What is the problem with plastics? What made plastics turn from being the miracle container to hated garbage? You might have heard about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Watch the Trash Talk video by NOAA National Ocean Service to find out more about the problems with plastics in the oceans.

What did you discover? How does all of the plastic get into the ocean? What are some of the environmental and economic impacts of dumping plastic into the ocean? 

How do we solve this problem? This is a big problem that involves both producers and consumers. As a consumer, the best way to solve this problem is to lower your use of single use plastic. If you use single use plastic, make sure you deposit the containers in recycling bins. The worst possible decision is to throw your plastic on the ground, as you will discover in the TedEd video: The Life Cycle of a Plastic Bottle.

Before you watch, tell students that they will be hearing about the journeys of three plastic bottles. Ask students to take notes, documenting what happened to each of the bottles. 

What happened to the different bottles? So how does all of that plastic end up in the ocean? What can you do to educate people about the consequences of littering? 

Plastic bottles aren't the only single use plastic problem. Plastic is used extensively in packaging. What are some other ways we can reduce the amount of plastic? Put on your entrepreneurial thinking caps and join us in our Rethink Tank lesson. In this lesson, students learn about entrepreneurship and rethink the way things are made, used or disposed. They will examine current packaging problems we have that create a lot of waste. Then they will use design thinking to design a more sustainable solution. 

You can download a PowerPoint of the activity and the lesson below:

Monday, October 5th is World Teachers' Day and celebrates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. The recommendation set benchmarks and standards for global education. In 2020,  the theme of World Teachers’ Day is: “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future”. Now that we have the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a dedicated target (SDG 4) that recognizes education as a key to a sustainable future in the global economy. 

Read more about SDG 4 on the United Nations Sustainable Development Education site . Then, the Worlds' Largest Lesson to find great lessons to teach about quality education. Celebrate your favorite teacher with a virtual card from EarthDay.org and use the site to find some great suggestions to help students design a better future for the planet!  

If you are interested in discovering how dirt can save our planet, tune into the the Kiss the Ground Watch Party on Facebook Live September 22 at 6 pm. 

Watch the trailer:

Check out the website to Take Action!

And find YOUR path to learn more about this positive movement.

Stay tuned to our social media @USFstavros (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) as we share some of the positive ideas you can use in your classroom!

​Welcome to Part 4 of Sustainability Superheroes in the world of manufacturing! If you haven’t already, make sure to check out Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 so you can stay updated on all the exclusive news!
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Today, our special guest is Natali Archibee, Sustainability Manager with The Mosaic Company located in Tampa, FL. The Mosaic Company supplies the world’s largest supplier of phosphate and potash, while helping the world grow its food. They are feeding countries like the United States, Canada, India and Brazil. 

The process of mining phosphates and potash materials requires high amounts of water and energy. So how does a massive global company mitigate their consumption and work sustainably? Find out in this exclusive interview with Natali Archibee!

The Mosaic Company is actually aligned to 6 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals! “We contribute to zero hunger, food security, managing water use, and limiting the potential negative effects for the use of our products. We are also aligned to the clean energy goal,” Natali says. The manufacturer generates energy in their operations from the sulfuric acid manufacturing process. “We harness waste heat from that process and use it to make energy, which accounts for about 40% of the total energy we use in our operations.”

Being as sustainable as possible is a long journey and a complicated process for any operation, but The Mosaic Company works with STEM-trained professionals to aid them in the process. Natali says, “STEM-trained professionals are very instrumental to our sustainability journey. So it’s been STEM-trained accountants, analysts, operators and manufacturers. They have been very critical to our success so far in terms of technology and taking our program to the next level.”

When it comes to future challenges, these professionals are going to be very critical in solving issues. The Mosaic Company is investing in programs to recruit and build their capacity in these areas.

After reading about Natali Archibee's work or watching the videos, take this quiz and find out if you've got what it takes to be a sustainability superhero! If the quiz does work on this page, you can also take it here.

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Part of sustainable education is not only encouraging students to help the planet, but also make smart decisions. The lesson plans and activities in this invasive plant species workshop incorporated decision-making and social-emotional learning to guide students in working well with others and solve environmental problems. ​​

Get the full presentation on invasive plant species here. It has the Nearpod lesson for you to use with your students and plenty of other resources! Sign up for new webinars on the USF Stavros Website! 

To stay updated with workshops, activities, events, and sustainability news, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter all @usfstavros. 

Sustainability Superheroes is giving you another special look into the world of sustainable manufacturing! This is part 2 of our sustainable manufacturing series. View part 1 here.

​Today, we’re featuring Patti Gander, Business Advisor with FloridaMakes. Located in Orlando, Florida, this manufacturing, industry-led partnership center works with small to mid-size manufacturing companies and helps them advance to their greatest potential. Their mission is to “improve the productivity and technological performance of Florida’s manufacturing sector” (FloridaMakes).

​As they are constantly strengthening and growing these companies, they consider several different factors, with one of them being sustainability. Find out how Patti Gander tackles the controversial situations that many manufacturers continue to struggle with!

Left: Deborah Kozdras (USF Stavros Center) Middle: Patti Gander (FloridaMakes) Right: Marilyn Barger (Florida Advanced Technological Education Center of Excellence)

​Patti has worked with many different manufacturing companies and has even been a leader in a manufacturing organization for most of her career. She has noticed some continuous sustainability issues in this industry. The predominant manufacturers in Florida are rather small with 50 employees or less, and these organizations tend to lack compliance and understanding for sustainable responsibility. Patti says, “It’s not that they don’t want to comply. It’s that they lack knowledge in what compliance is. They believe that environmental policy and recycling are a cost to the organization and don’t understand that there are things they can do that satisfy both sides of the balance sheet.” This is why proper sustainable education and awareness is so important.
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Although social responsibility cannot be legislated, it’s essential to help recognize global issues. Awareness and improved social consciousness can help the whole world think greener!

​Patti was once the plant manager in an organization, and they were planning on switching from a five-day work week to a four-day work week in an attempt to save money and energy. She says, “The overall cost savings in utility went significantly down. From an environmental perspective, you’re also using less energy.”

​In addition, the company even added timers to the air conditioning units, so the temperature would increase after a work shift, then gradually decrease before the start of a work shift. This strategy was beneficial to the company, the environment, and even the workers because they wouldn’t have to drive to work one day. Taking a day-off, saving money, and helping the environment? It’s a win, win, win!

​Some industries still need to catch up on being more sustainable. For example, the electronics industry continues to generate hazardous waste with the use of toxic chemicals. Patti believes that we still need more research in the inputs and the fabrication of products to be more environmentally friendly. She hopes to discover more ways to recycle materials and eliminate toxins. Substituting damaging operations into more sustainable methods can avoid a depletion in the limited resources that we have.

After reading about Patti Gander's work or watching the videos, take this quiz and find out if you've got what it takes to be a sustainability superhero! If the quiz does work on this page, you can also take it here.

​Things may be starting to open back up, but officials are still recommending everyone to social distance and quarantine as much as possible. This is a good time to learn about sustainable lifestyles from home. These are great for placing your energy into something good for yourself and the planet, while also relieving any stress or anxiety you might have during these times of uncertainty. Here are some eco-friendly activities to do in quarantine.

​Quarantine is giving everyone plenty of time to declutter, organize and maybe even redecorate living spaces! Start with one room or small area, and continue to clean little by little each day. Declutter your closet and donate clothes you don’t use, so they can be reused by someone else. Amp up your office with eco-friendly paper and other desk supplies. Add plants around your home to bring more greenery and bring more life into your space. And finally, think of more ways you can reduce your waste and reuse more!

You might have some extra space in your backyard that you should probably brighten up. Start a vegetable or flower garden and plant whatever you’d like! Be sure that you don’t plant any invasive plant species, which can be very damaging to the environment. If you don’t have too much space, you can also grow herbs in small pots or reusable containers like glass jars and tin cans ​

Join us in the #SSRethinkTank for an entrepreneurial thinking activity that begins with an image. This activity has three steps: 1) See (ask descriptive questions), 2) Think (ask analytic and evaluative questions to define what is broken), and 3) Rethink (use design thinking to consider solutions to the problem). With these activities, we can help students to identify, critique, and provide solutions to some of the sustainability problems that exist in the world. 

Here is the problem: Your neighbor heard that you are learning about Sustainability at school. She wants to plant this flower in her garden. What should she do?

Part 1

1) What do you see? In this step, show the image and tell students to provide you with evidence they see. This step isn't about inferences or opinions. That comes in the next step. You can also guide students through some descriptive questions (what, who, where, and when). 

• What kind of image is this?
• What do you see in the image?
• Who might have created the image?
• What about the caption?
• Where was this taken?

2) What do you think? In this step, students make inferences and analyze the photo and the caption. Ultimately, this is a step where students think critically to identify a problem. The first level this step is to inspire students to use what they see and ask analytical questions that are inspired by the question: What do you think? Encourage the students to think deeper by asking how and why questions. 

• Why do you think the person took this photo?
• Why do think about the caption?

3) What do you wonder? Would these be a good choice in a Florida garden? What questions do you have? Research the Mexican Petunia with some of the information provided:

• The Mexican Petunia (Ruellia Simplex) is widely available in plant nurseries around the state of Florida. However, it is highly invasive and since 2001 it has been listed as a Category 1 invasive species by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, described as “plants that are altering native plant communities by displacing native species, changing community structures or ecological functions, or hybridizing with natives” (IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants)
• Read more about the plant to answer some of your questions at the IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. 
• You can also watch this video and conduct more research online using the terms: Mexican Petunia Invasive Florida. 

3) Rethink! After the analysis phase, we work on an evaluation by asking: What is the problem caused by Mexican Petunias? After defining the problem, engage students in a rethink activity, where they use entrepreneurial thinking to create change. Tell students: "After you define what is broken, get in the Rethink Tank and design a solution."
​Here are some questions you can use to help guide their rethinking:

• Reduce: How can we reduce our use of invasive plants?
• Redesign: How can we redesign the system so these plants aren't sold in Florida?
• Replace: What Native Florida Wildflowers can we use instead?

Using Native Florida Wildflowers is a great solution. Check out the information at the Florida Wildflower Foundation https://flawildflowers.org/ to find a different flower to plant.

​What advice would you give to your neighbor? Create a poster or social media post about your findings.

Did you know that waste is one of the greatest enemies of our planet? Most of the items we throw away end up in landfills that release chemicals and greenhouse gases into the air. This is very damaging to our environment, as it can lead to global warming and pollution! Yikes! 
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Can you be a Sustainability Superhero and protect us from evil polluting garbage? Recycling (and reusing) weakens the evil garbage and helps stop the harmful pollutants. Do you have what it takes to recycle the right way and save the planet? Find out in The Recycling Hero Quiz!

Quiz adapted from ​https://earth911.com/

Resources

Here are some amazing resources to help you and your students to recycle the right way and save the planet!

• America Recycles Day
• Earth Day Every Day
• Garbage Solutions
• Meet the Lorax
• Waste Not Want Not

Part of sustainable education is not only to encourage students to help the planet, but also make smart decisions. The lesson plans and activities in this invasive species workshop incorporated decision-making and social-emotional learning to guide students in working well with others and solve environmental problems. Check out the resources from the workshop. Then, sign up for new webinars on our USF Stavros Website! 

To stay updated with workshops, activities, events, and sustainability news, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter all @usfstavros.