bring it back to shore, and give it to the FFL to dispose of or recycle properly14. Non-profit organi- zations will also partner with local schools to design cam- paigns for plastic waste reduction. Citizen science projects are a very effective method for
engaging communities in plastic initiatives. These projects connect community members with scientists to monitor microplastics and macroplastics in the environment 15. Most projects have the dual goal of engaging and communicating with volunteers and enhancing the research on plastic pol- lution. Citizen projects are effective at involving commu- nity members who are personally motivated to participate because of a passion for the ocean and the environment. In schools, citizen science projects engage students in scien- tific knowledge, practices, and skills, while also showing them the importance of contributing to scientific investiga- tions on plastics in the environment. Adventure Scientists, another non-profit organization, uses worldwide citizen sci- ence efforts to track plastics traveling from waterways to the ocean16. The goal of the project is to determine the types and amounts of plastics entering into the ocean to inform future policies and campaigns aimed at eliminating plastic pollution. This organization also uses the third effective non-profit
strategy for preventing plastic pollution. Testing water qual- ity involves monitoring, managing, and reporting the health of waterways and oceans to inform communities about their direct impacts on the surrounding environment. This strat- egy, like citizen science projects, can involve community members and schools in quarterly water quality tests of local watersheds and oceans17. In addition, non-profit campaigns incorporate healthy coastal and water quality testing strate- gies into nationally and internationally planned coastal and water clean-up days through collecting, quantifying, classi- fying, and recycling plastics7,13,18. The campaigns create slo- gans to entice communities and share the worldwide results for plastic clean-up days.
Five-step action plan Based on my research and findings, I found that school- based programs and non-profit programs need to collaborate to increase community involvement and create the great- est amount of action in reducing plastic waste. Therefore, I designed a five-step plan to initiate a plastic-free program at schools of any grade level. The plan incorporates all effec- tive school-based and non-profit strategies described above. The goal of the program is to spread awareness of the plastic
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