The New Permaculture: Solving The Problem With Plastic and Pollution

We have been talking for some time about the problems with plastic and other pollution and the solution for some has been to ignore it or to attempt to eradicate it.  This is something that we need to take a deeper look at as it applies to the world today.

We are working with thirty 3rd graders and 9 tenth graders on amazing and simple permaculture project.  The process is simple; under the supervision of our teachers and interns, they are finding creative and safe ways to use what can be construed as garbage.

In the past, the ideology has been to get children (everyone, for that matter) to take merely the cursory steps to address pollution and the problem of plastic.  We have taught kids to pick up trash and put it in the proper receptacles, telling them that it is going to go away to some big factory somewhere to be broken down and turned into something else.  Let's be honest, sometimes this does not happen but that is another story.  In any event, it we are making a dent.

Swiss Chard being grown by a 3rd grader.

The New Permaculture factors in plastic as, we hate to say it, a part of our environment and goes a step further and look at it not just as a nuisance, but possibly as a resource.  We have reached a stalemate and within a generation with the emergence of a larger Chinese middle class not to mention other countries.  Discounting waste as a wholly unusable byproduct of our society may not be the best course of action given the amount that accumulates.  Merely sequestering it is not an option anymore because landfills are rising.  Plastic is simple and abundant and it is only getting more and more abundant each day.

So, our thirty third graders are going to learn how to work and live with plastic while working to reduce their waste.  Our 10th graders are going to working on ways to create new things from recycled plastic.
We are not just talking about plastics though.  We are talking about food waste.  We are talking about paper.  We are talking about all the things that are headed to the landfill or the side of the road that can be used and re-used.
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