We eat a credit card worth of plastic each week (4.1 μg). While plastic pollution was once considered an unfortunate byproduct of modern industrialization, the widespread consumption of plastics has had profound generational impacts. Unborn fetuses are found to carry microplastic particles in placenta tests. However, due to minimal environmental literacy standards, many students are unaware of this rising challenge. While simply focusing on ‘recycling’, youth often neglect the root of the problem: single-use consumption habits. Plastics are integral to daily life due to their durability, versatility, and convenience. These same properties make them environmental hazards as they persist and accumulate.
In university settings where convenience and short-term planning are prioritized, plastic waste poses a significant threat to human wellbeing. The Tiny Plastics, Big Impacts project was implemented to transform student perspectives on plastic consumption through shock therapy, conversations with researchers, and visual art. The event had a few components:

1. Credit-card shaped cookies to highlight the amount of plastic consumed each week.
2. Three tables with professors and scientists to extend conversations. (Ask a microplastic researcher anything)
3. A “Plastic Panic” Game designed to explore ways students can reduce plastic usage.
4. Poster with a single-use plastic reduction pledge for participants to sign.

Placed along the middle of bustling Locust Walk at the University of Pennsylvania, this event was designed to transform how students approached the plastic crisis. As people bit into the credit-card shaped cookies, they were horrified to discover that they consumed that much plastic. From that initial shock, conversations with talented plastic researchers (Penn Earth and Environmental Department, Penn Material Engineering and Applied Mechanics Department) shared posters of their work. In particular, Dr. Samantha McBride compared microplastic levels in different brands of bottled water such as Fiji, Dasani, Aquafina, and Liquid Death. After learning more about plastic challenges, the participants spoke with postdoctoral students about plastic reduction strategies that they could quickly implement. Many signed a pledge to hold themselves accountable in their daily lives.

Overall, this event had the following outcomes:

1. 250-300 people attended, engaging with the scientists and information presented.
2. Seven new community partnerships were established, with special collaborations with climate organizers, the university, and researchers.
3. A joint post had 2900 views on social media, reaching those not geographically in the area.
4. Capacity building for hundreds of students on plastic reduction strategies.
5. Over 100 signatures signed the pledge to reduce plastic waste on campus

The event was hailed as innovative and eye opening. Seeing the shocked faces and sparking new interest in the environmental field, I saw the importance of innovative communication strategies. While these students wouldn’t have engaged with traditional forms of environmental knowledge, they were receptive and open to this culinary approach. This collaboration between the EarthEcho International / SC Johnson Marine Plastic Ambassador Program, Penn Climate Week (Penn Sustainability, Waterroots, the McBride Lab), and the Penn Earth and Environmental Department was met with massive student support!

It was refreshing to see excited faces and hear critical conversations all across the street. Although the process of planning logistics was time consuming and difficult, this experience in environmental education turned out to be meaningful and inspirational. Many students actively sought out the researchers to answer questions, and some were interested in pursuing personal research projects. While plastic challenges are often discussed, they are also brushed to the sidelines. Having an event that focused solely on the impacts of microplastics facilitated integral conversations about environmental preservation, human health, and our dangerous consumption patterns.

On this journey, I learned that students respond to different methods of education. A little creativity in the environmental field goes a long way! With a deeper commitment to social impact, I am confident in my ability to lead grassroots projects for environmental change, working alongside diverse stakeholders for climate justice.

I’d like to thank the organizing team at Penn Climate Week (Kate La Spina, Heidi Wunder) and the McBride Lab for their support. To my personal mentors who supported this event at every step along the way, I’m very grateful for the opportunity to grow as an environmental leader. I’d also like to extend a special shoutout to Dr. Hawkings and Dr. Samantha Athey, whose tireless work made this event all possible. A follow-up art event is currently under planning for Earth Week in April of 2025.