Ocean Education Activities
In this activity, students will learn that the
marine pollution we contribute through our daily activities
is often a matter of choice.
- Discuss how the human sources of ocean pollution outlined
in "Troubled Waters Run Deep" may be largely attributed
to our consumer choices, such as the forms of transportation
we use and the items we buy.
- Have students fill out the "Pollution Potential Table"
with products or services they, and their families, regularly
buy or use, identifying items that may be categorized as
food, personal care products, chemicals, recreational items,
transportation needs, or other. Personal care products,
for example, might include mouthwash or shampoo. Chemicals
might include medicines, pesticides, solvents, and cleaning
products. Warning labels on products found in the kitchen,
laundry room, bathroom, and garage are important sources
of information. For each item, students should identify
frequency of use (daily/often/rarely); necessity (high/low);
biodegradability (good/poor/unknown); recyclability (good/poor/unknown);
excessive packaging (yes/no); and pollution potential (high/low/unknown).
The last category should include predictions about what
might happen if an item - say, an ammonia-based cleaning
product - were dumped down the drain and found its way into
the ocean.
- Once charts are complete, each student will write a summary
of a typical day in his or her life, emphasizing consumer
choices made and potential contributions to ocean pollution.
- Finally, building on newfound awareness of everyday impacts,
and having researched alternatives to ocean-unfriendly products,
students will revise their original summaries of a typical
day, relating better-informed consumer choices and reduced
impacts on the ocean.
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Project
WILD