How do you turn students in upper secondary education into entrepreneurs in the fight against plastic pollution?
2 years of active STEM based entrepreneurial curriculum building in the field a plastic pollution of the oceans with 4 very diverse upper secondary schools could be the answer. Partners from Denmark, Greece, French Polynesia, and Spain have teamed up via Erasmus+ to create motivating and innovative teaching materials on this very complex topic, and our European students bloom.
Cross-border/international
Denmark
Greece
Member State(s), Western Balkans and other countries: France
Member State(s), Western Balkans and other countries: Spain
The partner in France is in French Polynesia.
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Yes
ERASMUS
We are supported by Erasmus+ KA2 Danish code KA220-SCH-2022-013
No
Yes
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): Vibenshus Gymnasium, Second Lyceum of Kos, IES Jaume II El Just, Lycée Samuel Rapooto Type of organisation: Other public institution First name of representative: Mikkel Max Last name of representative: Jorn Gender: Male Nationality: Denmark Function: International Coordinator & Physics Teacher Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Jagtvej 163 Town: Copenhagen Postal code: 2100 Country: Denmark Direct Tel:+45 30 95 55 39 E-mail:mmjo@nextkbh.dk Website:https://nextkbh.dk/gymnasier/vibenshus-gymnasium
It should come as no surprise that we have a serious problem with plastic in our oceans. Both microplastics and macroplastics have devastating effects on biodiversity and in the long run, the resources we need to feed a growing world population.
The challenges are real. We do recognize a problem, but the solutions are scarce. While plastic production is booming, recycling is hard and inefficient. Few attempts at collecting plastic from the oceans are successful and, in any case, extremely far from sufficient. The Mediterranean Sea is now one the most polluted oceans in the world, and huge plastic islands are trapped in the Pacific gyres close to French Polynesia.
Our Erasmus+ project is bringing students from widely separate world regions in the EU together in an attempt to understand the underlying factors behind the Plastic Ocean and to come up with entrepreneurial solutions to the real local and global problems.
From Tahiti in the Pacific Ocean to Valencia in the south, via Greece to Copenhagen the problems are diverse and complex and not least epochally important.
Spanning two years, the project will take a total of around 100 students and many teachers on an academic adventure to the partner schools involved, and each time we will focus on a new aspect of plastic pollution: We dive into the science of plastic pollution, and we develop viable alternatives to this wonderful material that has become a plague.
At the same time the students and teachers will gain cultural knowledge and expand their social and professional network across Europe and French Polynesia.
Finally, the entire project results in easily implementable teaching materials free for everyone in the field of Plastic Pollution and what to do about it.
We are reconnecting to nature while empowering the youth of Europe to take matters into their own hands and create a European Bauhaus of Identity built on STEM, entrepreneurship and deep friendship.
Plastic Pollution
STEM
Entrepreneurship
Nature
European Citizenship
The mature, yet ongoing project started with three deep concerns: 1. the overwhelming amount of macro/micro/nanoplastic in our Oceans with no end in sight and the potential ecological catastrophe following in its trail. 2. The sad trend of European youth to become less and less entrepreneurial, not least in the field of STEM. 3. The lack of fantastic teaching materials in the field of Plastic Pollution and the effects on nature for upper secondary students.
We strive to tackle all three concerns the best we can. We develop and test highly motivating teaching materials about plastic detection and plastic alternatives using STEM and hands-on entrepreneurship models.
Students and teachers from French Polynesia (not far from one of the Great Pacific plastic Gyres), Kos and Valencia (at the shores of the extremely plastic infused Mediterranean) and Denmark have so far come together in Copenhagen and Tahiti. The topic in Copenhagen was the development of plastic detection methods and possible degradation using enzymes with partners at three universities. In Tahiti we (re)learned ancient methods of creating plastic alternatives such as bowls and plates that now 3/4 year later are still in use in our kitchens. We will take entrepreneurship to a higher level in Spain in March where we will develop more plastic alternatives on an industrial scale. And finally in Greece in April we will work with biology scientists to learn about the impact of plastic pollution while dissecting and examining local fish. Everything will be in the name of nature and sustainability, and the final product will be teaching materials free for everyone to use and not least highly motivated and happy young Europeans with a tightly knitted European identity through friendship and shared interests. This is in our honest opinion exemplary when it comes to building a European sustainable educational Bauhaus of curricula.
The aesthetics / quality of experience is guaranteed through multiple stages: All students are hosted by local families spawning a great cultural understanding and not least friendships that are simply tear inducing. We now have Tahitian and Danish girls playing in online bands, Spanish, Danish and Tahitian friends having Christmas together in France. etc. And with two more meetings to go, this can only get better.
The positive emotions and cultural European benefits are exactly in line with the goals of Erasmus+ and of course the Bauhaus. The design of the project is intended to implement both STEM and entrepreneurship and not least active European citizenship in a seamless manner into the students´ efforts to learn about plastic pollution and what to do about it. This by all means ought to be exemplary as a standout project for cultural collaboration.
Finally, on a very basic scale and with a more literary reading of the word "design" we have our students develop and design physical products as alternatives to plastic, and quite honestly, they look great, feel great, work just fine and are in daily use. E.G., my own children had their breakfast from decorated coconut shell bowls this morning and wouldn't have it any other way. We look forward to designing even more alternatives in March.
And as an afterthought the teaching materials will be used, reused, and altered by future teachers and students bringing more positive emotions and a deeper understanding of self-efficacy in entrepreneurship regarding plastic pollution.
Needless to say, this project would have been impossible without the support of Erasmus+. French Polynesia is simply very far away from Europe and students like Mehiti from Tahiti and Hannah from Denmark would never have met. Neither would Hjalte and Christos who come from (very) poor families. etc. We strive to include the entire spectrum of students from low to high, from girl via non-binary to boy. We encompass students with physical and psychological diagnoses. In short, we are very inclusive showing that everyone can and should make a difference in this vital field.
We love the work of the hand and that of the brain at the same time as they are complementary and 100% necessary for the project to succeed. Therefore we embrace both hardcore science students and students who have skills in the crafts. The two are equally important.
At a project level, all partners in the collaboration are equal, and their opinions and local proposals have the same weight. It is not top down but a horizontal hand-in-hand partnership, which has not only generated lasting friendships among students but also among the teachers, coordinators and headmasters.
Already now we have had so many people and societies affected by the initiative.
First off, all the families and students involved (we can barely count them) are given a a chance to reconnect to nature in a life changing manner. This must be a once-in-a-life-time experience for all of them.
Second, we are involving many small-scale partners in the project. In Tahiti we shared a day with one local tribe in the rain forest listening to their concerns about nature, plastic and pollution in general + the need to conserve the Polynesian language translated from Polynesian to French and then to English. We learned their songs and about how to live and build in the ancient ways that do not destroy nature. We were all very moved but the tribe was equally happy to be able to spread the word about their place in a beleaguered nature. Likewise, we involved local Polynesian elderly teaching us crafting techniques of the ancients, we visited a local farmer trying to make a viable organic farm in Moorea and a family making dried fruits as an alternative to imports.
In Copenhagen we indulged in true citizen science encouraging local people to bring water samples from their daily lives for analysis. Among many samples we analyzed tea with teabag, water from the laundry machine, water from a plastic bottle etc. With our newly invented method we found a heartbreaking amount of micro / nanoplastics in almost all the samples (laundry water being the worst). The citizens involved have all changed to metal containers etc. and are helping spread the word.
We will keep involving citizens in Spain (March 2023) and Greece (April 2023).
At a European level the European Commission has laid the foundation through the Erasmus+ program. We are SO thankful for this.
At a national level, our Danish Ministry of Science has been very forthcoming in their work as National Agencies. They have helped so much and are true advocates of international cooperation. In return we have helped them at seminars etc.
At a regional level the Tahitian Regional School board has helped the Tahitian school administer the workload that has been immense for a newcomer to Erasmus+ The board not only helped logistically but were also active partners in the trips and a final celebration at a Motu (reef island) where we tried local foods (and local ways of eating it - certainly without plastics! They use either coconut shells or big leaves and eat with their fingers - yum!).
We are involving the regional and local political system in both Spain and Greece and will have a locally televised talk with the local mayor in Kos town. We have initiated a local "Clean the Beach Day" both places and will compete about who finds the most plastic.
These are samples of how we try to engage society at different levels.
The final way of engaging with different stakeholders would be through the European Bauhaus Initiative. We would be able to transform the project from a teaching material producing partnership with many happy students, families, teachers, citizens etc. into a truly European identity building project. But let's see about that. We will cross our fingers. Were we to be one of the lucky winners, we would make good use of the the prize by maximizing our efforts to connect and cooperate with many more schools in the EU, and we promise (as certified UN Sustainable Development Goals School) to have all future projects have their basis on the Green Agenda platform.
The project was designed to encompass two vital fields in the fight against the Plastic Ocean: STEM and entrepreneurship.
STEM was and is represented by the sciences biology (along with biologists from the University of Lesbos we will dissect fish caught off shore in Kos, and we have been taught by reef biologists from Moorea about the devastating effects of plastic on the chorales), chemistry and physics (we have developed biodegradable plastic and developed a method of detecting microplastic using Nile Red Dye, Ultraviolet and violet light plus orange filters and a few chemicals), oceanography with the aid of professors and technical personnel from Roskilde University including spectral analysis of a wide range of plastics found in the Pacific and the Atlantic plus micro filtering of samples. More aid came from student experiments with probing fish, without killing them, using non-harmful radiation at Danish Technical university under Ole Trinhammer. All of this is impossible to explore without the use / knowledge of technology. STEM was and will also be represented by technology and engineering in our efforts to make plastic alternatives in both Tahiti, Denmark and Spain, while Math being the underlying language. We have drawn on expertise from so many STEM categories and every one of them interacted with us with a deep knowledge and an enthusiasm for the project and the students.
The added value is extremely high. We simply cannot understand our influence on Nature without it. On the other hand, with STEM we empower our students in the best possible way.
Likewise, entrepreneurship as a knowledge field has been and will be be represented by craftsmen on one hand and factories on the other, all of them with the intent to help our students develop a sense of self-efficacy and motivation for plastic alternative startups. This by all means is splendid.
Furthermore, the project has been founded in the teaching method called "Problem Based Learning".
The project was born out of a frustration with 3 intertangled problems:
1. Teaching materials in the field of plastics is mainly made for primary schools and not for upper secondary schools. This is deeply problematic because of the importance but also because it is a very tangible problem to work with for students. We needed materials that were simply not there; therefore, we will create it. The teaching materials are innovative just by themselves, letting Upper Secondary Schools work with the science of plastics using technology that is affordable and easily implementable. Normally you must either scale down the teaching or invest in super expensive and heavy machinery.
2. Youth Entrepreneurship in Europe is falling to very low rates. We rely on the old companies in Europe and hope for a job. But we need new companies with fresh ideas and approaches, not least in the environmental field. This project motivates and spurs the students to dare open a company, to dare making plastic alternatives, to dare risking something for nature. This is innovative. It is not just teaching. It is enabling.
3. The youth of today is being bombarded with problems from Coronavirus to Climate Change, war in Ukraine and inflation and SoMe related stress. And Plastic pollution & biodiversity. Apathy is a common way out. A very sad way out. With this project we challenge that approach. We teach our students and those who will adopt our teaching materials to tackle the problems instead of looking the other way. We teach them to work for and reconnect with nature. And that is innovative.
It is hard to find a spot on earth where our initiative could not be replicated or transferred. The whole idea is to create and share easily implementable teaching materials about plastic pollution on Earth. And plastic is everywhere. From the top of Mount Everest to the bottom of the Oceans. From Pole to Pole. In your tea, your food, and even in your blood. In the stomachs of animals and babies.
All elements of the teaching materials can be transferred with minor local changes, such as changing to different leaf types (which is the only thing we can think of now).
The materials will be uploaded on all major teaching materials platforms, the European Results platform and shared with partner schools free of charge. They are written in English.
The target group of students from Upper Secondary School is in line with the theoretical needs but can of course be upped or downed.
The methodology for the teaching materials is as simple as this:
Each school develops materials for 1 week (4 weeks in total) in the same graphical identity and same format. All is based on Problem Based Learning.
2 schools are focused on entrepreneurial aspects.
2 schools are focused on STEM
We test the materials on students in each country, evaluate and optimize. We bring students from all schools to all schools, so to speak.
Finally, we compile everything and share as many places as possible.
We have three logistics meetings to keep everything on track.
The approach to having our students share their culture and develop a sense of belonging and a shared European identity is to have all involved families host a student from the visiting countries. This is the best approach because it forces the students to interact with local society, and they are really happy to do that. We have new best friends each time.
We hope it is clear by now that plastic pollution is a global disaster. But here is one of the problems: Plastics get discarded (and not recycled). They are mostly dumped in the ocean or travel there by the forces of wind or rivers. In the ocean they are carried by ocean tides. Some macro plastic will be eaten be large animal who will starve to death as a consequence. But most will slowly be broken down to micro / nanoplastics by ocean waves and UV light.
Nano / microplastics attract both poison, insecticides, fungicides, and heavy metals, and end up in algae and small animals and get stuck in the food chain all the way up to the top predator (including humans). Once the toxic substances are exposed to stomach acids they are released to the animal, harming them. On top of that, plastics are suspected to be the cause of hormone disturbances leading to decreased fertility. As an example, we now expect the population of killer whales to collapse within 40 years.
This is just one example of the global challenges with The Plastic Ocean. We address this with local initiatives that will 1. heighten awareness locally, 2. enable our and other students to measure the amount of plastic pollution in their local area, and 3. to motivate students to be locally or globally entrepreneurial by opening their minds to making a business out of plastic alternatives.
We are more than halfway through the project, and by the time you read this we will be almost at the end. At this moment we have had two logistics meetings, and two weeks of testing the teaching materials on our dear students in Copenhagen (Spring 2022) and Tahiti (Summer 2022). We have two more teaching materials testing weeks coming up in March and April 2023. All teaching materials for the first two testing weeks have been completed and can eventually be found in the (still incomplete) compendium for the Plastic Ocean. The teaching materials for the upcoming two weeks are being created and are almost done. They too will be evaluated by the students and teachers and put into the streamlined compendium.
When our physical meetings are completed, we will compile, graphically design, and spread the materials. We will use all available teaching platforms and of course make the materials free for everyone to use.
With our initiative we will indeed teach new competences in the context of the European competence framework on sustainability. In fact, it covers every single action point in the call:
We teach for the green transition and sustainable development a priority in education and training policies and programs.
We provide learners with opportunities to learn about the climate crisis and sustainability in Upper Secondary education
We mobilize EU funds (Erasmus+) to invest in green and sustainable teaching equipment.
We support educators in developing their knowledge and skills to teach students about sustainability, and also dealing with eco-anxiety among their students
We create supportive learning environments for sustainability that span over all activities and operations by an educational institution and enable teaching and learning that is hands-on, interdisciplinary and relevant to local contexts.
We involve students and staff, local authorities and the research and innovation community in learning for sustainability.
Furthermore we actively teach the four European sustainability competences:
Embodying sustainability values
a. valuing sustainability
b. supporting fairness
c. promoting nature
Embracing complexity in sustainability
a. systems thinking
b. critical thinking
c. problem framing
Acting for sustainability
1. political agency
2. collective action
3. individual initiative
Envisioning sustainable futures
a. futures literacy
b. adaptability
c. exploratory thinking
