Stage One - You as the Consumer
Objective: The student will identify and discuss the use of marketing in consumable items and identify ways to reduce waste. The student will also identify ways to preserve natural resources by identifying innovative alternatives. We will begin the lesson by identifying and listing plastics commonly used that may be found in the classroom or in their homes. Students will then select one place in the school or home and select one or two items that are completely made of plastic. A chart for identifying plastic classifications and examples of items in each category can be found at http://www.coffeecountyrecycling.com/Plast http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resin_identification_code ic%20Classification.pdf
They will then count approximately how many items are consumed in one day in that area, (for example, "How many plastic bottles are used by students in the cafeteria during lunch for sixth graders?) If possible, it would be helpful to have a count for the entire population for that day. They will then weigh one of the items selected and estimate approximately how much plastic consumption occurs for each student per day, month, and a school year. This can be created on a spreadsheet for easy comparison and graphing. This issue can be used to research approximately how much oil is used to create the item. A discussion of depletion of natural resources should occur and alternative methods of energy should be researched to identify the need to be conscientious of our usage of such resources. You can prompt the discussion with the following questions:
"If we are using oil for plastics, heating homes, cooking, and fuel for automobiles, how will that affect our oil supply?
"What are some alternatives available to us today that will assist in minimizing the use of oil?"
Students will then be prompted to examine why we purchase and consume the items that we use. They will be asked to list items that they simply cannot live without and why. They will then be asked if plastic is a component of that product. Since food packaging uses a large amount of plastic, provide a few items and ask students how they could be repackaged to use less plastic. In addition, students can research which companies have created innovative solutions to our plastic problems (a biodegradable bottle can be seen at http://www.biotaspringwater.com) and discuss how marketing and advertising can be used to encourage the purchase of products that contain fewer plastics.
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