Taking on the impact of plastic waste

The world is drowning in plastic. Great masses of the stuff float in the oceans. Living in Central Oregon, people are removed from the visual realities of pollution in the ocean - but a group of Sisters students now know a lot about the subject. And they're taking action.

Rima Givot's biology class at Sisters High School recently tackled the topic of how carbon cycles through the biosphere and the role humans play in that cycle. They studied how human waste (carbon emissions and plastic) impacts the natural world, especially in the ocean ecosystems.

To give the topic a local focus, Givot's students designed projects with the goal to reduce plastic waste, disposable plastic consumption, and/or carbon emissions, while raising awareness about the problem. The students conducted a wide range of projects including writing letters to government representatives, picking up litter and interviewing local business owners about plastic-bag use.

Some of the students learned how to make useful things from waste items like feed sacks and wine corks, as well as the option to reuse zip-close bags and utensils. They looked at the positive impacts of riding the bus and bikes and surveyed community members. They presented information to other students and made a proposal to the city council.

When they calculated the results of their inquiries they ran an advertisement in The Nugget revealing their findings.

Givot gave her class a lot to accomplish, and the students rose and often exceeded her expectations.

"I was really inspired by these freshmen and sophomore students," she said. "In addition to learning about the biological role of carbon and ways we can play a part in how it cycles, the students felt empowered to have a positive impact on their community. They found a wide range of ways to encourage positive change and felt a connection to the community. It's been a really exciting project!"

Student Mary Root hopes Sisters-area residents will get on board as well. Root's student team interviewed tourist-oriented businesses in town.

"We polled businesses and asked them how many bags they used per day and if they use paper bags," she said. "We wanted to know if they offered reusable bags and promoted them as a healthier way to carry items."

Root found that after the questions were answered, business owners were more aware of how they could mitigate the overuse of plastics.

With large masses of plastic-infused islands called gyres floating off-shore, Root found that plastic bags are a big part of the problem because they are easily transported by wind. The garbage mass in the Pacific Ocean is called the North Pacific Gyre. Root learned why these garbage patches are so destructive to marine life.

"In these gyres, there are currents that accumulate materials into one area. There are lots of nutrients accumulated too, so animals go there to get the nutrients. They also ingest the small particles of plastics that are interspersed with the nutrients. You can see sea turtles that have died and when examined they have plastics in their stomachs."

The students' research informed them that plastic bags are threatening wildlife in and out of the water. Not only that, humans are affected through plastic particles entering the food chain in the ocean (see related story, page 21).

Root and many of her classmates are changing their behavior since doing the project in Givot's class.

"This has changed me and made me think more about it," said Root. "I used to use a lot of zip-[close] bags with my lunches, now my family buys reusable bags with Velcro. I use a lot less plastics than I used to. The purpose of the project was to have the future generation think about it more."