Methodological Guide on Environmental Sustainability Methodological_Guide | Page 18

Strategic Partnership Project (Key action no 2)
“ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP AND ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS THROUGH FORMAL
AND NON-FORMAL EDUCATION” (ACEAFNE)
……… (the most effective solution)
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……… (the least effective solution)
Then hand out a set of cards to each group (Worksheet No. 2). After they have finished ask each
group to present their diamond to the class. Ask questions about why they have decided to order
the cards in this way. Provide space for additional questions from the class.
Note:
Optionally, you can copy the solutions from Worksheet No. 2 on the board and students copy them
in their group and prepare their diamond on a paper.
Homework
Research “How much plastic do I use in one week?” Students calculate and record how many
plastic bags, bottles, etc. they use in one week. (see Main Activity).
Correct answers – “Plastic quiz”:
1/ Plastics are made from oil. The majority of synthetic
plastics are made from polythene, which is sourced from oil (petroleum). Shellac and the horns of
animals were used as plastic materials before the first synthetic plastics were discovered.
2/ The world uses over 1.2 trillion plastic bags a year. That average is about 300 bags for each
adult on the planet, or one million bags being used per minute.
3/ On average a person uses a plastic bag for 12 minutes before disposing. It then lasts in the
environment for between 500 to 1000 years.
4/ Recycling is a term that refers to such processing used
materials (waste) that leads to its further use. Recycling enables saving of renewable and non-
renewable resources and in some cases can reduce the effects on the environment.
5/ Most of the plastics, after being used, end up in the
oceans. The report “Plastic Debris in the World‟s Oceans”, by international environmental group
Greenpeace (2007), said at least 267 marine species are known to suffer from entanglement or
ingestion of plastic debris. An estimated 1 million seabirds choke or get tangled in plastic nets or
other rubbish every year. After a plastic bag has killed an animal, its body decomposes and the
plastic is released back into the
environment where it can kill again.
6/ All of the countries have banned, or are moving towards banning, free plastic bags for
customers in shops. Ireland took the lead in Europe by taxing plastic bags, reducing their
consumption by 90%.
7/ It is estimated that there are an average of 46,000 pieces of plastic debris floating on or near the
surface of every square mile of ocean. The largest floating “zone“ in the world is found in the area
of northern Pacific. It was created here due to the sea currents.
Sources (Plastic quiz):
United Nations Environment Programme: http://www.unep.
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