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The more resources we use, the more waste we produce.
The more resources we use, the more waste we produce.
"Rivers, especially the largest and most polluted ones, are the main factors responsible for plastic being carried to the seas — according to his estimate, between 1.1 and 2.4 million tonnes every year. (...) Wastewater, wind, rain and floods also carry plastic from the land into the oceans, especially single-use plastics — bags, straws, cotton buds or wrappers — which, being lightweight, are easily carried on the wind to the coast or find their way to the river network before reaching the sea." Where does the plastic come from that inundates our oceans?
Cartagena
Cartagena
I have had to start reminding myself to photo-document the amount of garbage I see everywhere. I stopped for a long time, or at least became intentional, not snapping shots with clearly visible piles of trash accumulating in the environments that I travel to. Why would I want my memories to include something as unsightly and negatively representative about the places I go? However, waste and pollution are a major part of this course's curriculum and what better way to make the problems clear than ones close to home.
So, I present to you a sample of what I saw on the way out to San Basilio de Palenque. Despite the signs indicating tossing litter is prohibited, not 50 meters away was a large assortments of plastics. And inside Cartagena itself... Don't get me wrong, Cartagena is a pretty cool town. But what a dump, literally. If there were assortments of trash outside of the city, then there were piles and mounds of it all over inside of the city. What makes it more tragic is the amount that I saw near culverts, ditches and the estuarine rivers that weave their way to the Caribbean Sea.
Isla San Andres
Isla San Andres
La Guajira
La Guajira
It happens in the Amazon, too. This was during the dry season (low river levels) on Isla Santa Rosa, Perú, while there during CWW 2022. Despite there existing a sanitary landfill at KM 17 outside of Leticia, plastic waste ends up being carried into the river when it rains and floods. The result is a steady stream of solid waste into the Amazon River. At best, this solid waste trapped in the silt, will wash away into the Atlantic. At worst, a pink river dolphin will ingest it and choke to death.
Bogotá
Bogotá
If it is persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic, you will have a problem.
If it is persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic, you will have a problem.
In this rip-off of the Project Green Challenge, each lesson in our unit will have different summative options that span a wide range of interests and skills. You will select three of the nine options to complete. Summary
All due dates found in Google Classroom are the final dates including your "5-day extension". Failure to meet the deadlines may result in a permanent "0" for benchmarks for the summative challenge(s).
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