Vision

During garbage duty one day, students observed that gum waste was the most common litter at our school. This launched a scientific exploration of the impacts gum and gum waste has on the environment and human body.

Action

In response to our students observations, students surveyed the gum by counting how many pieces were discarded on our school grounds. We separate the grounds into different zones and assigned students from both classes to survey zone areas. Students worked with their team and then cross referenced with the other class surveying in their area for accuracy. Student made campaigns, visual posters and videos which were shared with the school and broader community. Students then scraped the gum from the school grounds and we had our campaigns go live the following day. A week later, students resurveyed their areas to see if the campaigns had an impact on the gum litter issue. We will continue to monitor throughout the year. We looked at the microplastics in gum and how it is getting into our waterways.

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