Grant Proposal

Background Information

Project Title

Education on Recycling Plastics for Freshwater Conservation

Individual

LinhaoXiong, Senior Environmental Student at the University of California-Santa Cruz.

Project Summary:

The purpose of the project is to identify how conservation of freshwater can effectively be achieved in Santa Cruz, California by recycling plastics through community education. The project will the effectiveness of recycling plastics that has been a major source of pollution affecting animal and human population. Locally, the project will guarantee an opportunity to impact a safer ecosystem. Presumably, the latter will result in improved population health according to Blettler et al. (2017), due to freshwater. The residents will be engaged by practising the various ways of recycling plastics as well as enlightening each other on the significance of a safer ecosystem. Hopefully, the cooperation of each resident will be essential in the maintenance of freshwaters. Attainment of sustainable development in an ecosystem comprising of water bodies is a primary aspect of this project study.

Amount of funding requested
$10,000.00

Proposal Narrative

Statement of Problem or Need

Pollution by plastics has far-reaching effects on freshwater ecosystems. Pollution cases have widely emerged due to plastics in freshwater ecosystems in California; thus, need to be addressed to save the ecosystems. Reducing plastic pollution on freshwater ecosystems through the recycling of plastics is an option in eliminating the problem. Plastic bottles can easily be consumed by fish that will negatively affect the health of humans feed on such water animals. The proposed waste management through recycling projects is crucial in minimizing pollution by plastics. Hopefully, the latter translates to positive environmental impacts on freshwater. Plastic pollution is directly connected to plastic consumption and comprises of around 13.2 per cent (35,370 tons) of all waste generated in America. Surprisingly the figure has raised as Lechner et al. (2014) says that in 1960 the rate was at 0.4 per cent with municipal waste included.

Apparently, the majority of plastic pollution mainly occurs in freshwater environments at around 13 per cent. Although plastic waste may not be the only means of polluting freshwaters, it contributes to the highest chance of pollution in California. The recycling process should serve to reduce plastics in freshwater ecosystems and ensure that there is proper conservation of the ecosystems across California. Assuming both administrators and environmentalists including myself recognize the health hazards and risks due to plastic pollution, the absence of economic along with technological capability still leaves out many residents around California-Santa Cruz. Despite recycling of plastics being vital in freshwater environments, such an accomplishment results to the plastics being turned into useful products that might produce timber (Blettler et al., 2017).

Specific Objectives

1. To determine the effectiveness of technological methods used to recycle plastics in main freshwater ecosystems.
2. To identify how the current response on the conservation of freshwaters in California can be boosted.
3. Ascertain the feasibility of sustainable recycling or reuse feasibility.

Methods and Schedule

The following activities of the sustainable recycling of plastics in freshwater environments will involve two components: community outreach along with the development of a feasibility report.

Community Outreach Activities

Environmental Education Workshops

The educational element of sustainable recycling of plastics will be achieved in two dimensions that are, a major training and school tours (minor training). The former will target adults and school tours will target youths to create awareness on the importance of plastic recycling. Grouping individuals is the most effective way to make everyone active (Cable et al., 2017). The community outreach is designed to offer awareness in addition to education on the significance of sustainable solid waste disposal practices and collect important data of the project. Students will be requested during minor training to complete an essay on sustainable waste management techniques and the winning essay will be recognized during the workshop.

Pilot Recycling Service

In California, pilot recycling collection services will call for advanced knowledge and skills to make the entire process of conservation success. Therefore, Individuals will need to be selected to guide on this project since they will have acquired evaluated skills.  Eight community representatives will directly be trained in established two class hours a day, for 14 days by an expert in environmental conservation.  The eight of them will be enlightened in four primary areas: conflict resolution, client services, records management, as well as management skills. The skills attained will be utilized to enhance the sustainability of the pilot recycling services. Potential sites for the collection of plastic solid in major freshwater environments will be identified by high traffic levels and environmental effect location in Santa-Cruz. This recycling pilot is designed to confine all the plastics, as well as other specific solid waste material for research and development ((Lechner et al., 2014).

Community Clean-up

Through the assistance of the eight trained members among willing volunteers, freshwater environments shockingly blighted by plastics would be marked for cleaning by members of the community. The clean-up exercise will provide improvements in the quality of water that will translate to the health of the community members in Santa-Cruz. The activity is further designed to inspire a conscience attitude of environmental responsibility.

In each workshop, the participants would be requested to sign-up for a to-be scheduled community clean-up exercise. The locations for clean-up will be identified founded on the needs of the community and the number of participants. The activity would be scheduled with transportation offered to volunteers to travel to different locations on a daily basis. This will permit the group to work more efficiently and cost-effectively. Additionally, incentives would be provided per clean-up day (Blettler et al., 2018).

Feasibility Study

This element of the project targets to objectively, as well as logically uncover the strengths along with weaknesses of recycling-based production facility along with prospects and threats s presented by the freshwater environment, resources need to perform, and eventually opportunities for success (Lechner et al., 2014).

Evaluation Criteria and Process

All through the entire project, many monitoring, as well as assessment tools would be used to assess the degree of attainment of every activity in addition to the efficiency, and effectiveness of the project, as well as effect in the community. The main monitoring along with evaluation techniques for the project will comprise planning models, monitoring charts and graphs, activity reports, as well as respondent feedback surveys. According to Sivan (2011), feedback on carried out survey helps evaluate the experience gained; thus, adjusting on the performance. Graph and charts will represent the data at which the rate of conservation is achieved; thus, making rationale visual on the performance. Also, illustrations will be explained through frequent reports made after every month. It is through the evaluated report that the feedback will be made. Besides, improvements will be initiated based on criticism made on the analysis.

Minimal Finances Budgeted

Source of Finance and Other Resources

The total of $18,000 will be acquired from Golden State Green to implement the proposed project research, education, and conservation activities of freshwater environments from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021. Labour as a resource will be acquired from representative members selected among other volunteers. Besides, time is a resource that every member will be required to observe. Hence, each member will be required to be in the right place when required. The primary objectives are speculated to be achieved within the speculated time of one year. Presumably, the main goal of conserving freshwater ecosystem through recycling if plastics will have been achieved successfully.

References

Blettler, M.C.M., Abrial, E., Khan, F.R., Sivri, N., &Espinola, L.A. (2018) Freshwater plastic pollution: Recognizing research biases and identifying knowledge gaps. Water Research,       143(2018), 416-424, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2018.06.015

Blettler, M.C.M., Ulla, M.A., Rabuffetti, A.P., &Garrelo, N. (2017). Plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems: macro-, meso-, and microplastic debris in a floodplain lake.      Environ Monit Assess 189(581), https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6305-8

Cable, R.N., Beletsky, D., Beletsky, R., Wigginton, K., Locke, B.W., &Duhaime, M.B. (2017).  Distribution and Modeled Transport of Plastic Pollution in the Great Lakes, the  World’s largest freshwater Resource. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 5(45), doi:         10.3389/fenvs.2017.00045.

Lechner, A., Keckeis, H., Lumesberger-Loisl, F., Zens, B., Krusch, R., Tritthart, M., Glas, M.,      & Schludermann, E. (2014). The Danube so colourful: A potpourri of plastic litter outnumbers fishlarvae in Europe’s second-largest river. Environmental Pollution,        188(2014), 177-181, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2014.02.006.

Sivan, A. (2011). New perspectives in plastic biodegradation. Biotechnology, 22, 422-426.