Hi Sarah, I'm so glad you like Litterati! Measuring impact is a combination of helping educators create cleanup challenges of their own & sign up for school based accounts. Since creating the video, I created a challenge for educators to join & pick up 10,000 pieces of litter in the month leading up to Earth Day & we met that challenge. It was great to see so many educators trying the app with their students (there are some really clean playgrounds)

-Chris

Hi Kirstin...great questions (and yes, it's super for getting kids to get outside and use data to make change)!

1st on privacy...very important! With Litterati "all users begin as anonymous users & can choose to remain anonymous in order to keep an option that maximally protects their privacy, regardless of their age." For instance, most of my students chose to just use the app anonymously and upload the pictures of their litter. If you have specific questions, I can connect you with someone to answer them.

2nd on impacting change...first and foremost, I'm a HS Math teacher, so I wrote the lesson plans as a jumping off point for educators. Every classroom & community is different, so I tried to add in as many possible ideas (the "next steps" part of each lesson plan) to help spark "success stories" like this and this at the local level (which, yes, we definitely want to add more examples of). I'm still asking my students to think about the lessons they've learned on our cleanup days and what will be our "next steps," especially next year when things are more "open."

-Chris

Thanks for this response! It's a fascinating connection between getting kids involved and a tangible way for them to SEE their results in a time when results aren't all that easy to see sometimes :)

Kirstin and Chris,

I'm just reading your posts and love to see the discussion about deeper engagement and change for youth and as a society!  I'd love to circle back with either of you about possible connections with your project and needs and our project with 4-H and the NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers.  Our gr. 6-8 curriculum is intended to help engage youth further in those deeper learning projects and think about ways to address policy issues, community opportunities as change agents, etc. You can view it at our 4hpolymers.org site. BUT also, we are in development of a HS level curriculum/model, for HS youth as change agents around issues of plastics and sustainability. If you'd have interest in pilot testing or serving as a reviewer, we'd love that!  For the HS piece, we are taking 2 tracks...Teen Engagment in community action, and then a youth teaching youth track, for teens to serve as teachers of the K-2 & 3-5 curriculum to that age youth.  Both will have some great in depth content modules around polymer science and bioplastics, plus guides for action projects or teens as  teachers.  Let's connect if you want to learn more and talk further about possibilities. THanks!

Hi Anne, I'd love to help out. I also share many great STEM related resources on my dailystem.com website and @dailystem on social media and my STEM Everyday Podcast...so many great educators love hearing about great ideas like yours!

Great video, Chris! I'm wondering the same things as Rosio - especially about youth attitudes and connections to their community after tracking and picking up litter. Has this inspired youth to do more in their communities?

My project focuses on sustainable plastics and the problems with traditional plastics - there's a lot of connections with your project!

Hi Jennifer...yes, my students continue to think about those cleanup days (it was just over a month ago) and I have continued to talk with them about "next steps" especially for next year post-pandemic restrictions (but...one student is already creating an art project using litter for a local contest). There are definitely issues with traditional plastics and opportunities to connect with this project. A few of the lesson plans I wrote introduce kids to Circular Economy, Returnables, and product design. I'd love to see more educators taking whatever steps they can to get kids to think past just the 1st step of recycling. Let me know if I can be of help!

-Chris

Hi Toby, Thank you for the positive thoughts...Litterati is definitely a powerful idea and powerful when used by kids and educators for making an impact on their environment!

-Chris

Thank you Ashley! It really is empowering, and so versatile for every classroom and community too! 

-Chris

That's great Anne! In a related note, one of the students who helped has since collected litter to use for an art contest design project for drawing attention to litter...if we give kids a push, they take it to great heights! I'll be sure to check your work out too, and don't hesitate to reach out anytime.

-Chris

Thanks again. MN is hosting a Plastic Sculpture Challenge to combine the art and the science. We are just putting the details into place; last year we did it via flipgrid and may keep that option this year too, but will also have an inperson component.  I think the power of using art to bring attention to issues is huge. 

Hi April, I'm so glad you like the Litterati idea (especially the storm grates part...I actually had one kid thinking about a way to redesign them better). As for pre- vs post- COVID data, that would definitely be some interesting data...I can check with them and see what they've got. Sounds like an idea for a great blog post or video.

-Chris

Hi Amie, That sounds like a great connection for the Litterati app! Definitely let me know if you need any help or other info

Chris

Thank you Meredith! Litterati is really a great way to combine citizen science, problem solving, and outdoor activity with helping make the earth better! Let me know if I can be of help!

-Chris

So far I've had some students who were virtual (we are still Hybrid) do the cleanup in their neighborhood. Many of the lessons available on edu.litterati.org are meant to be things they can do at home with their families and then share back as a class. Because of the difficulties this year, I wasn't able to get a lot of feedback on that, but next year should be much better!