“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.” — Marian Wright Edelman, an American activist for civil rights and children's rights
In keeping with our goal of reducing the amount of pollution in our coastal environment, the Environmental Studies Center (ESC) recently hosted a workshop for our teachers participating in the Sea Grant-funded coastal ecology classes. The workshop, held at the Mobile Recycling Center, offered the teachers a glimpse of what real-time recycling looks like in Mobile County, Alabama, and provided some options for teaching students about the problem.
Our focus in the coastal ecology classes is specifically the reduction of plastic pollution. In this workshop, we modeled ways to reduce the use of plastics. The workshop started with a breakfast provided by the ESC that showcased environmentally friendly alternatives, such as water served in aluminum cans, biodegradable paper plates and compostable utensils.
After the meal, Sara Boccardo, director of sustainability at the Mobile County Recycling Center, gave a presentation on how much waste is produced in our county, country and world. She outlined what types of materials can be recycled and what made an item excluded from the process. After the presentation, teachers were given a tour of the recycling center. They were able to go behind the scenes to see how materials were sorted and packaged to be sent off for recycling.
The afternoon activities included a presentation from Evelyn DeAngelo from the Keep Mobile Beautiful and Love Your Community programs. She outlined how both organizations could be valuable to teachers and their classes by providing ways to promote trash awareness. Don Bates from the Osprey Initiative also spoke to teachers about how the company helps to clean up area waterways and how the data they collect helps to determine the source point of the pollution.
The teachers enjoyed this event and spent time brainstorming ways to start recycling programs within the schools. It was our goal that the pollution awareness presentations and the up-close tour of the recycling process would give the teachers the tools they need to make a difference in the way they discuss the issue of pollution to the students. We firmly believe it is never too early to plant the seeds of better environmental awareness with our students.
As decorated humanitarian and philanthropist Steve Maraboli stated, “What we instill in our children will be the foundation upon which they build their future.” Armed with a proper education, hopefully this future will be one with a lot less trash in the environment.
Meet the author
Tracy Jay, Ed.D.
Director, Environmental Studies Center
Tracy Jay is a member of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium's Engagement and Education Team. She is the director of the Mobile County Public School System's Environmental Studies... Read more
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