An estimated one million metric tons of plastic waste enters the ocean each year and can even be found along the coast, in sea ice and on the deep sea floor. On average, an individual consumes about one credit card of microplastics every week. Local governments have a critical role to play in solving this problem, but few Americans engage in local policy matters. Without systemic change, this issue will only worsen, threatening the health and well-being of future generations. 

This project team set out to engage and empower youth in solving the plastic pollution crisis. Team members created a curriculum for action-civics education outreach on ocean plastic pollution and used an extensive literature review to develop a rapid assessment tool for gauging the impact of local plastic pollution interventions. The team also implemented unconventional storytelling methods on social media to raise awareness about plastic pollution at Duke.

Empowering Youth to Address Plastic Pollution in Their Communities: Motivating and Measuring Local Actions

Poster by Olivia Polemeni, Lydia Sellers, Madison Griffin, Alicia Medina, Jilly Senk, Emma Shuppert, Amber Skinner, Deven Stewart, Katie Tan and Finnie Zhao