Interruption: Students Seeking Solutions
Students focus on one marine debris object commonly found on Oregon beaches, research its original purpose, user, and life cycle, and then propose targeted solutions to prevent this particular item from becoming marine debris.
What's the Story?
Have you ever found litter on the beach and wondered what it is and where it came from? In this project, students focus on one particular item of marine debris that is found on Oregon beaches and try to learn about the item's STORY. What was the item originally used for? How does it move through its life cycle of manufacture, transportation, use, and disposal? How did this item end up abandoned or discarded in the marine environment?
Once students know the object's story, they identify solutions that would prevent this particular type of marine debris from ending up on the beach, and share their ideas with decision makers. The goal is to INTERRUPT the processes that led to the generation of this type of marine debris.
MDI Lessons
Removing marine debris is important. But during beach clean ups, we often ask ourselves if it would be even better if we could prevent items from becoming marine debris in the first place.