Middle School Block Takes on Single-Use Plastics

It all started with a Middle School cleanup project at the Los Angeles River. Overwhelmed by the amount of plastic pollution in our environment, a few seventh graders decided to act. With support from Middle School Director Pat Gray and Environmental Sustainability Manager Laura Fleming, who both participated in the cleanup, the students pitched the idea of an eighth-grade sustainability block focused on learning about plastics and how they could reduce single-use plastics on Poly’s campus. 

 

Eight students signed on after presenting the block topic to their eighth-grade peers, and the “Deep Dive Into The Global Plastics’ Crisis” came to life. Over 12 weeks, the Deep Dive Block learned about how the durability of plastic creates both positive and negative impacts. They then dove deeper into studying the impacts on climate change, human health, water consumption, and wildlife. Once they identified the largest sources of plastic waste in the Middle School, the students met with school leaders: Poly’s lunch provider, Bevaris, Middle School faculty, and Poly’s Operations team. The students presented their findings and proposed ways to reduce single-use plastics.