28 Days 'Til the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day: The Marine Teens - Lesson Idea

Young Voices for the Planet is a film series that aims to share the success stories of the youth who are working to limit the negative effects of climate change. The goal is to address communities and society as a whole to make a difference for the planet. ​​

In this video, a group of high school students comes together to work on cleaning the oceans and eliminating the excessive plastic pollutants, especially plastic bags. Plastic bags are not only harming the ocean and its animals, but are also polluting the air through their production. The process uses high amounts of petroleum and energy, which affects global warming.

Watch the short film below, and discover how entrepreneurial thinking played a role in saving the oceans!

The Marine Teens Lesson Idea

After showing the film to your students, provide them with questions to answer, keeping in mind the importance of entrepreneurial thinking. 

• How did the students challenge opposing claims?
• What did they create to solve the problem?
• Was there risk involved in their actions? If so, what were the risks and how did they handle them?
• Which of their strategies stood out to you the most and why?
• What are some creative ways you would solve these issues?

You can also extend this into a lesson on the Sustainable Development Goals. Their efforts are most related to goal #14 Life Below Water. Let your students choose an SDG that means the most to them, and have them solve the related problems using entrepreneurial thinking.

Be sure to check out our resources page where you can find videos, activities, and lesson plans to aid in your teaching!