Name: Graydon Kirchmann

Social Justice Group: 2022-2023, Environment: Microplastics

Date of Fieldwork: February 7, 2023

Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):Antonia Rocchio and Sherezada Acosta | Science teachers at LREI

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?:

We met with the middle school science teachers Antonia and Sherezada. We learned a lot about microplastics with them, and discussed topics like bacteria that can eat plastic, and different types of recyclable materials. We learned about how plastic was in everything we used, like clothing, food, and even the air we breathe. We also learned how getting plastic in your system was almost unavoidable, as everything is packaged in plastic, everyday items are made from plastic, and in food. They told us how single use plastics are supposed to be single use, and reusing single use plastics could actually cause them to contaminate whatever is put inside them, like single use water bottles. The interview was very informative and we learned a lot about the microplastics problem and ways to fight it.