Name: June Binnard

Social Justice Group: Environment: Microplastics

Date of Fieldwork: February 7, 2023

Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):Interview with Antonia Rocchio and Sherezada Acosta

Type of Fieldwork: Interview

What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork?:

On February 7, 2023, during lunch and recess, we arranged this meeting with Little Red’s science teachers, Antonia Rocchio and Sherezada Acosta, to discuss the problems with microplastics. Sherezada Acosta teaches the fifth and sixth grades, while Antonia Rocchio teaches the seventh and eighth grades in science. They were very knowledgeable about this subject, and they explained the various types of plastics made for various purposes.  I discovered something that I didn’t know before: using single-use water bottles repeatedly could result in plastics entering your body because they eventually degrade because they are so thin. On the other hand, approved reusable water bottles are made to be reused repeatedly and do not degrade. Knowing this is crucial because some people might reuse a single-use bottle in an effort to save the environment, but they are actually endangering their health.

They were very knowledgeable about this issue, and they explained about the different types of plastics made for different things. Something I learned, which I didn’t know before, is that with single-use water bottles, continuing to reuse them could lead to plastics entering your body since they break down eventually since they are so thin. Official reusable water bottles, on the other hand, are designed for multiple uses and do not break down. This is very important to know because some people might think of reusing a single-use bottle to help the environment, but instead they are damaging their bodies.