Plastic Free Schools Hawaii

Educators Resource Guide

Plastic Free Schools
Kokua Hawaii Foundation’s Plastic Free Schools program provides resources, tools and trainings to educate school communities on the environmental and health benefits of going plastic free to minimize the consumption and pollution of plastics in our schools and islands. The Plastic Free Schools program aims to reduce single-use plastics on school campuses by encouraging students, faculty, and parents to make plastic free commitments to use reusable water bottles and tote bags and pack waste free lunches.



Websites

  • 5 Gyres - Through expeditions, 5 Gyres researches the accumulation of plastic pollution in the five subtropical ocean gyres. www.5gyres.org
  • Algalita Marine Research Foundation - The leading marine debris research group on plastic pollution provides extensive restoration and educational resources. www.algalita.org
  • Beach Environmental Awareness Campaign Hawaii (B.E.A.C.H. ) - Beach Environmental Awareness Campaign Hawaii brings awareness and solutions to marine debris through environmental education; plastic reduction and litter prevention campaigns; and marine debris removal and research.www.b-e-a-c-h.org
  • Clean Ocean Action - Tackles the issue of Marine Debris in New Jersey through political action and community clean-up efforts. www.cleanoceanaction.org
  • Environmental Protection Agency - Get the facts on plastic and how it is made HERE, plus waste free lunch resources HERE
  • GreenPlate - This Atlanta, GA-based activist group works to reduce the consumption of single-use plastics via educating consumers and restaurants about buying and usage habits. www.greenplate.org
  • Heal the Bay - Addresses plastic waste issues via political action and large-scale beach clean-up days. www.healthebay.org
  • LEAF (Leaving Earth A Future) - A Punahou School, student-driven project to increase awareness and adoption of earth friendly practices in Hawaii. www.leavingearthafuture.org
  • My Plastic-free Life - Beth Terry blogs about her journey since 2007 to be plastic free, the excessive plastics in our everyday lives and plastic free alternatives. Her “Show Us Your Plastic Trash” challenge encourages people to live life with less plastic.  myplasticfreelife.com
  • Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Navigating Change - This curriculum provides lesson plans and other teaching resources on the impact of plastic marine debris in Hawaii. www.hawaiianatolls.org
  • NOAA Marine Debris Program - This government program focuses on identifying, removing, reducing, and preventing debris in the ocean. www.marinedebris.noaa.org
  • Ocean Conservancy - An advocacy group that promotes healthy and diverse ocean ecosystems. www.oceanconservancy.org
  • Plastic Free Hawaii - Kokua Hawaii Foundation’s that educates communities on the benefits of going plastic free. Active communities include Haleiwa and Kailua on Oahu. www.kokuahawaiifoundation.org/community/plasticfreehaleiwa
  • Plastic Pollution Coalition - A platform for individuals and institutions to share resources and coordinate efforts to reduce plastic pollution. www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org
  • The Plastiki Expedition - The Plastiki, a boat made from 12,500 plastic bottles, sailed from San Francisco to Sydney on a mission to showcase waste as a resource. www.plastiki.org
  • Project Kaisei - Focuses on research expeditions and community education related to marine debris. www.projectkaisei.org
  • Rise Above Plastic - This Surfrider Foundation campaign raises awareness of plastics in our ocean and works with communities on plastic ban legislation. www.riseaboveplastics.org
  • Santa Barbara Channelkeeper - Initiated the “Where’s Your Bag?” campaign to educate about the impacts of plastic bags and promote reusable shopping bags in Santa Barbara, CA. www.sbck.org
  • Sustainable Coastlines - This New Zealand-based organization aims to protect coastlines through large clean-up projects and education. www.sustainablecoastlines.org
  • Take Back the Tap - An online education campaign of Food & Water Watch asks students, restaurants, and residents to make the pledge to reduce their use of bottled water. www.takebackthetap.org
  • Tangaroa Blue Foundation - This Australia-based organization raises awareness about marine debris through environmental science and hands-on clean-up projects. www.tangaroablue.org


Films & Videos

  • Bag It - 74 min, Documentary
    Follows the worldwide use of plastic bags, plastic’s impact on the environment and human health, showcasing alternatives and solutions. www.bagitmovie.com
  • Message in the Waves - 50 min, BBC Natural History Unit Documentary
    Looks at some of the environmental challenges facing the people and wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands. www.messageinthewaves.com
  • No Impact Man - 93 min, Documentary
    Follows a New York family as they try to live a year while making no net environmental impact, including elimination of plastic. www.noimpactdoc.com
  • Plastic Pollution Coalition - TEDx Talks Videos
    Short videos of student, government, business, and artists speaking on a variety of plastic issues at the TEDx Great Pacific Garbage Patch event. www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org
  • Tapped - 74 min, Documentary
    Examines the role of the bottled water industry and its effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil. www.tappedthemovie.com
  • TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch - Five short videos on plastic pollution issues produced for a 2010 TEDx event:
    Plastic Beach, Plastic Gets There First, Our Today is Forever, J.D. Russo Speaks Out About Plastic, and Oceans of Plastics www.tedxgreatpacificgarbagepatch.com/
  • The Story of Bottled Water - 8 min, Animated Short Video
    Explains the “manufactured demand” of expensive bottled water from the same creators of “The Story of Stuff.”  www.storyofstuff.org/bottledwater
  • The Voyage to Kure - In this 2004 documentary, Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society traveled to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to document impacts of the Pacific garbage patch. www.oceanfutures.org/exploration/expeditions/voyage-kure


Books

  • All the Way to the Ocean, by Joel Harper, Illustrated by Marq Spust
  • Dawn Saves the Planet (Baby-Sitters Club), by Ann M. Martin
  • Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life, by Linda Siversten and Tosh Siversten
  • Michael Recycle, by Ellie Bethel, Illustrated by Alexandra Colombo
  • My Bag and Me!, by Karen Farmer, Illustrated by Gary Grant
  • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Plastic, by Alexandra Fix
  • S is for Save the Planet: A How-To-Be Green Alphabet, by Brad Herzog, Illustrated by Linda Holt Ariss
  • The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle, by Alison Inches, Illustrated by Pete Whitehead
  • The Adventures of Gary and Harry, by Lisa Matsumoto, Illustrated by Michael Furuya
  • The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth, by Sophie Javana
  • What’s It Like Living Green?: Kids Teaching Kids, by the Way They Live, by Jill Ammon Vanderwood
  • Where Does the Garbage Go?, by Paul Showers, Illustrated by Randy Chewning

    • Downloadable version of the Plastic Free Schools Educators Resource Guide available.