HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-04-20 Green Advisory Board Agenda PacketAGENDA
City of Dania Beach
Green Advisory Board
IN PERSON MEETING
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
5:15 PM
ANY PERSON WHO DECIDES TO APPEAL ANY DECISION MADE BY THE PLANNING AND ZONING ADVISORY BOARD WITH REGARD TO ANY MATTER CONSIDERED AT
THIS MEETING OR HEARING WILL NEED A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS, AND FOR SUCH PURPOSE MAY NEED TO ENSURE THAT A VERBATIM RECORD OF THE
PROCEEDINGS IS MADE WHICH RECORD INCLUDES THE TESTIMONY AND EVIDENCE UPON WHICH THE APPEAL IS TO BE BASED.
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CONNECTION WITH THOSE ACTIVITIES, EACH LOBBYIST SHALL FILE WITH THE CITY CLERK AN ANNUAL REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND PAY AN ANNUAL ONE
HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100.00) REGISTRATION FEE FOR EACH PRINCIPAL OR EMPLOYER. REGISTRATION FORMS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE CITY WEBSITE:
WWW.DANIABEACHFL.GOV. (ORDINANCE #2012-019)
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, PERSONS NEEDING ASSISTANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY OF THESE PROCEEDINGS SHOULD
CONTACT THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE, 100 W. DANIA BEACH BOULEVARD, DANIA BEACH, FL 33004, (954) 924-6800 EXTENSION 3624, AT LEAST 48 HOURS PRIOR TO THE
MEETING
.
• ROLL CALL
• APPROVAL OF MINUTES
• Green Advisory Board – March 13, 2022 regular meeting.
• CITIZENS COMMENTS
• NEW BUSINESS
• Earth Day – Video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1361161914385240
• City sponsored Earth Day Event
• Laurie Capello, Olsen Middle School
• Trash Shouldn’t Splash program
• OLD BUSINESS
• Green Advisory Board Beach Cleanup Event
• BECON public service message production
• DISCUSSION/ACTION
• NEXT MEETING
• Wednesday, May 18, 2022
• ADJOURN
If you are unable to attend the meeting, please contact Richard Lorber at 954-289-4379 or via
email: rlorber@daniabeachfl.gov. Thank you.
MINUTES
City of Dania Beach
Green Advisory Board
Regular Meeting
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
5:15 PM
The meeting was called to order at 5:15 PM.
1. ROLL CALL:
Board Members Staff
Laura Lombardo, Chair Present Richard Lorber, Planning & Zoning Manager
Charlene Hogan Present Daniel Lozandier, Planning Associate
Alexis Guillen Present
Joanna Granette Present
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Green Advisory Board – November 17, 2021 regular meeting.
Motion was made by Alexis, seconded by Charlene. Motion passed 4-0.
2. CITIZENS’ COMMENTS:
3. NEW BUSINESS:
Discussed ICLEI 150 and the Race to Zero.
Provided website links of interest.
Discussed the Climate Smart Floridians program.
Discussed “Trash Shouldn’t Splash” program
Discussed having Laurie Capello / Olsen Middle School to next meeting.
Discussed raising roads to adjust to sea level rise.
Discussed working with Sanitation to have Vacation Rentals not do recycling since they are not
doing it correctly.
4. OLD BUSINESS:
Discussed Beach Cleanup Event and City Earth Day Event.
Discussed BECON Public Service message production.
Discussed desire to hold virtual meetings.
5. DISCUSSION/ACTION:
• Next GAB Regular Meeting is Wednesday, April 20, 2021 at 5:15 p.m.
6. ADJOURNMENT:
Motion was made and approved to adjourn the meeting at 6:29 PM.
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@trashshouldntsplash
trashshouldntsplash.org
trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
In Partnership with:
This Toolkit is brought to you by:
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Trash Shouldn’t Splash promotes a reduction in use of single-use items, especially those made of plastics, to decrease
waste on land and in the oceans.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Communication Materials
Logos 4
Printable Campaign Materials 5
Website & Social Media 6
Restaurant Outreach Materials
Scripts and Strategies for Restaurant Visits 8-12
Overview of Restaurant Partnership Program 13-15
Survey for Initial Restaurant Visit 16
How to Recruit Restaurant Partners 17
Alternative Products List 18-19
Examples of Restaurant Printables 20
Comparable Programs and Campaigns 21-23
Public Outreach Materials
Tabling at Public Events 25-27
Public Surveying 28-30
Finding Outreach Opportunities 31-32
Sample Letter to Town Officials 33-34
Writing to Local Newspapers & Media Outlets 35-37
Personal Plastics Use & Waste Inventory 38-41
K-12 Outreach Materials
Template for Classroom Visits and Activities 43-49
Designing a Student Art Contest 50-52
Call for Ocean Art Flyer 53
Classroom Waste Audit 54-57
Lessons Learned
Concepts from Behavioral Science 59 - 61
Things We’ve Learned the Hard Way 62-63
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COMMUNICATION MATERIALS
Logos | Printable Campaign Materials | Website & Social Media
@trashshouldntsplash
trashshouldntsplash.org
trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
Artwork created by Falmouth High School student Jonah Ether
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@trashshouldntsplash
trashshouldntsplash.org
trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
DESIGNING A LOGO
In designing the name of our campaign, we aimed to keep it short (2-3 words), alliterative and
rhyming so that it would be catchy and easy to remember. The trash displays some of the
common single-use plastic items found in beach cleanups, while the whale tail in the
foreground inspires positive thoughts about the ocean. We did not want the logo to be just a
gloomy reminder of trash. The logo presents the problem and hopefully inspires the viewer to
take action by invoking positive emotions about the ocean.
In hindsight, we would not have chosen a logo with an apostrophe, as this has made hashtags
and URLs somewhat challenging.
You may choose to use our logo, or reference our guidelines for creating your own that better
fits your audience.
Trash Shouldn’t Splash gratefully acknowledges Skye Moret (www.skyemoret.com) for her in-
kind services in helping us design the campaign logo, including font and color elements.
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PRINTABLE CAMPAIGN MATERIALS
To download and use our printable logos, signage, postcards, and business cards, please visit
the “Printable Campaign Materials” tab at trashshouldntsplash.com/printable-campaign-
materials.
@trashshouldntsplash
trashshouldntsplash.org
trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
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@trashshouldntsplash
trashshouldntsplash.org
trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA
Goals
Trash Shouldn’t Splash is building a team of problem solvers who care about ocean health and
decreasing waste. Our strength is in our dialogue between businesses, students, consumers,
and researchers. To reach a broader audience, connect with our partners, and keep updated
with news regarding marine debris, we created a website and an Instagram account. We
focused on striking a balance between manageability and necessity; we did not want to keep up
with more than two or three digital spaces, but wanted to make sure that Trash Shouldn’t
Splash was available across multiple platforms. This allows different audiences to connect with
the campaign and to participate in more than one way.
Website | trashshouldntsplash.org
The main goal of trashshouldntsplash.org is to distribute the toolkit and provide a
comprehensive platform that individuals can access to implement marine debris reduction
programs in their own communities. New Trash Shouldn’t Splash programs may refer their
partners to the original website if they do not wish to build their own website.
Instagram | @trashshouldntsplash
We use Instagram mainly to engage with the community of Woods Hole and our partners. We
use our social media presence to post about important local events, news, new partners, and
behaviors we want to promote. Instagram was intended to target businesses and younger
residents, in particular, with a focus on local events and positive behaviors.
We always use the hashtag #trashshouldntsplash on both Instagram and Twitter in the hopes of
branding our message and creating a digital community. When forming a chapter of Trash
Shouldn’t Splash, we encourage you to create Instagram accounts with usernames that include
Trash Shouldn’t Splash and to use the hashtag, #trashshouldntsplash.
Trash Shouldn’t Splash originated at an educational institution and, as such, does not endorse
specific policy agendas (for example, product bans) in printed materials or on social media. This
avoids unproductive confrontation and promotes partnerships and participation with people of
all backgrounds.
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@trashshouldntsplash
trashshouldntsplash.org
trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
RESTAURANT OUTREACH MATERIALS
Scripts & Strategies for Restaurant Visits | Overview of Restaurant
Partnership Program | Survey for Initial Restaurant Visit | How to
Recruit Restaurant Partners | Examples of Restaurant Printables |
Alternative Products Guide & Cost Calculator | Comparable Programs
& Campaigns
SCRIPTS & STRATEGIES FOR
RESTAURANT VISITS
Strategy
The goal of Trash Shouldn’t Splash is to build a team of problem solvers who care about ocean
health and decreasing waste. Our major strength lies in the dialogue we promote between
businesses, students, consumers, and researchers. Thus, it is critical that any conversation be
framed as an offer to collaborate, rather than a lecture about what a person or a business is
doing badly. We chose to approach food service businesses, such as restaurants, coffee shops
and markets (hereafter referred to collectively as “restaurants”), to discuss their current use of
single-use items such as straws and utensils, with an offer to help assess feasible ways to use
fewer of these items. Because these changes are not always easy or cost-effective, we
emphasize that progress toward reducing plastic waste is just as desirable as the end goal of
minimal use of single-use items, especially those made of plastics.
First Restaurant Visit
Our restaurant outreach program targeted all 11 food service businesses in Woods Hole, a
village in the town of Falmouth, MA. For each visit, the Trash Shouldn’t Splash team consisted
of one adult and 1-3 middle school students from a group that started a local Skip the Straw
campaign. The passionate and informed young voices often drew more interest than that of the
accompanying adult, who served to gently guide the conversation. A script was designed to
ensure that the initial visit to each restaurant was short, and the information concise and
consistent.
Script
Bold indicates speaker. Brackets [ ] indicate either anticipated responses or actions.
Adult:
Hi, we’re here representing Trash Shouldn’t Splash, a collaboration between Sea
Education Association and Falmouth Water Stewards-Skip the Straw campaign. We are
working to reduce the amount of plastic trash produced, some of which may end up in
the ocean harming wildlife. We are interested in working with Woods Hole restaurants
to reduce the amount of single-use plastic items used. Can you spare 10 minutes to talk
with us?
[Yes:] Great, thanks!
[No:] Can we set up an appointment to talk at another time? [leave contact info]
Students: {personalize with your own favorite facts}
Student #1: We’re a group of middle schoolers who started Skip the Straw because we
care about ocean health.
Student #2: Did you know that 90% of seabirds have ingested plastic?
Student #1: And also that 9 million tons of trash enter the ocean from land sources each
year? You can picture this as 5 grocery bags of plastic trash piled up on every foot of
coastline in the world being dumped in the ocean.
Student #2: We want to work with restaurants because you reach so many people and
you would be a strong leader in sustainability efforts in Woods Hole.
Adult:
Right now we are gathering information about plastic items used in Woods Hole
restaurants. Would you mind answering a few short survey questions?
[Adult reads survey questions and marks answers]
We are doing research into the costs and benefits of alternatives to single-use plastic
items. Would you be willing to set up a time to talk with us again about alternatives that
might work for your business?
[Yes:] When would be a good time?
[No:] If you change your mind, please contact us.
Thank you for your time and your help today. [Leave contact info]
Students: {personalize your own “Thank you” message}
Thank you for your help protecting our ocean.
Second Restaurant Visit
We found that all restaurants we visited were receptive to continuing the conversation and
working together to reduce single-use plastics used in their business. We returned to each
business, again with an adult and 1-3 students. Before the second visit, and every visit
thereafter, it was very important to review information from past visits, such as with whom the
group met (name and position, e.g. restaurant owner/manager/employee), data that was
gathered, and what was discussed.
Script
Adult:
First, re-cap last visit
We’re happy you’re willing to meet with us and talk again. We’re excited you’re taking
initiative to reduce ocean plastics by _______________. [refer to restaurant’s specific
strategies for reducing waste using information from interview notes/data collected
from first visit].
Second, offer help
We want to share information on customer desires we’ve learned through the Trash
Shouldn’t Splash partnership research program: we have ideas we think you’ll like for
making ocean plastic pollution a thing of the past. We think restaurants can save money,
learn about customer expectations, and benefit from great PR by joining the Trash
Shouldn’t Splash coalition.
Your time commitment can be the time it takes to tell us what you need in order to
reduce plastic waste.
Third, explain why
This student [insert name] can tell you why the Trash Shouldn’t Splash project is
something we all care about.
Student:
[Student explains why they care about plastic waste, ocean health, and shares statistics
on plastics harming marine life and amount of trash entering ocean each year.
For example:
¥ ~ 90% of marine birds have ingested plastic
¥ 9 million tons of plastic trash enters the ocean from land each year, which you
can picture as 5 grocery bags of plastic trash piled up on every foot of coastline
in the world being dumped in the ocean.]
Adult:
Fourth, explain what happens when restaurants sign on as partners
These are our customizable guidelines for partnership in our ocean plastics reduction
team [share Overview of Restaurant Partnership Program document]. Would you like to
talk about ways to participate?
It would help the study if restaurants collaborate by allowing us to conduct a single-use
plastics inventory, followed by cost-benefit research by Trash Shouldn’t Splash to
evaluate alternative products to reduce their single-use (plastics) footprint. A reduction
plan might include suggested replacement of single-use plastic items with reusable
(dine-in only), compostable, or biodegradable (wood, paper) items, for example.
[If the restaurant is willing to work with us, ask if they are willing to continue with a few
more questions today, or to schedule a time to return. Start with a few questions to
continue the single-use plastics inventory that was begun at the last visit (see Single-Use
Inventory List below).
In addition to addressing the following questions, it is important to listen and observe in
order to clearly understand current practices and the factors that have led the
restaurant to select the products they currently use (e.g., consumer demand,
convenience, cost, food safety/health regulations, etc.).]
Adult and Students:
Thank you for your time and your help today. [Leave contact info]
@trashshouldntsplash
trashshouldntsplash.org
trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
Single-Use Inventory List
The following information would be useful to understand current practices and the types of
single-use items used in the business.
• A sample of each type of single-use item the restaurant provides to customers (e.g., straw,
utensils, cups, dishware, takeout containers, bags) so that we can research exactly what
material these items are made of, especially for businesses using what they believe to be
“biodegradable” plastic items. Explain that “biodegradable plastic” usually means the item
will break down only in an industrial composting facility. It cannot be recycled, and will not
break down in the environment.
• A buy list from restaurant suppliers with the name and cost of each product, or simply the
name of their supplier with permission for us to contact to ask for this information about
their business. We would like to know the quantity ordered per month or quarter and the
cost per item.
• If not already in use, what are the obstacles to using reusable items (utensils, cups,
dishware) for dine-in customers?
• Does the restaurant automatically include utensils in takeout orders? If not, do they ask
before including? Or are they set out on a counter for the customer to take?
• Does the restaurant automatically put takeout orders into a bag?
• Does the restaurant automatically include a straw in drinks? If not, do they ask before
including? Or are they set out on a counter for the customer to take?
OVERVIEW OF
RESTAURANT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
Introduction
Trash Shouldn't Splash is a local collaboration between Sea Education Association and Falmouth
Water Stewards-Skip the Straw, working to reduce single-use plastics in our community. Single-
use items (plastics, in particular) frequently become litter on beaches and in waterways. The
fewer single-use items we use as a community, the less chance they have of becoming ocean
pollution. We work with interested local food service businesses to develop individual,
business-friendly strategies to reduce the amount of single-use (i.e., “disposable”) items. We
also work to inform consumers about ocean pollution and to encourage them to consider
alternatives to single-use plastics.
Restaurant Partnership
As a Trash Shouldn’t Splash Restaurant Partner, you commit to working with us to reduce the
number of single-use items used in your restaurant through a dialogue to determine what
would work best for your business and your customers. We offer this program at no cost, and
we will provide display materials free of charge. Your commitment is the time it takes to discuss
your needs and any obstacles to reducing plastic waste. Sharing information about the type and
amount of single-use items you currently purchase would also be very helpful.
Here are some initial ideas to reduce single-use plastic items, which can be customized based
on your current practices and needs:
• Offer single-use items only when requested by the customer. For example:
o Provide straws only upon request by the customer (for dine-in & takeout customers).
o Put a sticker on straw dispensers or a sign on countertops with “Skip the Straw” or
“Choose to be straw free” (for takeout customers).
o Provide a bag for take-out only after asking a customer, “Would you like a bag?”, or
upon request.
o Provide single-use utensils for take-out only after asking a customer, “Will you be
eating at home, or do you need utensils?”, or upon request.
• Switch to washable, reusable items, if possible.
• Switch to non-plastic single-use items, where appropriate, such as paper-based takeout
containers, or bamboo straws or stirrers. Use compostable plastic only if your food waste is
directed to an industrial composting facility. Trash Shouldn’t Splash can calculate potential
cost savings of switching from single-use plastic items to alternative products.
• Avoid polystyrene foam. This type of plastic cannot be easily recycled, but can be easily
carried by the wind due to its light weight.
• Display printed materials to educate customers about ocean plastic pollution and the Trash
Shouldn’t Splash program.
• Wear Trash Shouldn’t Splash buttons to highlight participation in the Restaurant
Partnership Program. Trash Shouldn’t Splash can provide a 5-10 minute staff training to
prepare servers to answer questions customers may have about the program.
This list is just a place to start. The Trash Shouldn’t Splash team welcomes your suggestions and
further discussion for other ways to reduce waste. We will promote your participation in the
program, as desired, in communication materials, including media articles and interviews.
Metrics of Success
We hope to work with our restaurant partners to collect data to track the effectiveness of any
practices you choose to implement. This could include:
• Follow-up visits to monitor progress in reducing customer use of single-use plastic
items.
• Collecting quantitative data about single-use item purchases. For example, we could
analyze invoice data about straw purchases before and after implementing straw-upon-
request-only practices.
How Can Your Business Benefit?
Through public surveying and local engagement, Trash Shouldn’t Splash will inform you of
customers’ attitudes and concerns about single-use items. For example:
• Of more than 50 people surveyed at the Woods Hole Science Stroll in August 2017, 96%
agreed that restaurants should only offer straws upon request, and 96% agreed
restaurants should use fewer single-use plastics. We are conducting more surveys in
town and will share the results with you.
• In summer 2017, Skip the Straw, one of the founding partners of Trash Shouldn’t Splash,
obtained unanimous Falmouth Conservation Commission and Falmouth Board of
Selectmen support for its goal of working with residents, restaurants and schools to
minimize use of single-use plastics in order to reduce ocean pollution.
Trash Shouldn’t Splash could potentially result in long-term cost savings from purchasing fewer
single-use items. We can utilize a cost calculator to research potential cost savings before any
new products are purchased.
Reducing marine debris will allow Woods Hole to continue attracting tourists and maintain local
quality of life by keeping Falmouth beaches and waters clean and healthy.
We welcome your thoughts and suggestions, and hope to welcome you as a Trash Shouldn’t
Splash Restaurant Partner.
Contact us at trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
Visit www.trashshouldntsplash.org
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SURVEY FOR INITIAL RESTAURANT VISIT
BUSINESS NAME: ______________________________ DATE/TIME:__________________________
CONTACT NAME & POSITION: __________________________________________________________
CONTACT EMAIL: _______________________ CONTACT PHONE: _____________________________
TRASH SHOULDN’T SPLASH REPS:___________ ____________________________________________
Plastic Paper Bamboo Glass “Biodegradable”
Plastic Notes
Straws
Stirrers
Cutlery
Cups
Dishware
Takeout
Bags
1. What are your main reasons for providing plastic items? Check all that apply.
o Cost o Habit o Convenience
o Customer Demand o Take Out o Other
_______________
2. Are you open to another conversation about costs, benefits, and alternatives to single-use
plastic items?
o Yes o No
3. Future appointment date/time:____________________________________________________
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HOW TO RECRUIT RESTAURANT PARTNERS
Focus on the Positives
Focus on what restaurants are doing well, not just on where they need to improve. If we
promote good practices, owners have an incentive to continue. If we criticize poor behavior,
restaurant owners will not want to talk to us and may even stop eco-friendly practices.
Make it Easy
Use language like “How can we help you?” and “What can we do for you?”. Don’t ask
restaurants to come up with their own eco-practices unless they take the initiative themselves.
If they perceive changes to be difficult or time-consuming, they may feel overwhelmed and
they may not commit.
Use Peer Pressure
If competitors and neighboring businesses have made steps to reduce single-use plastics, bring
this up in a tactful way. For example: “Business X has our signage up in their straw dispenser
area, if you’d like to see how it looks,” or, “This could be a straw-free street if you commit to
straws upon request. Business Y just agreed to do so!” This puts mild pressure on businesses to
keep up and “fit in” with their restaurant peers. However, make sure these comparisons are 1)
true, 2) reasonable, and 3) tactful, so owners don’t get defensive, offended, or overwhelmed.
Accommodate their Schedule
Try to schedule meetings when it is convenient to the business owner/manager. If you must
drop in, go between busy meal times or during off-hours. Opening time is typically not busy and
owners may be around, whereas closing time and the lunch rush are too busy to expect a
conversation. In general, always ask what works best for their schedule. and ask for only 10-15
minutes. Then limit your visit to this agreed upon window, to show that you respect their time.
Be Persistent and Polite
If an owner does not respond to emails or never seems to be in the store, ask hosts and
waitstaff how they would suggest reaching owners. And then go back. And go back again. And
send another email. Always say, “Thank you for your time” and smile.
@trashshouldntsplash
trashshouldntsplash.org
trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTS GUIDE
Should I choose “biodegradable” or compostable products for use in my food
service business?
1. Do you currently send your food waste to a commercial composting facility?
o YES o NO
2. Do the majority of your customers dine in your restaurant (rather than take out)?
o YES o NO
3. If you have table service, are your waitstaff trained to properly sort compostable waste
from recyclables and trash?
o YES o NO
4. If customers dispose of their own waste, do you have separate containers and clear signage
to properly sort compostable waste from recyclables and trash?
o YES o NO
ONLY IF YOU ANSWERED “YES” TO ALL 4 QUESTIONS should you consider replacing single-use
plastic items (straws, stirrers, cups, plates, utensils, etc.) with compostable alternatives in order
to reduce the amount of waste produced.
BEWARE! The term “biodegradable” is ambiguous and misleading! The only materials that can
be fully biologically degraded are those that are plant-based and not synthetic (e.g., wood,
paper, bamboo) or specific plastics designed to degrade in a commercial composting facility.
See reverse for cost calculator and additional resources
@trashshouldntsplash trashshouldntsplash.org
trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
Cost Calculator
Foodware Cost Calculator
Provided by the Product Stewardship Institute
https://www.productstewardship.us/page/FoodwareCalculator
This is a resource that restaurants can use to calculate the cost of switching between
single-use plastic products and alternatives. You may offer this tool as a stand-alone
resource. However, we highly recommend that you either do the calculations for the
business or have a sit-down meeting with the owner and whoever is responsible for
ordering.
Additional Resources
3 Steps to Reduce Plastic & Benefit Your Business: A Guide for Restaurants and Eateries
Prepared by the Product Stewardship Institute
https://www.productstewardship.us/page/RestaurantGuide
This is a guide that restaurants can use when making the switch from disposable plastic
items to more sustainable alternatives.
ReThink Disposable
A program of Clean Water Action
https://www.cleanwateraction.org/rethink-disposable
ReThink Disposable is a campaign that does similar work to Trash Shouldn’t Splash, with
information on best practices that they have implemented in California food service
businesses.
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trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
EXAMPLES OF RESTAURANT PRINTABLES
Here are two examples of restaurant partners who have chosen to display printable materials.
We recommend placing materials where customers can see before they order, or near self-
serve plastic utensil/straw stations.
You may download your own materials to print and distribute from the “Printable Campaign
Materials” section of the toolkit.
COMPARABLE PROGRAMS & CAMPAIGNS
In the time since the concept behind Trash Shouldn’t Splash was first born, many similar
programs and campaigns targeting single-use plastics and waste reduction have been launched.
Many of the campaigns that we researched had similar marketing strategies: to educate people
about plastic pollution in our oceans, and to recommend alternatives to single-use plastic
products. Some campaigns that specifically target single-use plastic straw use suggest instead
using single-use straws made from materials such as paper or bamboo, or reusable straws
made from metal or plastic. Some groups advocate shopping for reusable alternatives to other
single-use plastic items, such as utensil sets, shopping bags, produce bags, takeout containers
and other products. In offering diverse options, these campaigns do the work for consumers to
identify alternative products.
Other campaigns were designed to help businesses and institutions reduce their waste, plastic
and otherwise. One common strategy has been to promote “only upon request” policies,
whereby restaurants and food service businesses stop automatically giving customers straws in
drinks, or other single-use items that they may or may not need. It is human nature for people
to accept the default option presented to them, such as automatically using a plastic straw
when it arrives in a drink that has been ordered. Many campaigns seek to take advantage of
this tendency by simply choosing not to offer these items unless they are requested from a
customer, thereby changing the “default” option.
ReThink Disposable reported hesitation by some restaurants to implement these programs for
fear of increased cost and angry customers. However, in three case studies, the restaurants
saved money by purchasing fewer single-use items. For example, Lola’s Chicken Shack
(Alameda, CA) replaced single-use water cups with reusable cups and reduced the number of
single-use items supplied to customers, such as lids and foodware. These changes saved them
$3,205 in one year and prevented 1,400 lbs of waste. In many cases, restaurant owners were
more incentivized by potential economic benefits than by environmental concerns. Thus, even
if the campaign values and goals are primarily environmental in nature, a focus on financial
viability and potential benefit may be an important strategy when working with businesses.
Effectively communicating the goals of plastic reduction relies on engaging and effective
marketing, such as a catchy campaign slogan and a well-designed, aesthetically-pleasing
campaign website. These should grab the attention of the potential audience and subsequently
allow them to more deeply engage with the issue and consider proposed actions.
Adapted from original work by SEA students: Kaylee Pierson and Kimberly Kusminsky
Campaigns & Programs with Similar Goals to Trash Shouldn’t Splash
Programs with Toolkits & Guides for Restaurants and College/University Campuses
ReThink Disposable program, Clean Water Action
http://www.cleanwater.org/campaign/rethink-disposable
3 Steps to Reduce Plastic & Benefit Your Business: A Guide for Restaurants and Eateries, Product Stewardship Institute
https://www.productstewardship.us/page/RestaurantGuide
Ocean Friendly Restaurants program, Surfrider Foundation
https://www.surfrider.org/programs/ocean-friendly-restaurants
Green Restaurants Certification
http://www.dinegreen.com/certification-standards
Marine Debris Campus Toolkit, Trash Free Waters Program, Environmental Protection Agency
https://www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters/marine-debris-campus-toolkit
Plastic-Free Campus Manual, Post Landfill Action Network, University of New Hampshire
http://www.postlandfill.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Plastic-Free-Manual-12.2.15.pdf
Straw Reduction Campaigns
Be Straw Free, Eco-Cycle https://www.ecocycle.org/bestrawfree#touch
Straw Free https://strawfree.org/
The Last Plastic Straw http://thelastplasticstraw.org/
Strawless Ocean, Lonely Whale Foundation https://www.lonelywhale.org/strawlessocean
Plastic Free Seas http://plasticfreeseas.org/campaigns.html
Straw Wars http://strawwars.org/
Straws Upon Request, There is No Away http://thereisnoaway.net/strawsuponrequest/
One Less Straw, One More Generation https://onelessstraw.org/
Skip the Straw, Blue Ocean Society http://www.blueoceansociety.org/how-to-helpdonate/skip-the-straw-
project/
Other Plastic or Waste Reduction Programs
takeout without http://takeoutwithout.org/
Cafeteria Culture http://www.cafeteriaculture.org/
Alternatives to Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles
Disposable Plastic Water Bottle Ban, National Park Service
https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/foia/upload/Disposable-Plastic-Water-Bottle-Evaluation-Report_5_11_17.pdf
TapIt https://freetapwater.wordpress.com
REfill REuse REgatta https://hosr.org/refill-reuse-regatta/
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1
PUBLIC OUTREACH MATERIALS
Tabling at Public Events | Public Surveying | Finding Outreach
Opportunities | Sample Letter to Town Officials | Writing to Local
Newspapers & Media Outlets | Personal Plastics Use & Waste Inventory
@trashshouldntsplash trashshouldntsplash.org
trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
Artwork created by Falmouth High School student Sara Cook
TABLING AT PUBLIC EVENTS
Signage
Your table needs to look inviting and signage should clearly indicate your campaign name.
Make sure that font on signage is big and that phrasing is concise enough that someone walking
by at some distance can read and quickly identify your subject matter.
Staffing and Attracting Visitors
When possible, have multiple people staffing the table so that more than one person can be
engaged at any given time. If children will be helping to staff the table, give them specific tasks,
such as running activities for other children and giving short speeches to all visitors about why
single-use plastic reduction is important to them. Leave more complex topics, such as
legislation, best practices, and detailed scientific information, to informed adults or older
teenagers.
Attracting visitors to your table is easiest when you smile and engage them with a question
such as, “Would you like to learn more about Trash Shouldn’t Splash and win a prize?”. We
created three-question “quizzes” with facts about ocean plastics on large posters, and gave
every participant a stainless steel straw (even if they answered incorrectly). It is important to
ensure that all people staffing the table are engaged (i.e., not staring at their phones) and eager
to talk with visitors.
Activities
See K-12 Outreach Materials > Presentation and Activities
• Plastic Density Activity
• Rubber Band Activity
• Foraging for Food Among Plastic Activity
Surveys
In order to better understand existing public opinions and behaviors around single-use
(“disposable”) and reusable items, and opinions about restaurant practices, we asked people to
take a short (5 minutes or less) survey using Survey Monkey on an electronic tablet. Participants
were given a prize, such as a reusable water bottle or other reusable item, for participating.
Prizes and Giveaways
The original chapter of Trash Shouldn’t Splash had funding to purchase printed giveaways for all
table visitors, and prizes for people who engaged with staff through the poster quizzes or who
participated in the electronic survey. Giveaways included logo stickers, business cards and
postcards with Trash Shouldn’t Splash student artwork. Prizes ranged from stainless steel
straws for quiz-takers, to reusable items such as cutlery sets, stainless steel cups and takeout
containers, produce bags and water bottles for survey-takers. Trash Shouldn’t Splash logo
stickers were attached to reusable items, when possible. Prizes can be expensive and aren’t
entirely necessary, but do help to draw and engage visitors.
“What We Carry” Exhibit
An exhibit on the table of reusable items a Trash Shouldn’t Splash member regularly carries
with them is an effective way to show that a shopping bag, takeout container, produce bags,
bamboo utensil set, water bottle, and stainless steel straw can all be carried in a personal bag,
backpack, or kept in the car. This normalizes the use of many different reusable items, and
shows how easily one can reduce dependence on single-use items when on the go.
TABLING CHECKLIST
Woods Hole Science Stroll – August 11, 2018
Tabling Supplies
o 2 Tables
o 3 Chairs
o 10’ x 10’ Tent
o Institutional Banner(s)
o 2 Easels with Binder Clips for Poster Quizzes
o Tablet and Internet Access for Online Survey
Materials to Print
o Partner Organization Posters / Materials
o Trash Shouldn’t Splash Poster Quizzes
o NOAA Marine Debris Program Handouts
o Trash Shouldn’t Splash Stickers
o Trash Shouldn’t Splash Business Cards
o Trash Shouldn’t Splash postcards with student artwork
o Trash Shouldn’t Splash Email Sign-Up Sheets
o “Take our Survey” Sheet, with URL to Online Survey
o Instructions for Volunteer Staff
o Restaurant Partners List
Show-and-tell Items & Activities
o Microplastics Samples
o Bird Bolus Containing Plastic Debris
o Reusable Item Samples (Shopping Bag, Produce Bag, Utensils, Straw, Takeout Container, Water
Bottle, Coffee Mug)
o Tub of Beach Trash Collected at a Local Beach Clean-Up
o Skip the Straw Pledge Sheet
Giveaways and Prizes
o NOAA Marine Debris Program Bookmarks & “What is Marine Debris” Posters
o Stainless Steel Straws
o Bamboo Straws
o Bamboo Utensil Sets
o Stainless Steel Cups (add Trash Shouldn’t Splash stickers)
o Reusable Water Bottles (add Trash Shouldn’t Splash stickers)
o Stainless Steel Takeout Containers (add Trash Shouldn’t Splash stickers)
o Cotton Mesh Produce Bags
o Bamboo Toothbrushes with Boar Hair Bristles
@trashshouldntsplash
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trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
PUBLIC SURVEYING
To better understand the existing attitudes, beliefs, habits and behaviors of people in our
community around single-use and reusable items, we developed a short (less than 5 minutes)
electronic survey. We conducted the survey using Survey Monkey on an electronic tablet
connected to the internet. We surveyed attendees of public outreach events (Woods Hole
Science Stroll, August 2017 and 2018), and SEA Semester students surveyed passersby outside
public places such as the ferry terminal in Woods Hole. At the public events, we offered a prize
(reusable item – see Tabling at Public Events) to encourage people to take the survey. SEA
Semester students simply asked passersby if they could spare 5 minutes to take a student
survey, without offering a prize.
The survey questions are listed below. A direct link to the Survey Monkey survey is available by
emailing trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com.
@trashshouldntsplash
trashshouldntsplash.org
trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
FINDING OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES
Communication efforts are best when designed for the target audience, whether K-12 students,
college students, restaurants, or community organizations. Below are suggestions for ways you
can reach those local audiences.
K-12 Students
• Classroom visits, arranged through school administrators or directly with teachers
• School environmental clubs
• Environmentally focused summer camps
• Girl and Boy Scout troop meetings
• Religious groups
• Kid-friendly community events
College Students
• Environmental clubs
• Campus sustainability teams
• Scholarship groups
• Outdoor/outing clubs
• Visits to classes with an environmental science curriculum
• Environmental off-campus study programs
• Involvement fairs
• Service fairs
• Signage for dorm buildings or student off-campus housing units
On-campus candidates to join the Trash Shouldn’t Splash Restaurant Partnership Program:
• Cafeteria/campus food services
• On-campus restaurants and food trucks
• Campus sports stadiums and other venues (e.g., music, theater) that offer concessions
Restaurants
When identifying potential businesses to approach about the Trash Shouldn’t Splash
Restaurant Partnership Program, it is helpful to have an initial “hook”, or reason that a
business might be particularly interested in working with you. For example:
• restaurants that have already demonstrated an interest in reducing single-use plastics,
such as by replacing traditional plastic items with compostable plastic, paper or wood
alternatives, or businesses already only providing straws only upon request;
• restaurants whose owners or management with whom you already have a relationship
or a personal connection;
• restaurants that you patronize often;
• restaurants that are local chains, in which there is potential for change in more than one
restaurant location;
• restaurants located on a waterfront;
• seafood restaurants;
• restaurants drawing patrons that might be especially interested in reducing ocean
plastics, such as those in coastal towns or in college/university towns.
Also, targeting businesses that are clustered in some way can encourage businesses that
might initially be slow to adopt the program to sign on when they see their neighboring
businesses become partners. For example, start by focusing on:
• all businesses in a small town or a small business district;
• all members of a local restaurant or business association;
• a cluster of restaurants in close proximity to one another, such as those that share a
parking lot.
Other Venues for Outreach
• Local community organizations that are concerned about related environmental
problems such as roadside litter, water quality, etc.
• Zoos and aquariums
• Marine science research and/or education centers
• State or local parks
• Your business or place of work, including vendors that provide catering services
@trashshouldntsplash
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trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
SAMPLE LETTER TO TOWN OFFICIALS
When drafting a letter, it may be helpful to refer to A Guide to Writing Letters to Public
Officials: Contributing to Important Decisions Affecting You and Others by Tom Seekins and
Stephen B. Fawcett of The Research & Training Center on Independent Living. This helpful guide
gives a general format to writing effective letters to local officials.
A sample letter follows, based on the principles in the above guide. Note that names, phone
number and address are fictional.
Source: Seekins, T., & Fawcett, S. (n.d.). A guide to writing letters to public officials: Contributing to
important decisions affecting you and others. Lawrence, KS: Research and Training Center on
Independent Living, University of Kansas.
Honorable Selectman Patrick Adams:
I am a concerned citizen working on the Trash Shouldn’t Splash campaign in the Woods Hole village of
Falmouth. Trash Shouldn’t Splash is an initiative focused on reducing the use of single-use items,
particularly those made of plastic, to reduce the amount of waste on land and in the oceans, which
scientific data indicates is harmful to marine life and potentially human health. In addition, the coastal
area of Falmouth is particularly vulnerable to the impacts that plastic marine debris can have on
tourism. I am concerned about the state of the municipal trash bins in Woods Hole village. They are
poorly labeled and recycling bins are not consistently paired with each trash bin. I am thrilled to hear
that the town is considering implementing recycling and compost bins with each trash bin in Woods
Hole, and I am completely in support of this allocation of funds.
The new three-bin system would allow people to easily recycle their plastic waste, which is incredibly
important in preventing marine debris on the beaches and in the waterways of coastal Woods Hole. I
believe that as a community with many scientists, Woods Hole and the greater Falmouth area should set
an example for sustainable waste management, which should include recycling and composting. In fact,
many of the Trash Shouldn’t Splash restaurant partners in Woods Hole have invested resources to
replace traditional plastic items with compostable plastic alternatives. However, their efforts will only be
realized if there are bins to collect these items for commercial composting.
I saw you speak at the unveiling of the new water bottle filling stations and I think that in supporting this
funding allocation, you show the residents of Falmouth that you’re willing to follow through with your
commitment to reducing Falmouth’s plastic footprint. I would be happy to talk about this endeavor
further with you. Please reach out if you have any questions or would like to discuss.
Sincerely,
Laura H. Smith
Laura H. Smith
Trash Shouldn’t Splash Representative
(508) 123-4567
1001 Woods Hole St.
@trashshouldntsplash trashshouldntsplash.org
trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
WRITING TO
LOCAL NEWSPAPERS & MEDIA OUTLETS
Below is the text of an Op-Ed written by the Trash Shouldn’t Splash team that was submitted to
the Falmouth Enterprise, a local newspaper. This is one model of many styles of media writing
that can be used to communicate key messages about your campaign to a broader public
audience. Our goals in writing the article were to be informative and understandable to a broad
audience, and to employ a positive tone focusing on solutions, in the style of “solutions
journalism” (www.solutionsjournalism.org).
To ensure that the letter represents Trash Shouldn’t Splash accurately and positively, it is
important to:
• Understand and follow guidelines for submission provided by the media outlet;
• Clearly and concisely communicate the goals of the organization;
• Include information about upcoming events that readers might be interested in
attending, such as tabling events, public lectures, panel discussions or beach cleanups;
• Include contact information for readers who would like more information or who wish
to get involved;
• Proofread carefully before submission.
Graduate from Plastics
The forces working against ocean plastic pollution just got stronger. On a New England fall day,
two middle-school girls went door-to-door to restaurants and stores with a product to sell. It
wasn’t Girl Scout cookies or another fundraising sale. It was something far bigger and, arguably,
more satisfying. They were selling an idea: a reduction in single-use plastics.
The girls formed a local Skip-the-Straw organization associated with Falmouth Water Stewards,
and later collaborated with Sea Education Association (SEA) to establish the Trash Shouldn’t
Splash campaign, which promotes a reduction in single-use items, especially those made of
plastics, to decrease waste on land and in the oceans. SEA Semester undergraduates have
conducted Trash Shouldn’t Splash surveys in Falmouth to understand consumers’ habits and
attitudes about single-use (“disposable”) plastic items, such as bags, straws and water bottles.
More than 60% of respondents indicated they use straws simply because they were given one
with their drink order, and that they would happily do without.
As early as the late 1970s, SEA Semester students went to sea with plans to study marine life,
towed their plankton nets, and were surprised to find not just plankton, but also tiny plastic bits
smaller than your fingernail. These “microplastics” (< 5 mm in size, mainly resulting from larger
plastic debris breaking apart but not biodegrading) continue to show up year after year in SEA’s
plankton net tows in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Microplastics are small enough to be
eaten by a wide range of marine animals, from blue whales to tiny zooplankton, with health
consequences that are not yet fully understood, but which may include internal injury,
starvation, and effects on growth and reproduction. Now, when SEA Semester students go to sea
and observe, first-hand, this floating plastic debris, they want to know how to stop this pervasive
ocean pollutant.
Plastics are a necessary part of our everyday lives and we want them in useful applications, such
as electronics and health care. But we discard many items, especially those associated with food
and drinks, after only one use. When SEA Semester students recorded personal waste
inventories, they were sobered by the volumes of unnecessary plastic waste generated as a
byproduct of their simple – and changeable – personal daily habits.
In Falmouth, keeping our coastline and town clean is an expressed priority of our town
government, local organizations, schools, businesses, and residents. For businesses, integrating
environmental stewardship with the economic bottom line isn’t just possible - the two are
interdependent. In the Trash Shouldn’t Splash survey, 96% of respondents said restaurants
should use fewer single-use plastics, suggesting customers might prefer restaurants that offer
straws only upon request and that provide reusable utensils and dishes. Armed with these data,
Trash Shouldn’t Splash visited Woods Hole restaurants to offer support in finding ocean-friendly
alternatives to single-use plastic items that are also business friendly. For example, although
paper straws are more expensive than plastic straws, a restaurant might save money by offering
them only when requested by a customer.
Many organizations and communities are already working together against the tide of trash
threatening our neighborhoods, our ocean, and potentially our health. At Sail Martha’s Vineyard
regattas, children organize hundreds of diners to place waste into categorized bins of compost,
recyclables, and dishes to be washed and reused. One organizer said, “people listen to kids when
they might ignore adults saying the same thing.”
Kids in Falmouth care about plastic pollution too, carrying trash bags to and from school or the
beach to collect plentiful roadside debris. And more than 120 Falmouth K-12 students responded
to the Trash Shouldn’t Splash “Call for Ocean Art” to showcase the ocean plastics problem and to
encourage waste-reducing habits, such as skipping single-use dining ware and carrying reusable
water bottles. Water refill stations have been installed in a number of Falmouth schools, and the
first two outdoor water refill stations were recently installed in Peg Noonan Park and at the
Falmouth Heights ballpark by Falmouth Water Stewards, with support from Falmouth Road Race,
Inc. and the Town of Falmouth.
Establishing new habits to reduce plastic waste across all of society may be hard work, but when
it can be as simple as skipping a straw or carrying a reusable water bottle, being the change you
want to see in the world may not be so tough.
Contributed by members of Trash Shouldn’t Splash (trashshouldntsplash.org)
@trashshouldntsplash
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trashshouldntsplash@gmail.com
PERSONAL PLASTICS USE & WASTE INVENTORY A One-Day Activity for Older Students and Adults This activity is intended to draw your attention to the plastic items you use and the waste that you generate on a typical day, and asks you to reflect upon your behaviors and habits. I: Record a Personal Plastics & Waste Inventory For one full day, starting from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep, record every item that you interact with (touch, or use in some way) that is made, in whole or in part, of plastic. During the same time, record every item that you dispose of (in compost, recycling, or trash), including the item’s material. Do this to the best of your ability using the included, two-sided form. You may need to print several pages of the form in order to log all items. You may wish to complete the activity twice – once during the work/school week, and once on the weekend. II: Personal Reflection The following questions are intended to guide a personal reflection upon this exercise, including your daily behaviors and habits. 1. What were your reactions while filling out the plastics and waste inventories? 2. What are your reactions upon looking at the final list of inventoried plastic items and waste items? 3. How much of the plastic you interacted with was waste? How much of your waste was made of plastic? 4. If you were to reduce your personal usage of plastics, what actions might you take? Would you target particular items or products? Are there old habits you would break, or new habits you would set? 5. If you were to reduce your personal generation of waste, what actions might you take? Would you target particular items or products? Are there old habits you would break, or new habits you would set? 6. What are the available options for disposing of your waste in your community (e.g., compost, recycling, container deposit return, trash)? Are you fully utilizing these services?
7. Do you think your behavior changed while doing this activity? If so, how? Adaptation for Younger Students This activity could be adapted for use by younger students by making the following changes: • Shorten the activity by conducting during the school day, and/or assign for a shorter time to do at home. • Conduct a discussion-based reflection in small groups. • Focus on changes that can be made in the classroom, such as using only the materials that you need and learning what belongs in classroom recycling and waste bins. • Focus on behaviors and changes that can be made in the school cafeteria, such as taking only what you need (e.g., food, napkins, utensils) and learning what belongs in compost, recycling and waste bins. • Discuss changes that might help reduce single-use plastics and waste in school, such as replacing plastic straws with paper straws, or bringing a reusable water bottle to school and filling it at water fountains/water stations. This activity is adapted from an original version developed and generously shared by Dr. Heather Heenahan.
NAME: __________________________________ DATE: __________________________________ One-Day Personal Plastics Use Inventory Name of item Single-Use (1) OR Multi-Use (M)? Can this item be recycled after use? (Y/N) Do you use this item most days? (Y/N) Comments
NAME: __________________________________ DATE: __________________________________ One-Day Personal Waste Inventory Name of item Material type(s): Plastic, paper, metal, wood, combo, etc. Single-Use (1) OR Multi-Use (M)? Disposed of in Compost, Recycling, Trash (C/R/T)? Comments
1
K-12 OUTREACH MATERIALS
Template for Classroom Visits | Presentation and Activities | Designing
an Art Contest | “Call for Ocean Art” Flyer | Classroom Waste Audit &
Sorting Activity
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Artwork created by Falmouth High School student Evan Isenhour
TEMPLATE FOR CLASSROOM
VISITS & ACTIVITIES
I. Introduce the problem with a photo slide show (10-15 min):
Ask the class for their input along the way using engagement questions shown in italics.
• Introduce the problem using photos of contaminated beaches or waterways, including
floating plastics; use local examples, if possible.
Q: Has anyone ever seen trash at our local beach/river/park? What kind of trash was it?
• Describe impacts on wildlife using photos of ingestion, entanglement, invasive species
transport.
Q: Why do we care about trash in the ocean? What are some of its possible impacts on
wildlife?
• Dispel misconceptions and get into the details: Explain that there is no enormous
floating island of trash in the Pacific Ocean (or in any ocean). There are recognizable
large items floating out in the open ocean, but the most numerous type of floating
plastic debris consists of small particles commonly called microplastics. Most
microplastics are smaller than a pencil eraser, and started out as larger items that broke
apart into smaller pieces over time when exposed to sunlight. Floating microplastics
collect in specific parts of the ocean (subtropical gyres) where they are carried by
surface ocean currents. Discuss how you could measure plastics floating in the ocean by
towing a plankton net and counting the plastic particles that are collected together with
the plankton and other floating material (such as natural debris, algae, or even tiny fish
and fish larvae). This section can be more or less detailed based upon the age group and
the topics of interest (e.g., marine life, ocean currents, ocean exploration, etc.). It is
important to dispel the misconceptions and introduce microplastics with any audience.
Q: Where does plastic accumulate in the ocean? Why? How could you measure this?
An important note on sourcing material for your presentation: There are many resources
available that describe the problem of marine debris, or ocean plastics. Before using any
material, please ensure that your source is reputable and scientifically accurate, and do not use
any photos without information about where the photo was taken and by whom. Please
properly attribute the sources of all material that you use.
A few recommended sources:
NOAA Marine Debris Program: https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/
• Discover the Issue (https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/discover-issue): for background
information
• Resources (https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/resources): for activities, curricula, fact sheets
• Multimedia (https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/multimedia): for artwork, images, infographics
STEM Pre-Academy: https://stempreacademy.hawaii.edu/c-more/marine-debris
• Science kits with three lessons for students in grades 8-12
Duke University Marine Lab Community Science Program on Marine Debris:
https://sites.duke.edu/communityscience/marine-debris/marine-debris-classroom-
resources/
• Activities for the classroom, on the beach, at home and in the community for students in
grades 4-5
II. Engage the students with activities at several stations (20-30 min):
If possible, divide into small groups of students for each activity. Each station should take 5-10
minutes. The details for each activity are on following pages.
• Station 1: How can we keep plastic out of the ocean? Observe debris items collected on
a beach (bring items, or use a photo). List items in the data table. Brainstorm possible
sources of these items and enter students’ ideas to keep these items out of the ocean.
• Station 2: Bird beak feeding simulation. Students use a variety of “beaks” to attempt to
pick out grains of rice from a bin containing rice mixed with plastic beads.
Q: What do you think a seabird will do when it is feeding at the surface of the ocean?
Will it pick out its natural food? Will it pick up and eat plastics?
• Station 3: Sink or float: A density experiment. Students place different types of plastics
in jars of water and compare sinking and floating tendencies.
Q: What types of plastics would you expect to find floating in the ocean? Where might
other, denser materials be found if they entered the ocean?
III. Reconvene the entire class for a group discussion (5-10 min):
• Brainstorm solutions: The goal is for students to think about they trash they produce
and what they can do about the problem of ocean plastics.
Where does all this trash come from? What should you do with these items if you have
them in your house [bring common household items to sort into recycling vs. trash]?
What’s even better than recycling [i.e., use less/make less trash, avoid single-use
plastics]?
What can we do if we see trash on the beach? On the street? On the playground?
How can we let more people in the community know about this problem and help to
solve it [i.e., tell parents, relatives, teachers; organize beach cleanups].
• Talk about Trash Shouldn't Splash and/or any ongoing local initiatives (e.g., Call for
Ocean Art; local plastic bag or packaging ordinances; skip-the-straw efforts, etc.).
• Leave students copies of one of the NOAA Marine Debris Program activities (e.g., word
scramble, crossword, coloring activity) from the Understanding Marine Debris: Games
and Activities for Kids of All Ages publication
(https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/publications-
files/MDP_ActivityBook.pdf)
Activity: How can we keep plastic out of the ocean?
Observe debris items collected on a beach (bring items or a photo). For each item shown, ask
and record answers to the following:
1. What is this item and what is it made of? (e.g., glass drink container, plastic fishing line,
plastic wrapper)
2. How do you think it got to the beach?
3. What could we do to keep it out of the ocean?
Item & Material How did it get there? How can we keep it out?
Activity: Bird Beak Feeding Simulation
To demonstrate how difficult it is for seabirds to avoid plastic when feeding, ask participants to
use different “beaks” (tongs, spoons, chopsticks, clothes pins, etc.,) to retrieve only pieces of
rice from a mixture of dry rice and plastic beads in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. You may
make the activity more exciting by timing the participants, or by making it a friendly
competition to see who can get the most food or least plastic in a set amount of time.
Source: Ocean Conservancy and NOAA Marine Debris Program
Photo: Trash Shouldn’t Splash middle school students leading the bird beak feeding activity at a public
outreach event.
Activity: Sink or float: a density experiment
Objective: To learn about different plastic materials (polymers) and how they relate to recycling codes,
and to test the density of these materials relative to water. Relate this to marine debris by determining
which materials would float in the ocean and which would sink to the seafloor, if disposed of
improperly.
Materials needed:
• Containers full of water – individual cups/jars at each table so students can work in groups. In a
small group you can use one jar and pass it around.
• An object made from each plastic material (recycling codes #1-6), cut up into small pieces using
scissors or a hole punch. It is helpful to choose objects that are distinct colors, or to color objects
with a permanent marker if they are the same color. This helps keep track of different plastics
once they are in small pieces.
Plastic material associated with each recycling code, and common items made of each material:
#1: PETE (Polyethylene terephthalate) – water bottles, soda bottles, berry containers
#2: HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) – milk jugs, detergent bottles, some grocery bags
#3: PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) – old credit or debit cards, white PVC pipe (difficult to cut up)
#4: LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) – dairy container lids, bread bags
#5: PP (Polypropylene) – sour cream or yogurt containers, some iced coffee cups
#6: PS (Polystyrene) – there are two forms of this plastic, it is a good comparison to have both:
• PS foam, commonly referred to as “Styrofoam”: take out containers, insulated coffee
cups, some egg cartons
• Solid PS: some hot drink cup lids, some clear, hard, brittle take out containers
(sometimes used for baked goods)
#7: “All other plastic” – there are too many types to include here, but you can add additional
examples, if they are of interest.
Experiment:
Fill each container with water. Tap water is fine if you don’t have seawater; you can discuss the density
difference between the two during the question/discussion section.
As you pass out a few pieces of each plastic type to each group or student, show the recycling code
number and polymer type and talk about some common items that are made of that material.
Have group define the “density” of a material.
After each group has some pieces of each polymer, have them hypothesize which polymers will float
and which will sink based on the pieces in their hand and what they know about the items made of each
plastic.
Have the students work together to test which types float and sink. You can summarize the results from
each group on the board.
Discussion: As a class or group, discuss the questions below:
• Did some groups have a polymer that sank, while it floated for other groups? What could cause
this? [Sometimes a bubble may form on a plastic piece, or the surface tension of the water may
make a piece float when it would otherwise sink (this is especially true of some solid PS).
Students may have to gently mix or submerge each piece for accurate results.]
• Were their hypotheses correct? Which one is the densest? The least dense? Did they notice a
difference in how quickly the densest materials sank (e.g., PVS vs. solid PS)? Were some
polymers easier to predict than others?
• Does the size of the piece matter? Does the shape of the piece matter?
• What happens to the density if you add air to the material? (e.g., PS solid vs. PS foam)
• Would the results change if the experiment were done in seawater/fresh water?
Final discussion:
• Bring the topic back to marine debris.
• Based on what you know now, what polymers and objects could end up floating in the ocean if
disposed of improperly? Where might the others end up?
• What are some impacts of these plastics ending up floating in the ocean or sitting on the sea
floor? (Note: wildlife live in both locations)
• What can individuals do to help prevent marine debris? Are there items that could be avoided
or replaced? [Think about reducing single-use plastics by avoiding them or switching to reusable
items; talk about how can every individual can make small changes that will add up]
Key:
Mass – the amount of matter in an object
Density – the mass per unit volume of a substance (how compact or concentrated something is)
Density of each plastic material (to share or display following the experiment):
• PETE 1.38 - 1.39 g/ml
• PVC 1.30 - 1.45 g/ml
• PS (solid) 1.04 - 1.07 g/ml
• HDPE 0.95 - 0.97 g/ml
• LDPE 0.92 - 0.94 g/ml
• PP 0.89 - 0.91 g/ml
• PS (foam) <0.05 g/ml
Density of fresh water 1.0 g/ml
Density of seawater ~1.03 g/ml
Source: Jessica Donohue, Sea Education Association
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DESIGNING A STUDENT ART CONTEST
People are often more likely to listen to children with a cause than adults with a cause, but
sometimes adults might have to do the talking. A great way to bridge this gap is with student-
designed artwork featured on campaign materials. In addition, art contests are a great way to
engage students and teachers in local schools, who may then be further inspired to reduce
unnecessary single-use plastics at school or at home.
In designing our “Call for Ocean Art”, we first reached out to art teachers at our local
elementary, middle and high schools, who were extremely helpful in the design of the contest
and who promoted it to their students. To encourage participation we solicited local businesses
for small prizes (e.g., gift cards or small gift items) that we awarded to winners in designated
grade categories. The contest announcement clearly stated that submitted art could be used, in
part or in whole, in Trash Shouldn’t Splash print and electronic materials.
To promote the contest we designed a one-page flyer (Call for Ocean Art flyer, included as a
separate file in this toolkit) for distribution in both electronic (PDF file) and printed format. To
coordinate distribution within schools, we contacted the school district and individual school
administrators to ask for permission and for the best method to reach students. We learned
that most communication in our local schools occurs by sending printed flyers home with each
individual student. We chose not to print hundreds of copies of the flyer, and instead delivered
25-50 printed copies for school-wide posting to a designated contact person at each school
(typically an administrative assistant to the principal). We also posted the flyer at town
locations where students (and parents) were likely to see it, such as at the public library, post
office, markets, coffee shops, sports facilities, etc.
Examples of Trash Shouldn’t Splash printed materials designed using student art.
Student artist: Abe Lineweaver Student artist: Sophia Adelstein
Step-by-step guide to designing a student art contest:
• Choose a deadline for the contest, allowing a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks for students to
create their entries.
• Decide who will serve as judges. Our middle school student Trash Shouldn’t Splash
collaborators served as judges. You could reach out to a school environmental club, or other
group of engaged older students to help.
• If the contest spans a large age group, you may wish to create age- or grade-based
categories for judging. Our contest solicited entries from students in grades K-12, which we
divided into the following groups: Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, and one group for entries from
a high school design class.
• Decide upon requirements for entries, such as size specifications and type of artwork (e.g.,
two-dimensional only vs. sculpture). If you plan to use artwork for campaign materials, it is
best to require that artwork contain no text, which may be difficult to read when resized. It
is also important to state that artwork must be original and should not contain images or
graphics from other sources such as movies, TV, books, or internet image searches.
• If you plan to award prizes, which might include having winning art displayed in the school
or community, or gift cards (< $15) or small items donated by local businesses, arrange
these before announcing the contest.
• If you plan to display submitted artwork (all entries, or winners of each category) in schools
or local venues (e.g., library or businesses), decide how many pieces you plan to display, the
area required, when and for how long the art will be displayed, etc., and then reach out to
local venues before announcing the contest. Seeing their art displayed is exciting for the
student artists, and will help spread your message in the community.
• Determine how students will submit their art entries. We included the campaign email
address for electronic submissions, and school art teachers were willing to collect artwork
for us to pick up.
• Once you have decided all the logistical details, design flyers to get the word out. Be sure to
include all important contest details on your flyer. Included in this toolkit is the Call for
Ocean Art flyer that we used, as an example. A PowerPoint file with our flyer is also included
if you wish to simply fill in the specifics of your Call for Ocean Art (school name, due date,
submission details etc.). Feel free to change the look of the flyer, or make your own entirely.
• To announce the contest, first contact school district and/or individual school
administrators for permission and to determine the best method to advertise the contest to
students. This may include posting or distributing printed flyers, emailing an announcement,
and mentioning the contest in school announcements or in art classes.
• Hang printed flyers in town locations where students (or their parents) are likely to see
them, such as at the public library, post office, markets, coffee shops, sports facilities, etc.
• In a timely fashion after the deadline passes, decide winners, distribute prizes and display
artwork (if applicable).
• If you wish to incorporate student artwork into campaign materials, use a digital scanner to
scan the art and then use graphic design software to add text or logos. Always remember to
credit the student artist!
@trashshouldntsplash
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Selected entries will be chosen from each school (including home schooling students)for
display in (FILL IN).Top entries will earn prizes including reusable items and gift
certificates.Ocean Art may be used,in part or in whole,in Trash Shouldn’t Splash print and
electronic education and outreach materials.
(THIS PARAGRAPH IS AN EXAMPLE, EDIT THIS TO FIT YOUR CONTEST)
CALL FOR OCEAN ART:
KEEP OUR OCEANS FREE
OF PLASTIC DEBRIS
(FILL IN school name) STUDENTS:
Trash Shouldn’t Splash needs your help to spread the word about the threat plastic
trash poses to our oceans! Help raise awareness by participating in this Call for
Ocean Art, and inspire people to use fewer single-use (“disposable”) plastics.
Deadline: (FILL IN Date and Time)
Why Care About Ocean Plastics?Each day in the U.S.,tens of millions of single-use plastic
straws,cups,bottles,wrappers,and bags are used for a few moments and then thrown away.
Many of these plastics end up in landfills,a small percentage are recycled,and some may
end up in the environment,potentially making their way to beaches and the sea.Plastics do
not biodegrade, but instead persist for years to decades or longer.In the ocean,single-use
plastics may cause harm when they break into smaller and smaller pieces that can be eaten
by a wide variety of marine animals.Choosing to use fewer single-use plastic items will
reduce plastic waste on land, and in the ocean.
Submission Details:We invite you to create a visual work that explores the relationship
between our use of single-use plastics and the health of our oceans,coasts,and marine
animals.This art may inspire others to use fewer single-use plastic items!
²Your work may be in any medium that can be rendered into 2D posters and prints:
painting,drawing,collage,printmaking,digital art,photography,or a combination.
²Your work should be a minimum size of 8” x 10”and a maximum of 18” x 24”.
²Your work should contain minimal text.
²PLEASE DO NOT TAKE OTHER PEOPLE’S WORK AND SUBMIT IT AS YOUR OWN.
²You may submit your work either to (FILL IN),or electronically as a high resolution .jpg,
.png, .gif or .pdf file to (FILL IN).
²Most of all have fun and let your creativity soar!!
CLASSROOM WASTE AUDIT
& SORTING ACTIVITY
Purpose
The purpose of this classroom waste audit is threefold:
1. To make students aware of the kinds of waste they typically produce in school, largely from
snacks and lunches brought from home;
2. To teach students how to properly sort waste into trash, recycling and compost bins; and
3. To engage students in a discussion about ways to reduce plastic waste by replacing single-
use items and packaging with reusable alternatives.
This protocol is designed as a short classroom activity requiring minimal preparation. Simply
take a few minutes to skim the following pages and grab the supplies listed, then gather your
students for a hands-on waste analysis activity.
The goal is to get the conversation about waste started using real data that reveal how we are
actually behaving on a typical day when it comes to trash. Your students will learn about data
collection as you take steps together to set new habits that will help reduce waste.
Supplies
• Tongs
• Garbage can
• Recycling bin
• Compost bucket
• White board and at least 3 white board markers
Activity: Let’s Talk Trash
Our classroom has recycling bins and garbage cans. Today we’re going to see how well our class
is doing getting waste into the correct bins. We’ll see how well we’re doing now and then we’ll
check again in the future to see if we have improved.
We have two goals. One goal is to produce as little waste as possible. The second goal is to
make sure we know what items belong in the recycling or compost bins so that they don’t end
up in the trash can. We also want to make sure that trash doesn’t end up in the compost or
recycling bins. By doing these things we will ultimately use fewer resources, have less trash to
deal with (for example, by burying in landfills), and reduce litter. Working on these goals will
help make the Earth a more sustainable place to live for people and for wildlife.
One of the types of waste we will keep track of today is single-use plastic. When people talk
about single-use plastics they are talking about plastic items that just get used one time before
they are thrown in the trash or recycling. Kind of wasteful, right? Fifty years ago most things
were made of paper, cloth, leather or metal. More and more things are now made of plastic.
Plastics last a very long time, and if they end up in the environment they can cause problems
for animals that might eat or get tangled up in plastic trash.
Raise your hand if you can think of an example of a single-use plastic item. Or quickly list some
of the following if the students don’t come up with them.
• straws
• ziplock bags
• plastic spoons and forks
• single-serve water bottles
• juice pouches
• snack wrappers
• yogurt and apple sauce containers
• plastic bags
• cling wrap
• ketchup/mustard/mayonnaise packets
• coffee stir sticks
Waste tally and sorting activity
Now we are ready to see how our recycling program is going. We are going to describe and
count all the items I found in the classroom recycling bin.
I need three volunteers. (Choose three students and hand them each a white board marker.)
1. One person will tally the number of single-use plastic items.
2. One person will tally the number of things that should have gone in the trash can
instead of the recycling.
3. The third person will tally the number of items that should have gone in the compost bin
instead of the recycling.
Draw a quick data table on the white board with headers for single-use plastics, trash and
compost.
Everyone else has a job too. Each time I use the tongs to hold up an item I found in our
recycling bin, you tell us whether it is a single-use plastic and whether it is recyclable, trash, or
compost. Ready?
Start pulling things out of the recycling. Give your volunteers time to tally when needed. Stop
and discuss any questions that come up about where to put things. Drop any items that should
not have gone into the recycling into the trash can or compost bucket. You might need an area
to put things you have questions about if you’re not sure what can be recycled in your area.
How’s the Recycling Bin?
Single-Use Plastics
(# of single-use plastic
items)
Trash
(# of items that should
have gone in trash can)
Compost
(# of items that should
have gone in compost bin)
Now that we’ve checked the recycling bins we’re going to see if what we put in our trash can is
really trash. We need three new volunteers to help us tally the things in our trash can.
Draw another data table on the board and assign each of your volunteers a category to tally.
What’s in the Trash?
Single-Use Plastics
(# of single-use plastic
items)
Recyclable
(# of items that should
have gone in recycling)
Compost
(# of items that should
have gone in compost bin)
Discuss the data: How did we do? Were the majority of items made of plastics? Are most of the
single-use plastic items we found recyclable? Did they end up in the correct bin?
Questions for discussion
What are some problems with single-use plastics?
• Many of them are not recyclable.
• If they get into the environment they can hurt animals that try to eat them or that get
tangled up in them.
• Most plastics are made from fossil fuels, which are a non-renewable resource.
• Even if they go in the recycling bin, the process of recycling plastics requires energy.
• People in the United States use much more plastic than we recycle. A lot of recyclable
plastic is ending up buried in landfills, where it will sit for years to decades or longer.
How can we reduce the amount of single-use items we use and reduce waste?
Single-use item Alternative (to reduce overall waste)
Plastic wrappers from granola
bars, snacks, etc.
Pack a snack of mixed nuts, dried fruit, or fresh fruit or
veggies in a reusable container. This may help you eat
healthier foods too.
Single-serve plastic containers
from yogurt, applesauce, etc.
Buy a large container of yogurt or applesauce and put small
amounts in reusable containers each day to reduce
packaging waste.
Plastic forks and spoons Pack reusable utensils (metal, plastic, bamboo) and wash
them at home.
Plastic drink containers Bring a reusable water bottle.
Plastic bags and plastic cling
wrap
Use a reusable container (a glass jar, plastic snap-top bowl,
beeswax sandwich wrapper, paper wrapper, etc.).
Paper napkins Bring a cloth napkin.
Each of you is now a Garbage Guardian! It is your job to help your friends, teachers, and parents
put things in the right bin and avoid making unnecessary trash whenever possible. We’ll
surprise you with another check of our recycling and trash bins sometime soon to measure our
progress. We’re all going to work together to keep the Earth healthy and a sustainable place for
us to live. Thank you!
Follow the same protocol in the same location at a future date and compare results.
This activity was adapted from an original version developed
and generously shared by Dr. Sarah Bryant.
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1
LESSONS LEARNED
Concepts from Behavioral Science | Things We Learned the Hard Way
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Artwork created by Falmouth High School student Mia Bluestein
CONCEPTS FROM BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
Trash Shouldn’t Splash was developed together with undergraduate students enrolled in
multiple SEA Semester programs who interrogated behavioral science literature for guidance in
developing the behavior change campaign. A reference library was compiled in Zotero
(www.zotero.org) with more than 200 entries, including annotated bibliography entries for
more than 70 academic journal articles.
This segment of the toolkit includes a description of concepts from behavioral science
specifically focused on environmental problems that we found useful during our campaign
development. It is not a comprehensive or critical review of the academic literature. The major
contributors to this section are Emily Dailey (Trash Shouldn’t Splash summer intern and SEA
Semester class S-278) and students of SEA Semester classes C-269, C-270, S-270, S-271, C-273,
S-276, and S-277.
Social Norms
Descriptive Norms: Descriptive norms are implied social rules that can influence behavior
because people tend to do what they think other people are doing.
Injunctive Norms: Injunctive norms are implied social rules about what individuals perceive
that they should do as a result of what others do.
When targeting those who are already concerned about marine debris but who are not acting
in accordance with their concern, it may be effective to make use of descriptive social norms by
highlighting actions that others are taking, such as recycling, carrying reusable straws,
participating in beach cleanups, using reusable grocery bags, etc., (Doherty and Webler, 2016;
Schultz et al., 2015).
It is important to frame using the desired behavior, such as using reusable items, as the “new
norm” rather than framing undesirable behavior, such as using single-use plastics, as a
“negative norm”. People make unconscious efforts to fulfill norms, whether positive or
negative, so even discussing a negative norm could unintentionally encourage people to carry
out this undesired behavior. For example, in trying to increase recycling rates, instead of saying
“most people don’t recycle, you should be the change in your community because recycling is
important,” you could say, “more and more people are recycling in your community – you can
be part of this new movement” (Schultz et al., 2016).
Attitudes, Beliefs and Behaviors
Cognitive dissonance: Cognitive Dissonance is the process by which a person discovers they
have inconsistencies in their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, creating internal discomfort. In
order to alleviate this discomfort they may change any of their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors
to become consistent.
Induced-Hypocrisy Paradigm: The Induced-Hypocrisy Paradigm describes the process of making
people aware of behaviors they exhibit that do not align with their attitudes and beliefs, in
hopes that they will change their behavior to match their attitudes and beliefs.
Cognitive dissonance and the Induced-Hypocrisy Paradigm may help in the design of strategies
to change behavior in people that already have pro-environmental attitudes and beliefs. It is
very important to ensure that people do not feel attacked when such inconsistencies in their
beliefs and behaviors are revealed. It is also important to provide manageable steps towards
changing behavior to prevent the person from becoming overwhelmed and, instead, changing
their attitudes and beliefs to match their behavior (Priolo et al. 2016).
Theory of Planned Behavior: This theory states that whether or not a person engages in a
particular behavior relies on the person’s attitude toward the behavior, subjective norms
regarding the behavior, and the person’s perceived control over that behavior. For example, to
increase a person’s likelihood of recycling, instilling a positive attitude towards recycling (e.g.,
recycling is a good thing to do), conveying subjective norms that promote recycling (e.g., my
friends and neighbors all think that I should recycle), and ensuring that the person has the
resources to recycle (e.g., that they have access to recycling collection facilities) will increase
their likelihood of recycling.
Reactance: Reactance occurs when a person feels that their choices or freedoms have been
limited or taken away, resulting in a negative or uncooperative reaction (Mallett and Melchiori,
2016).
Additional Concepts
Habit Discontinuity Hypothesis: This hypothesis suggests that when people experience major
life interruptions or changes (e.g., moving, marriage, birth of child, new school, etc.), they are
better able to establish new habits. When promoting the replacement of single-use plastic
products with reusable alternatives, which requires setting new habits, interventions may be
most successful if messaging is targeted at people experiencing major changes (Verplanken and
Roy, 2015). For example, if presenting Trash Shouldn’t Splash to a middle school audience, it
would be best to introduce new recommended actions at the beginning of the school year, and
might be most influential for first year middle school students who are adjusting to a new
environment and forming new habits.
Positive and Negative Spillover: Spillover occurs when a person feels satisfaction at completing
a pro-environmental behavior and either: 1) Completes another pro-environmental behavior –
positive spillover, or 2) Feels like they have earned the “right” to make an environmental
transgression – negative spillover. Once someone has completed a pro-environmental action,
such as participating in a beach cleanup, positive spillover can be promoted by suggesting other
pro-environmental behaviors that use similar resources (Margetts and Kashima, 2016).
Negative spillover might be avoided by first praising the participants and then noting that,
although beach cleanups are important, preventing future beach litter is the ultimate goal,
which can be achieved by reducing use of single-use items that account for much of the trash
found on the beach (Lin and Chang, 2017).
Emotional Appeals: Emotional appeals attempt to evoke an emotional response in the person
that will encourage them to take pro-environmental actions. This may be most effective when a
positive emotional response, such as pride in a pro-environmental action, is associated with a
positive descriptive social norm, which may encourage further pro-environmental behaviors
(Bissing-Olson et al., 2016).
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THINGS WE LEARNED THE HARD WAY
Listed below are some important take-away lessons we learned while developing Trash
Shouldn’t Splash:
• Before trying to change people’s behavior and habits, you must first understand the driving
factors underlying the behavior you wish to change, as well as the obstacles to changing
those behaviors. We gathered this kind of information through our public survey, and by
having open and honest conversations with students, business owners and employees, and
residents of and visitors to our town.
• Involve kids! People listen to kids-with-a-cause more than adults-with-a-cause, and kids can
be passionate and energetic team members.
• Utilize a variety of outlets and make use of personal connections to reach a wide audience.
For example, if you have or know schoolchildren, reach out to their teachers to arrange
classroom visits. Contact leaders of Girl/Boy Scout troops, or other local school groups, to
ask if they would like to arrange a visit. Reach out to local media outlets (newspaper, TV),
whose coverage may result in dissemination of the program and its messages to a broad
local audience.
• It is important to know your audience, and to customize your communication for that
audience. For example, we learned quickly that many food service businesses in our town
had already chosen to replace traditional single-use plastic utensils with a commonly
available compostable plastic alternative. However, few understood that these items fully
biodegrade only in an industrial composting facility. In this case, the business
owners/managers had already demonstrated an environmental awareness, yet didn’t
always have the most accurate information about the potential environmental impacts of
the products they had chosen.
• Even if food service businesses are eager to partner with Trash Shouldn’t Splash, it can be a
slow process to see substantial and lasting changes. Some of the easiest actions for
restaurants to take are to provide straws only upon request, and to hang Trash Shouldn’t
Splash signage. This may be a good place to start while you engage with them on more
complex tasks such as research into alternative materials, or redesigning waste collection in
their businesses.
• When describing Trash Shouldn’t Splash, we found it important to emphasize that it is a
plastic waste reduction program, specifically focused on reducing single-use items that
quickly become waste. Trash Shouldn’t Splash is not an advocacy organization lobbying for
bans on particular items, such as plastic straws or bags. The goal is to inspire people to
assess their personal use of single-use plastics and consider changing their habits, not to tell
people what they can or cannot do, or to limit their individual choices.
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