We, the undersigned, propose to the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board to implement an annual environmental education course using the education guide of the Plastic Oceans Foundation. The education guide is to be used following the viewing of their award-winning documentary, A Plastic Ocean. The guide includes discussion questions and activities to “help educators teach their students the information presented in the documentary to learn about and create potential solutions for our plastic pollution problem”. 

Plastic pollution is a momentous problem for our planet and us, its inhabitants. The COVID-19 pandemic has set plastic production in motion more than ever and Earth is feeling the impact. Plastic waste is more than an eyesore, it’s toxic. Chemicals in plastic migrate into what we eat and drink and microplastics are now a part of our food chain creating a dangerous domino effect.

Section IA-R, titled Curriculum and Policy, on the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board website includes: 

Understanding of the Environment. Education shall provide each student with knowledge and understanding of the social, physical, biological worlds, the balance between man and his environment, and shall develop attitudes and behavior leading to intelligent use of the environment.

The film and education guide not only illustrates the state of our planet due to plastics but also gives hope for a solution. By using discussion questions such as “What does business, government, and members of society need to do to help our plastic problem?” students will be empowered by their ability to make a difference. By implementing this program, the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board will be fulfilling their promise made in Section IA-R.

To educate is to give power for change. Nothing can be done about the environmental problems we face if the next group in line to face them is unaware of their significance.