The European Commission has published “A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy” (2018) clearly stating the ambivalence of plastic. This ambivalence can be observed in and around each of our five schools: Students walk around with plastic coffee cups, the German school has been told off by the local waste disposal company for not sorting waste properly while in the UK the impossibility to recycle is a big issue. In Poland plastic burning that happens in self-heating households sparks a debate while in Denmark incineration plants generate heating. In the UK it is easy to find plastic by the seaside, and Rome has recently been on the edge of local press releases for the garbage issue. On the other hand, we appreciate the freshness of wrapped up products, love sturdy bottles and do sports clothed in lightweight, breathable fabrics. Thus, we enjoy benefits but also share a complex problem and see the need to find joint solutions. We already know from our everyday observations what is stated in the Commission’s strategy paper! Therefore, our project is necessary as the Commission relies on informed and active citizens to turn its “vision for Europe’s new plastics economy” (p.5) into reality. We know that we alone are not going to turn this vision into reality. So, we raise our pupils’ and our whole school communities’ awareness of the risk posed by plastic but also of its value, starting with the thought and following the motto that “we rely on it too much and value it too little” (Guardian, 6 Sept.2017). This ambivalence is also expressed in the title of our project. Learning will centre on three areas, i.e. the environment, economics and ICT, and will take place at school, in our local communities and on a European level when we come together to learn more about the extent of the problem in different countries but also about the solutions that can be found once we look beyond our national borders. We want to achieve the following objectives: As has been made clear above, we want to raise environmental awareness. Moreover, we want to foster the employability of our students and want to develop as institutions, strengthen intercultural learning and become more innovative. We have to work together on this project on a European scale for several reasons. The first is a geographical reason. We have come together with three schools from the seaside on the Irish Sea, the Baltic and the Mediterranean and two from the mainland; two from capital cities, three from rural areas. Pupils simply do not see how their litter ends up in the sea. Residents of a rural area have no idea of the challenges waste disposal poses in an urban area. Secondly, our societies see, use and deal with plastic differently. In the course of the project, we carry out many activities that focus on everyday life and the choices we make as consumers. We include our school communities through activities and events as much as we can into these experiments to educate them, too. We visit companies and businesses that represent parts of a plastic product lifecycle and show the several applications plastic has, giving students direct insight into this part of the economy. The knowledge and the skills are put to use when they share them uing our own WebApp. It is a toolbox and the most tangible result that will help us and our students - engage with each other competing for the most plastic-free lifestyle - make recommendations to fight over-packaging - become more conscious of our powers as consumers - to disseminate results. These measures foster the employability of our students but also turn them into active European citizens able to use critical thinking, which is a third reason why we have to cooperate. Through our research, we will be able to “pick and choose” the most sustainable options which we can then recommend to others to help them make informed decisions. At the same time, our students will realise that often there is not one universal solution to problems in the EU. All in all, the planned collective actions are designed to identify and address issues of public concern. Based on the “Strategy for Plastics”, the project and its participants are pioneers in finding ways to reach its goals. We become eco-friendly schools to a much larger extent than now and have the project participants pass on their new skills and knowledge to wider audiences. With plastic as an ambiguous resource, the use of which is strongly linked to trends, peer group or individual behaviour, steps have to be taken to identify consumers’ power over the industry, their role as key players in changing habits and in contributing actively to transition. As everyone has to be made aware of how they can reduce pollution, education, the collaboration with schools from different countries and the inclusion of immigrants recently arrived in the EU not only foster the participants’ involvement in civic as well as social life, but also help shape a European identity.
Drafting this project in 2017/18, we started in a world waking up to a plastic pandemic while in 2020 we have to finish our project in a world fighting a real pandemic with the help of the material we wanted to fight. In short, that’s the CONTEXT of our project. In 3 years from first draft to final report, our 4 schools have seen sweeping changes that have sometimes overtaken us: In 2018+19, there was so much reporting about the plastic problem that it was hard to keep track of the news. Avoiding plastic came into vogue + we were part of it! We saw friends, colleagues+supermarkets look for sometimes doubtful alternatives so learning about waste disposal, recycling + alternatives to plastic gave our students an edge in discussions. We visited companies, experimented ourselves + shared our experiences. And just when we were preparing to travel to Rome where we wanted to plan how to make our schools plastic-free, our plans became obsolete! The world hunkered down behind plexiglas + disposable facemasks + bought takeaway food in polystyrene. If we returned to school in May at all, we had to wrap computer keyboards in cling film. So, we helped raised students’ + our whole school communities’ awareness of the risk posed by plastic + then learned about its doubtful value, returning to the thought + still following the motto that “we rely on it too much + value it too little” (Guardian, 6 Sept.2017). This ambivalence was not only expressed in the title of our project but shaped its course. In all of that, we have been critical observers + active European citizens working towards our project’s OBJECTIVES: Environmental awareness + a sense of responsibility among our students has increased so that they are more apt to use critical thinking not only to choose more sustainable options as consumers but also to engage in civic life. We have made attempts to foster their employability + have developed as institutions that strengthen environmental + intercultural learning + are more innovative. Learning centred on three areas: the environment, economics, ICT. It took place at school, in our local communities + on a European level when we came together to learn more about the extent of the problem in different countries but also about the solutions that can be found once we look beyond national borders. To do so, we engaged in numerous ACTIVITIES both locally + across Europe: At all schools we had a week without waste disposal to assess how much + which types of waste we produce as an institution + to raise environmental awareness. Similarly, our students monitored plastic consumption at home by compiling a plastic diary + we prepared a meal together in local groups to compare different shopping habits across Europe. Our LiP Clubs took part in local clean-up activities + fundraisers to promote civic engagement. To learn about plastic + alternatives, we had workshops + special chemistry lessons, carried out experiments to learn about the properties of different kinds of plastic + discussed with our students. To gain insight into different branches of the economy, we went on outings to waste treatment + recycling facilities; we met innovative entrepreneurs + talked with them about their business ideas, touched their yarn made from plastic bottles, ate their bran plates or tried to set fire to inflammable cloth used in protective wear. To document our activities, some students developed + showed off their talents as writers, quizmasters or directors of videos that turned into little pieces of art. Via TwinSpace + YouTube we shared impressions of our local activities. To spread the word further, we gave presentations during OpenDay + organised educational events at kindergarten + primary school. Finally, we also had 2 students develop our app “SmartPlastic” for us. This app is one of the most tangible + complex RESULTS of LiP. It can be downloaded from both Playstore + Appstore. Further results can be seen by visiting our TwinSpace + YouTube channel where our students present findings + give advice. Main achievements, however, are what our students have taken home with them in terms of reflecting their own (plastic)consumption, knowledge enabling them to be critical consumers, willingness to be active European citizens, academic + soft skills preparing them for the world of work. This points towards the expected LONGER-TERM BENEFITS: From the outset, we knew that we alone are not going to turn the “vision for Europe’s new plastics economy” into reality. We have learned that institutional change takes much longer but we are underway to become eco-schools. We learned what it takes to develop an app + what it takes to cooperate across Europe. Taking a critical look at the “Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy”, we have learned about the power the EU has to set standards but we also had to learn that Europe will continue to disappoint its citizens by aiming at the lowest common denominator.