Quick Facts: The problem of litter is ubiquitous and the hazards to our natural environment from improperly disposed trash plagues communities all around our country and the world. Fortunately, pollution prevention happens to be one of the simplest environmental issues to highlight in a school setting and therefore a great starting point for schools wishing to implement a “green agenda” on campus. Read on to learn how to motivate students to tackle this issue by planning a community cleanup.
As we welcome the New Year, the school my children attend has resolved to take on the task of pollution prevention. Since we are a coastal community in the heart of our “rainy season,” much of our discussion will center on storm water run off and how 60-80% of all debris found in the ocean comes from land based sources. We provide the students with information that illustrates the harm to marine wildlife and ecosystems caused by balloon fragments, cigarette butts and other common trash found washed-up on our shores. We then punctuate this lesson with a school-wide cleanup located at a popular beach near our campus.
While living by the coast does present some unique pollution challenges, litter is ubiquitous and the hazards to our natural environment from improperly disposed trash plagues communities all around our country and the world. Pollution prevention also happens to be one of the simplest environmental issues to highlight in a school setting and therefore a great starting point for implementing a “green agenda” on campus.
If you like the idea of planning a school based, community cleanup but are wondering how to make it happen, I have provided some tips to get you started.
The Early Bird Catches the Worm
Assuming you have top-down buy-in (approval from your district/principal) on the project, the earlier you get the word out the better. I began circulating an “interested party” sign-up sheet for our beach cleanup at the start of the school year. Whenever there was a planned school activity, I either manned an information table or enlisted enthusiastic students to work the crowd armed with a clipboard. We collected the names and email addresses of parents and students wanting to participate in a community cleanup. We specifically asked for permission to contact them with event details and other information related to our cleanup efforts. Once I had a list of email addresses, I was able to send out mass updates about venue, date and time as well as pollution facts and details about some key types of trash to look for on our cleanup.
Picking Your Venue and Time
Careful consideration should go into picking the time and place of your event. It seems obvious that you would want to pick a time that would work for most families, but pleasing everyone is not likely to happen. Be mindful of the big conflicts such as holiday weekends when families are likely to travel out of town, common church times and even seasonal sports. I found planning our cleanup on a Saturday proved too tricky because nearly every family had children involved in some type of sport and this was the day when most games were scheduled. It is also helpful to look on your town’s event calendar and that of neighboring schools to eliminate other potential conflicts. I ran into challenges negotiating the logistics of road closures due to a local marathon as well as a competing beach cleanup from another school in our district.
Ideally you will want to pick a spot in your community frequented by the students attending your school such as a local park, nearby beach, popular creek bed or commonly traveled corridor. If you do choose the side of a road, make certain there is ample room away from traffic to ensure safety. Keep in mind families with school aged children may also have younger siblings in tow.
Help Supplement In-Class Information
A few weeks before the cleanup event inform teachers that the timing is ripe to talk about pollution issues during class. I have found teachers can usually find a portion of time to set aside for a small lesson. At my school, I have offered to come in and lead a lesson or help supply the information for the teacher or other parent volunteers. For younger grades, the lesson is usually a story about pollution such as All The Way to the Ocean followed by a class discussion about how animals mistake bits of trash for food and ingest them causing them harm.
Older grades can better grasp the science behind the same issue and can handle more sophisticated information such as details about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch which, although not visible from a satellite image, is estimated to be twice the size of Texas. Downloading information about this topic from wikipedia.com proved to be enough introductory information to comprise a lesson. This introduction can be coupled with one of many video clips available on the internet. All that is needed in the classroom is a computer with internet connectivity.
Another easy way to engage students about pollution issues in class is to have them make signs promoting the cleanup event for placement around campus.
Partner with an Expert
Although it is completely possible to execute a neighborhood cleanup event on your own, if you plan on a large turn-out, it helps to call in a professional. There are organizations all over the country whose main goal is to work within their local community to promote pollution prevention. The benefit of partnering with one of these groups is that they will likely supply event waivers, trash bags, recycling bags, gloves and often other informational materials. The organization that I partnered with not only supplied all the items listed above but also gave us survey cards for participants to report on the type and amount of trash that they found. This was a great way to reinforce the lessons we planned at school in the weeks prior. To find an organization near you that supports community cleanup efforts check out the Keep America Beautiful website at www.kab.org. The website has an interactive map where clicking on your state will show all the local organizations that are participating in the Great American Cleanup. Contact one of these organizations to find out how they can support your activity.
Report Progress Back to School
Nothing speaks louder than a strong sense of accomplishment. At the close of the cleanup event weigh all trash and recyclables separately. Report back to school on the amount of each type of trash picked up and, if applicable, the amount of money raised from whatever recyclables collected. At our school our student volunteers created a large poster recording our findings and the money earned was donated to a pollution prevention nonprofit organization.
Information used in this article was found at the following sources, which you can visit if you want to find out more about this topic:
www.kab.org (The Keep America Beautiful website has information to find an organization near you that supports community cleanup efforts)
To read more information about the harms of pollution on our environment, check out the following articles in our Real Mama archives:
Litter from Sea to Shining Sea
Every Party Needs a Pooper: Balloons and the Environment
The following resources may be helpful in explaining the harms of pollution to children:
Books:
All the Way to the Ocean by Joel Harper
The Great Trash Bash by Loreen Leedy
Where Does Pollution Come From by C. Vance Cast
Video about the North Pacific Gyre
http://www.pbs.org/kqed/oceanadventures/video/gyre Ocean Adventures: Spin Cycle Jean-Michel Cousteau
A complete lesson plan about the North Pacific Gyre for teachers with linked resources
http://www.teachablemoment.org/elementary/earthday.html
Tags: beach cleanup, community cleanup, green schools, green team, pollution prevention
