Class repurposes what too often threatens sea life
The B.C. Catholic
As plastic garbage clogs the ocean, Catholic students are working to educate the city of Kitimat on the environmental dangers of plastic bags.
“We were studying why some countries are poor, (and) one topic was poor resource management,” said Erin Baker, the Grade 6 teacher at St. Anthony’s Catholic School. “We also watched lots of videos on garbage, particularly plastic, and how it was building up in our oceans.”
The videos introduced the class to the Great Pacific garbage patch, a rotating ocean current carrying a large concentration of plastic, chemical sludge, and marine debris.
“The students were horrified to know that that is where so much garbage ends up,” Baker said. “Because we are a community that borders the Pacific Ocean, we decided to start a campaign against plastic bags.”
The class began researching how many plastic bags are used, the process of their decomposition, and how they are recycled. Finally the students decided to present their information to the Kitimat City Council, and ask them to consider a ban on plastic bags.
“There we learned that they had already put forward the idea to ban bags,” said Baker. “However this is something that cannot be done at a municipal level.”
The class began to try reaching individuals at a local level instead. They visited grocery stores to educate shoppers on what plastic bags do to the environment, and handed out cards as positive reinforcement to those using reusable bags.
“We also surveyed companies in Kitimat on what they thought about banning plastic bags,” Baker said. “Most companies were supportive but mentioned that although they provide reusable bags, few people actually use them.”
“I liked going around town to survey the people,” said Christine Ferreira, a student from the class. “I learned that the garbage in the ocean will outweigh the amount of marine life by 2050!”
Brooklyn Wojciechowski, another student, enjoyed educating the local community with the experience. “I thought it was fun because we went to (the city) council, did a campaign, and we made a commercial about (plastic bags). This is important because we’re helping our environment stay clean and healthy.”
The class also invited a group of Kitimat women who call themselves “bag ladies” to teach them how to reuse plastic bags by weaving them into sleeping mats for the homeless.
“These ladies were all for the ban, but said while the bags are around we can do something good with them,” said Baker. More than 450 bags go into each mat, with the process taking anywhere from a single day to a week to complete.
“It was a very good experience for the students, and I think we got some people thinking about using their reusable bags more often,” Baker concluded.
