Guiding Questions – Grades 6-8

How plastic litter becomes marine microplastic pollution 

1. In the movie, students organized the beach litter from intact to degraded?
   • Why did they make the effort to carefully organize the plastic litter this way?
   • How can we use photographs of litter in combination with data to communicate the problem?
2. Have you ever noticed “litter hotspots” in your school, neighborhood, or city?  If so, describe these spots. 
   • Why do you think that there is more litter in certain spots than others?
   • Can you identify patterns with regard to why litter ends up in some of these spots and not in other places?
3. Plastics and microplastics are ingested by many different marine species. 
   • Have you ever eaten something that upset your stomach?
   • What would happen if the bad food could not leave your body?
4. Choose an item that is made from plastic that could be manufactured from a different type of material (for example, a plastic cup can also be made from glass or metal).
   • What would this object have been made of when your grandparents were children? If you don’t know, you can call and ask an older relative.
5. What is your favorite ocean animal?
   • What ideas do you have for communicating to others the problem of how plastic pollution threatens the lives of wildlife? Think of your narrative in a variety of formats, such as a vlog, poem, artwork or something else.

Diving deep into the plastic pollution problem

1. The students needed to prepare before testifying at the New York City Council hearing on waste water treatment?
   • What steps did they need to take to prepare (not every step is shown in the movie)? 
   • If you had the opportunity to testify at City Hall, what issue(s) would you choose to  focus on? What would you need to do to prepare?
2. Who is your local City Council Member ? ( If you live outside of NYC, who is your local elected policy maker?) If you don’t know, do the research to find out!  How long does it take to find their phone number and an email address, and social media handles. 
   • Extra Credit – Write a letter to  a local elected official, asking for something related to plastic pollution reduction.
3. Why is it so important to understand how the manufacturing of plastic connects to air pollution and extreme weather events? Does understanding this connection change how you feel about using plastic?
4. We often hear that it is the responsibility of individuals to stop littering in order to stop plastic pollution.
   • Is telling others to stop littering a more effective strategy for stopping plastic pollution than meeting with policy makers to urge them to create laws to slow the production and use of plastic packaging? Or, are both actions important? If so, why?
5. What actions can you personally take to reduce microfiber pollution in the environment? 
   • What specific things can students ask policy makers to do to reduce microfiber pollution?
   • How can students put pressure on the fashion industry to change how clothes are made?

Making change: local action to citywide impact

1. Why was it important for the students to address the plastic problem in their own cafeteria? Hadn’t they done enough to reduce plastic pollution in their community already?
2. If the students had focused first on the plastic in their cafeteria (before the street and beach litter), it might have changed their actions. Does it matter which step comes first?  Why or why not?
   • Imagine you are preparing to lead plastic free action in your school. What steps will you need to take? Is it better to start in the cafeteria or outside in the community? Why?
3. Why exactly did students organize a rally at City Hall? What were they trying to persuade decision-makers in New York City to do?
   • Do you think that rallies are an effective tool for change making?
   • If the rally had been led by adults, do you think it would have been more effective or less effective or, would it have had the same impact? Explain your reasons.
4. There are many different ways to reduce microplastic pollution in our environment. 
   • What would you design or invent to reduce plastic pollution?
   • What actions can YOU take to reduce plastic pollution?
   • What can you do to inspire your family, friends, neighbors and classmates to take action?