No Ocean of Plastic

repost from: livingsustainably.sites.da.org | by: Tina Bessias, Oct 2022

Last week I had a coaching session with Jaimie Cloud, who is advising DA about our curriculum and culture for sustainability. Our conversation was helpful on multiple fronts, but one detail particularly stuck with me. Jaimie mentioned the widely quoted finding that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. For her, it’s a perfect example of what NOT to teach. First, because it’s not true: it is a projection that assumes current trends continue, so it assumes we do not learn from the very kind of research from which this mangled quote is drawn. Second, because it promotes a sense of helplessness and doom. Jaimie argues that we need to emphasize the opportunity to make changes and guard against doom-and-gloom perspectives. The #1 Enduring Understanding in Educating for Sustainability is this:

A healthy and sustainable future is possible.

With the knowledge that plastic is accumulating in oceans, landfills, our bodies, and the developing world (see The Story of Plastic), we can make changes. In fact, we are doing so at Durham Academy.