2. Spartanburg Earth Day Festival
Plastics and a Straw-free Campaign

3. What's the problem? What's the big picture?
Our destruction of our planet—our air, water, earth, plants and animals. The unimaginable waste that is filling our world.
Everyone is contributing to this destruction
Educate yourself—understand the problem learn about different parts of the problem –break it down
Learn what other people are doing about parts of the problem
Envision the situation (the world) if the problem were fixed—what would that look like. Brainstorm ideas.

4. U. S. Earth Day initiated April 1970
U.S. Earth Day initiated April Today, more than 1 billion people in 192 countries take part in largest civic-focused day of action in the world
People march, sign petitions, meet with their elected officials, plant trees, clean up their towns and roads.

5. Corporations and governments use it to make pledges and announce sustainability measures.
Faith leaders connect Earth Day with protecting God’s greatest creations, humans, biodiversity and the planet that we all live on.

6. Choose a goal.
Choose a short term goal.
Begin planning a strategy
People in Spartanburg need to be aware and concerned:
Goal: Successful and growing Earth Day Festival in Spartanburg.

7. "The Spartanburg Earth Day Festival builds community, celebrates the many gifts we receive from Earth, and inspires participation in caring for our planet."
Spartanburg Earth Day activity began with "Mother Earth Takes Over the Library" in 2014
In 2016 we initiated a community festival on Unitarian Universalist Church grounds, Henry Place, and adjoining businesses. 3rd Annual Earth Day Festival, growing each year.

8. Successful action inspires more action
Look for "low-hanging fruit," something that is important AND easy
Easy to inspire yourself and others Easy to take action

9. In the lead up to Earth Day’s 50th anniversary in 2020, Earth Day Network is launching a campaign to End Plastic Pollution.

10. Our Goal: A Widespread Campaign for a Straw-free Spartanburg
Why Straws? (music)
Stop using plastic straws yourself. Find alternatives or stop using straws
Start taking action. Reach out to educate and inspire others
Individuals, School/college science clubs and classes, restaurants

11. Present your class's work at Spartanburg Earth Day Festival
Evaluate and adapt as you go along.
You learn more working together.
You learn more from your failures than your successes.
But do your best to succeed
because success is more fun.
Celebrate your success and build on it.

12. Resources Focus on plastic
4.5 min. BEST Feb 21, Kids, multi-ethnic. Despite the vastness of Earth’s oceans, plastic pollutants are turning up everywhere, from the deep sea to the Arctic ice pack. In this short film from filmmaker Chris Hanson, 17 Hawaiian students study the impact of plastic pollution on their local beaches.
min, Asian and Haitian children, EXCELLENT, but do watch before you show grade school students in case you decide this is too graphic (includes dead sea birds dissected)

13. Focus on plastic straws
2 min Overview, beach walk w/ straws
2 min silent (because grad students were using "adult language") removing straw from sea turtle nose
5.5 min year old girl talks about her campaign to get schools to ban plastic straws. Oct 2017

14. Clean up our world: 30 min.
in young speaker (b. 1995) Boyan Slat: How we will rid the oceans of plastic (May 2017) explains plan to clean up plastic in great Pacific garbage patch
5 min. Boyan Slat: the man who went out to clean the oceans

15. Prevent trash from increasing/ recycling
6 min good multicultural Recycling for Kids with Waste Management's Mr. Cool Can includes tour of recycling facility
3 min Nat'l Geog, high school and up, ocean pollution, and
reduce, reuse, recycle for primary students cartoon
Access this ppt at