On June 8, CNN is asking students around the world to celebrate World Oceans Day with a Zero Plastic Lunch -- a lunch with no single-use plastics. Schools and students then share photos of their lunches, and videos explaining what changes they made to their lunch, with CNN on social media and email.
They would love to partner with schools targeting elementary and high school students on this project.
The best submissions will be featured on CNN TV and their live blog online. We would also love to capture AAE members who participate in our media outlets.
You can find more information about Zero Plastic Lunch Day, including articles about our oceans, learning PDFs in different languages, and a video on single-use plastics for schools to screen on their website, www.cnn.com/zeroplasticlunch.
CNN produced some FAQs about the initiative and how schools can take part:
- What is it? #ZeroPlasticLunch is a day-long, student-driven event to raise awareness of single-use plastic waste within schools and communities around the world.
- When is it? World Oceans Day, June 8, 2018.
- What is the problem with plastics? Every year the world produces 300 million tons of plastic -- eight million tons of which goes into our oceans. More than 40% of our plastic trash falls under the single-use plastic umbrella -- that is, plastic designed to be used just once. Sometimes this plastic is used for minutes before being discarded, but it stays in our environment for hundreds of years. As single-use plastics decompose, they release toxic chemicals that damage our natural habitat and harm marine animals. Of all the plastic created, only 9% of it has been recycled. And by 2050, the UN predicts that there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans.
- What is CNN asking schools to do? On June 8 this year, CNN is asking students around the world to celebrate World Oceans Day with a Zero Plastic Lunch -- a lunch with no single-use plastic components.
- CNN wants you to evaluate the number of single-use plastics -- such as packaging, cutlery and straws -- that you use throughout the week. Then, think about replacing these items with environmentally friendly alternatives. For example, swap a plastic straw -- which takes 450 years to decompose -- with a paper one, or simply don't use one at all. You can participate in the campaign by sharing a photo of your normal lunch and your Zero Plastic Lunch with CNN, by emailing ZeroPlasticLunch@cnn.com, or using the hashtag #ZeroPlasticLunch on social media. You can also send a video, telling CNN about the changes you will make to use less single-use plastics.
- CNN is also combating plastic straws, which are used once then trashed -- hardly any are recycled. Convince your school to ban plastic straws, and share with CNN by emailing thelaststraw@cnn.com, or using the hashtag #thelaststraw.
You can find more information about Zero Plastic Lunch Day, including articles about the oceans, learning PDFs in different languages, and a video on single-use plastics for schools to screen on their website, www.cnn.com/zeroplasticlunch.
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