Classroom Visit at Colossal Academy


Fort Lauderdale, Florida
January 30, 2024

Overview

On Tuesday, January 30th, 2024, The International SeaKeepers Society’s education team visited 25 students at Colossal Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the second lesson in a three-part series. Our Community Engagement Associate, Lillian, gave a presentation called ‘Marine Debris and Ocean Conservation’, teaching students about single-use plastics and other disposable products and the danger they pose to animals and humans when they end up as marine debris. We discussed common types of materials and products that end up as marine debris and how wind and rain cause litter to enter the ocean through the watershed. We looked at the trajectory that marine debris will take from inland communities through rivers and canals and across the ocean by using The Ocean Cleanup’s Plastic Tracker tool. We finished our lesson with a Marine Debris Decomposition Timeline activity where students were asked to match a product with the time it takes to decompose in the environment. This allowed students to visualize how products discarded after being used for very short periods of time can persist in our environment for any time between weeks to millions of years. We look forward to our next visit to Colossal Academy to conclude our three part series!

Outing Goal

To enhance the knowledge of the students at Colossal Academy about the concepts of single-use plastics, marine debris, and sustainability.

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