Education Against Plastic Pollution: Current Approaches and Best Practices

Abstract

Plastic pollution has been a topic of major concern not only for the scientific community. In the past decade, science has been instrumental in drawing attention to the issue of plastic pollution on land and in the ocean and its far-reaching implications for the health and the well-being of the biosphere. Using scientific data and findings, a whole suite of stakeholders have been developing approaches to address this issue. Along with other societal institutions, education has reacted to the presence and wide acknowledgment of the plastic pollution challenge we are currently facing on a global scale. This work analyzes selected examples of educational programs on all levels of education. We review the initiatives we have found from primary to tertiary levels of formal education and go beyond the scope of the formal system to see how informal education has reacted to the plastic problem. The goal of this analysis is to see the types of current educational projects worldwide to educate students of various age groups about plastic pollution. We also attempt to see if there is anything missing from the big strategic picture of education as a tool to address plastic pollution on land and in the ocean.