EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES
IN-PERSON & REMOTE WORKSHOPS
Plastic Oceans International believes strongly in the power of education to build awareness and inspire change that leads to real solutions in communities across the globe.
As such, we are pleased to offer educational experiences and resources that will empower your school, students and parents to better understand the issue of plastic pollution and how to more effectively foster sustainability at home, in the classroom and throughout your community.
Our experiences are flexible, providing plenty of options to fit your school’s needs. They are free or low cost, and can be facilitated by your staff or directly with our education team. If you don’t see something below that is a perfect fit, just contact us and we’ll be happy to tailor something to your specific needs.
All local COVID requirements will be followed at our in-person educational experiences. Our team has safely organized numerous cleanups and workshops during the pandemic, so be assured that your students, parents and faculty will be in good hands.
Please note that we only ask for suggested donations for those experiences that we directly administer. 100% of any fees collected are directly put back into our education program as a donation to support the creation of materials and to train educators. We are also happy to work with you to obtain a local sponsor to cover any costs.
If you prefer to lead your educational experiences yourself, there is no cost for our learning resources, including our films. The only cost associated with the do-it-yourself option is if you would like our Eco-Warrior Certificates of Completion for the in-classroom workshop. Our suggested donation for those is $1 per student, to offset the printing and mailing costs.
PLASTIC OCEANS LEAD EXPERIENCES
Elementary & Middle School
Classroom Workshop | Up to 90 Minutes | Up to 50 Students
Our Director of Education, or a trained facilitator, will lead a workshop utilizing our official Plastic Oceans International educational presentation. Supported with fun and engaging activities, students will learn the core basics about plastic pollution and sustainability, with the value of reducing, reusing and recycling integrated into the conversation. We use activities that really show kids how the issue relates to them and how they can truly be part of the solution even with small changes. This experience can include our award-winning short film for kids, Earth’s Ekko, or you can choose to use the film prior to or after our workshop as a way to supplement it.
Each student will receive an official Plastic Oceans International Eco-Warrior Certificate, acknowledging their completion of our workshop; and a bamboo toothbrush that gives them a fun product that instantly gives them the power to make a difference.
High School & College
We implement the same message as above, but we alter the content to be more appropriate for high school and college students, including alternative film options. We engage a bit deeper, challenging students to examine the issue with more depth, including with solutions and the reality of the negative impact that plastic pollution is having on our communities, ecosystems and our human health.
Suggested Donation
$150 for in-classroom experience (if we do not have a local educator in your community, travel expenses must be covered)
$100 for a remote experience (this can be done via Zoom, Google Meets, or any platform of your choosing)
If you have more than 50 students, we ask for an additional $1 per student attending. If you’re interested in an experience in front of your entire student body, please contact our Director of Education via the contact info at the end of this document.
Cleanup Workshop | 3 Hours | Up to 50 Students
This experience happens in the field, within your community, fully immersing students in the issue of plastic pollution. We find that when you are put directly in contact with plastic pollution and other forms of litter, it’s a powerful experience that really makes an impact. Participants are given a 15-minute presentation on the basics of plastic pollution and sustainability prior to the cleanup starting, and we make every effort to provide facts that are directly related to their community and its ecosystems. We also provide a short presentation on how to safely and most effectively participate in the cleanup. Once the waste is collected we quantify the impact by weighing it and also examining the various types of items collected, which is discussed as a group. If recycling is an option in your community, we work with the participants to separate the waste for collection.
Each participant will receive a bamboo toothbrush that gives them a fun product that instantly empowers them to make a difference. Other items are available, at an additional cost, to enhance the overall experience. See details below.
Suggested Donation
$250 if you provide all basic materials required (gloves, masks, bags/buckets, sanitizer, snacks, water)
$500 if we provide all materials required.
If we do not have a local educator in your community, travel expenses must be covered. Donation does not include any permits that might be required at your selected location. All participants must sign a liability waiver form, with parents required to sign for any minors.
If you have more than 50 participants, we ask for an additional $2 per person.
Add-Ons for Your Cleanup
• Plastic Oceans “We Keep It Clean” t-shirt. $20 per person.
• Plastic Oceans reusable water bottle. $25 per person.
• Hardcover edition of Living Without Plastic – our book that offers over 100 fun and creative ways to reduce your personal plastic footprint. $20 per person.
Film Screening with Q&A | 1 to 2 hours
Whether in a classroom or to your entire student body, we’ll screen one of our educational films. We offer a variety of options, including feature-length and short documentaries, as well as very short info-based videos that screen great as a collection. Our team will lead a Q&A session after the completion of your selected film/s and this could also include a panel discussion with experts from your local community joining us in conversation, which we can either moderate or participate as a panelist. Discussion guides are available for each film, which make for a great post-event learning experience in the classroom.
Suggested Donation
$100
DO-IT-YOURSELF OPTIONS
Any of our educational experiences can be administered by your staff. We only ask that the person facilitating the experience complete a short call with our Director of Education in order to fully review our materials and the plans for the workshop.
All of our educational resources are made available at no cost to your school, including our presentations and films. If you want to include certificates of completion or any of the Plastic Oceans products in your experiences, those are available at the donation amounts listed above.
LET’S GET STARTED!
We’re here to support your efforts to educate your students on the issue of plastic pollution and the importance of fostering sustainability within their homes, classrooms and communities.
To set up your educational experience, and if you have any questions about the offerings above, or how we can customize an experience for your classroom, please feel free to reach out to our Director of Education, Samantha Pickering, by filling out this form: