Plastic Peas

What makes one product greener than another? Ecology scholars analyze sustainability and lifecycle through a thought-provoking activity. Individuals pick a product, then examine its components to determine its overall impact on the world...

After reading about polymer materials, engineer trainees examine how plastics have been integrated into everyday products. In groups, they compile a list of products made entirely without plastics and then, as a closing activity, try to...

First, young chemists practice polymer identification by density and flame tests. With the data collected, they propose a method of separating polyethylene from other plastics and determine what property makes it desirable for recycling....

Paper or plastic? Scholars discuss a worksheet containing grocery photos in which consumers were challenged to buy items without plastic wrapping or containers. Learners rank the food items by the need for packaging, such as a banana,...

In this plastics worksheet, students read about how important it is to recycle plastics and why sorting the recycle materials is important. Students then complete 4 short answer questions.

Those recycled plastic bottles end up as some pretty interesting things in their second lives. A lesson explains the process of recycling plastic. Scholars learn about the different products of recycled plastic—including t-shirts!

Inspire environmentally conscious young minds with an exceptional video, which traces the life cycles of three different plastic bottles after they are thrown away and move through the earth with different journeys through a landfill, an...

Breathe some life into product design. Pupils learn about the stages of product creation, use, and disposal—sometimes called a cradle-to-grave assessment. They see how this cycle relates to the life cycle of organisms.

This site provides the background on the applications of the plastics industry. General in nature, but a good look at where plastic is in your life. Gives solid factual information.

Nature has the ultimate recycling program — the Carbon Cycle! How do fossil fuels fit into this program? Pupils answer this question as they observe how all this added carbon serves to unbalance the cycle. Using the perspective of "new"...