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The Use of Plastic Bags. Agenda. Background Video Plastic Bag Facts Project Details and Tips. Questions. Who here uses plastic bags when they go shopping? What are some good things about plastic bags? How much do you think it costs to make a bag? How much are you charged at the store?
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Agenda • Background • Video • Plastic Bag Facts • Project Details and Tips
Questions • Who here uses plastic bags when they go shopping? • What are some good things about plastic bags? • How much do you think it costs to make a bag? How much are you charged at the store? • What do you think happens to plastic bags after you use them? • What effect do you think this might have on the environment? • What steps do you think we might be able to take in order to help minimize this?
Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrAShtolieg
Use of Plastic Bags • Plastic bags popular with both retailers and consumers because cheap, strong, lightweight • Plastic bags are a very lucrative industry • About 380 billion plastic bags used a year in US alone, 100 billion of with are plastic shopping bags • Only 1 to 2% of plastic bags in US get recycled
Making Plastic Bags • Making plastic bags uses petroleum and natural gas, both non-renewable resources • Drilling for these materials destroys ecosystems • There are toxic substances used as well • Many people are employed by plastic bag producers • They have less environmental impact than paper bags
Effects of Plastic Bag Use • Plastic bags litter landscape, or if burned release toxic fumes into air • Plastic bags are non-biodegradable, decomposition takes about 1000 years
Effects of Plastic Bag Use • Even when photo-degrade in landfill, plastic from bags never goes away, and toxic particles can enter food chain • Plastic bags kill about 100 000 animals a year, who mistake them for food
How to Help • Recycle plastic bags for other uses, such as holding garbage • If you don’t absolutely need a bag at a store don’t ask for one • Use a reusable bag such as a fabric bag
Assignment Details • During this project you will be • Collecting research on plastic bags • Collecting data using a method designed by your group • Helping to spread information about this topic in two different ways • Presenting your assignment to the class
Collecting Research • Research will be done next class in the computer lab • Students will also be expected to finish this research on their own time
Performing a Case Study • You will also be expected to gather your own data in the form of a case study • Examples of this is taking a poll from a random group of people, or making observations for a large set of people or events • Make sure you have at least 100 data points
Displaying Results of a Case Study • Results can be displayed in a visual way using bar graphs, pie charts, or scatter plots • Think of creative ways to show data that has more than one variable
Spreading Information • This can be done using several methods • Poster • Letter written to local government • Video • Song • Action Plan • Etc • They must either spread information about plastic bags, or help the issue in some other way
Presentation • Prepare a 10 minute presentation to give to the class about the case study results as well as your chosen methods of presenting this information • Groups will evaluate each other