STOP Microplastics Pollution! Innovation Forum
29. July 2021She Loves Tech
22. September 2021
Deutsche Postcode Lotterie
funds our interactive educational project Team WASoMI
with 70.000 EUR!
Before we get started, we would like to cordially thank the participants of Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, its advisory board and charity department for this great support! Without it, we could not realize Team WASoMi.
With Team WASoMI (WASser ohne MIkroplastik in German, which translates into waters without microplastics)
we want to create a systemic and sensibilizing way of knowledge transfer
, involve
students actively in our research and make the
effect of acting together
, as a team, tangible
.
Goal 1: Understanding enables action
Playful, discussing, with new
digital methods
and engaging references to their everyday life, students in Team WASoMI
will approach the subject area synthetic polymers, plastics and microplastics
and find answers to these questions - and more:
- When do everyday helpers become an environmental problem?
- How does a polymer become a plastic chair, and a plastic chair become microplastic?
- What is the difference between synthetic polymers and plastics?
- How much microplastic is in the sea, in drinking water, in my favorite swimming lake?
- Why is there microplastic in shower gel?
- Where do I use synthetic products in everyday life?
- How many plastic items do I find in my room?
- Is micro and nano plastic dangerous for us humans?
- How do I avoid plastic waste?
- What can I do so that less microplastic enters the environment?
Goal 2: Understand more through action
By
guided sampling of waters
with an
innovative analysis kit developed by Wasser 3.0 for this assignment, students will also make a concrete contribution to the
research work of Wasser 3. 0. The data collected will be published, discussed and reflected upon in class and with other participating classes in
Team WASoMI.
For more on the setup of Team WASoMI, please see
this page. There, as well as in this blog, we will report on the further project progress.
Goal 3: Acting with a systemic perspective
This project creates the basis for
Team WASoMI as an interactive educational module
that combines from the beginning
theory and practice, school and application-oriented research
, problem description and solution approaches
.
For waters without microplastics
, many levers from science, technology, industry, politics and (civil) society need to be set in motion. We need meaningful technological innovations and solutions-oriented research as well as good education and fact-based awareness raising. This is how we get into action for the social-ecological transformation so many of us wish for!
Goal 4: Less talking, more doing
With the
implementation of Team WASoMI
, we act according to our self-understanding as
sustainability entrepreneurs. The educational project runs hand-in-hand with other approaches we research, develop and implement as a
nonprofit green tech company for the holistic management of
microplastics and
micropollutants in
waters.
We are convinced: If we inspire students and teachers and make clear to them the
relevance and options for action for waters without microplastics
, we can make a far-reaching contribution to a world fit for our grandchildren.
Fun Fact: Wasomi in Kiswahili
Wasomi
is actually a real word. However, we only found this out after we had already launched
Team WASoMI
. (And this although
Silke learned this language, which is common in East Africa as a colloquial and official language, for one semester during her cultural anthropology studies. Wasomi was probably not in her vocabulary book...)
In Kiswahili, wasomi
means, among other things, scholar. Of course, we found this also more than fitting for our interactive educational project.