Find science projects and STEM resources to explore environmental problems related to plastics for Earth Day.
The theme of Earth Day 2024 is Planet vs. Plastics. This focus highlights the dangers of plastics for lifeforms, biodiversity, the environment, and the planet.
Addressing problems related to plastics involves a number of strategies, including:
- Reducing the overall use of plastics
- Finding alternatives to plastics
- Prioritizing biodegradable materials
- Improving approaches to recycling and reusing plastics
- Reducing plastic pollution reaching waterways
- Reducing single-use plastics
- Reducing fast fashion
- Building awareness of circular economy
Student Projects Related to Plastics and Environmental Science
Students can experiment with related topics in projects like these:
New Environmental Engineering Lesson Plan!
In the Greywater Gadgetry lesson, from The Tech Interactive, students investigate how greywater can help with drought. They then design a two-part system for filtering greywater by removing solid waste and liquid waste.
What is greywater?: Greywater is water that is leftover after everyday activities like doing laundry and showering. (Water used in kitchens and toilets is not included in greywater.) For a related student project, see: Recycling Greywater: Can Plants Tolerate It?
Earth Day, Green Chemistry, UN SDGs, and More!
Educators can find additional resources for Earth Day in the following resource collections:
To further encourage students to do projects with real-world impact and to develop solutions for problems they care about, see:
Environmental Science & Engineering Success Stories
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