Pollution Solution

Introduction:

How much trash do you think each person in the U.S. creates per day?  Do you think we produce more or less trash than your parents/guardians did when they were kids?

In order to investigate these questions, we are going to experiment with packing peanuts. As it turns out, all packing peanuts are  not created equal.  There are several different types, each with it’s own characteristics. In this experiment you will observe, test, and evaluate the quality and eco-friendliness of two (or three) different types of packing peanuts.  Your group's final objective is to recommend which packing peanut is the best value overall.   

National Science Standard: Unifying Concept

Nature is composed of many interrelated systems.

Georgia Performance Standards:

Students will use tools and instruments for observing and measuring S(K-5)CS3

Students will communicate scientific ideas clearly S9K-5)CS5

Students will understand the effects of pollution on the environment S3L2

Materials:

Eco-Foam  Peanuts                          Polystyrene Peanuts               Magic Nuudle Peanuts            

Clear plastic cups                            Plastic or paper cups

Exploration:  

Eco-Foam     Magic Nuudles     Styrofoam

Procedure:

1. Give each group of students five peanuts of each type. Ask students to explore the properties of the peanuts in a variety of different ways. They can touch, squeeze, pull, smell, measure, and listen to the peanuts (no tasting please). Have students write down their observations on the table below.

2. Although many characteristics of the peanuts may be interesting, the most important one is functional – that is how well do they protect the items that they surround in packages.  If they can’t prevent items from being damaged or broken, then they will never cut it as packing peanuts.  Your job now is to determine how well the different types of peanuts absorb shock and prevent damage. As a group develop a simple method to test your peanuts and then rate your peanuts on a in terms of their ability to protect. Describe your test and record your findings in the table below.

Description of your test _________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

3. Now that you’ve learned about their properties and evaluated their effectiveness, there is another thing to consider- do the peanuts create pollution or are each of them environmentally friendly? One key way to evaluate their eco-friendliness is to determine whether or not they are biodegradable.  In other words, can they be broken down naturally into simpler substances that can then be recycled in our ecosystem? Some packing peanuts are made mostly of cornstarch and they are completely biodegradable. Others are made of plastic and they are not biodegradable.  You can test to see which of them are made with cornstarch by placing them in water and stirring. The ones made of cornstarch will dissolve easily in the water – these are the ones that are eco-friendly and you can wash them right down the drain. Test some of each type of peanut by placing them in a glass of water and stirring. According to your results, which ones are environmentally friendly?

4.    Now you must decide which type of peanut is the best overall value. As a group, you must decide how important it is for the peanut to protect and how important it is for it to be biodegradable. Discuss your ideas, make your choice and write a couple of sentences that explain why you chose as you did.

Essential Questions:

1. For something to make for a good packaging material, what other characteristics must it have in addition to it’s ability to protect?

2. Although it may be good to have peanuts that are bio-degradable, describe one situation where this could be a problem.

3. Since each of us produces about 4 pounds of trash per day, decide on three things that you could do to reduce the amount of trash you produce.

4. Do you think we should require companies to use eco-friendly packing peanuts? Explain.

Explanation:

As Americans, we produce an average of 4 hefty pounds of trash per day and, although some of it is recycled, most of it is still placed in landfills (dumps).  This is alarming especially if we consider that in the 1970's each person generated only about 2 pounds of trash.  We need to find creative ways to reduce this amount.   For example, although Americans recycle 46% or their plastic soda bottles and 30% of their milk and water jugs, we only recycle 5% of all plastics! Surprisingly, over 40% of all plastics are used for packaging. 

Eco-Foam peanuts have been developed as a functional but eco-friendly substitute to the traditional styrofoam peanuts.  They protect nearly as well as styrofoam peanuts but are biodegradable and can be easily dissolved and washed down the sink. Some environmentally responsible companies, are choosing to use to only Eco-Foam (or Magic Nuudles) as their packing material.

We can also reduce our production of trash in the following ways:

1) Look for products that are have been recycled or are recyclable. These products will state this on the label.

2) Don't buy overpackaged products such as Lunchables that are contain mostly packaging and not much product. 

3) Use washable cloth towels and napkins instead of disposable paper ones. 

4) Use reuseable drinking cups rather than disposable ones.

Extension:

Now that you've learned about some of our pollution problems, it is time to express your new understanding of this crisis in a useful and creative manner.  Your task in this this section is to develop a brochure, bumper sticker, poster, commercial, or role play that brings light our problems with trash and/or offers possible solutions.  Try to be creative and colorful in your approach.  It is recommended that you work in groups for this activity.

Evaluation and Closure:

      Student activity sheets should be evaluated to check for student understanding. A rubric for this activity can be found at the following link:   Activity Rubric