How could i use pollution prevention in my senior project?

Question

Hi everyone I need your help! Next year I will be doing my senior project. I want to get started now so I can do it at the beginning of the school year when It's warm. I wanted to do something in the community, and at my school. For my school I was thinking of having a pollution prevention or go green day with everyone riding the bus to cut air pollution and things like that but I need more ideas! I wanted to do something in the community because there is a scholarship I could win if I do something in the community. So if anyone has any ideas at all PLEASE tell me!! I need any suggestions I can get there is no such thing as a stupid answer!! I'm open to anything! Thank you!

Answer 1

Maybe start with trying to define what is the worst type of pollution in your area.  You could do a survey and find what people think.  Maybe polluted rivers or lakes, maybe air pollution (from what source: cars, factories, agriculture?), maybe trash and junk around, maybe light pollution (a problem in rural areas), even noxious invasive weeds are a problem.

Then determine the result of this type of pollution:  Are there animal species being affected?  Is the visual blight causing problems with people's attitude about the area that they live:  more crime, more littering, (urban decay), are people suffering health problems?

Once you have a few issues defined, then you can determine what is the biggest bang for the buck.  Cleaning up industrial pollution can be hugely expensive, but cleaning garbage from vacant lots can bee free, especially with volunteer labor.  The benefits could be increased habitat for birds and other animals, as well as reduced problems with health (people getting cut from broken glass).  There are other ways of cleaning things up too - like embarrassing big companies  into cleaning up their messes, or getting involved in politics to make or enforce laws.

There are a million options out there, but that's part of your problem: finding what you can do that can be most effective.  Search out local experts like university professors, environmental organizations, and the local health department.

Good luck.  With more people like you, maybe we can save the planet!  And we need more people like you.

Answer 2

A suggestion.

You know the little plastic sack that you get from local merchants? It is one of the least worried about articles in this pollution era. They are blowing in the wind everywhere, in water supplies, and are actually dangerous for the very young. If a person could get people involved to use canvas bags, even burlap bags it would cut down on your local pollution considerably. Also these bags are part of the usage of crude oil that is so out of hand in the world today.