Create ART from litter
Abstract
The Clean Europe Network estimates that the total cost of cleaning up litter on the land throughout the EU is somewhere in the range of €10-13 billion. Including the cost of marine litter would boost that cost even higher. In this creative activity learners will become aware what we throw away in the local community and inspire fellow humans, through art, to change behavior. This activity is an idea and is very flexible. It is mainly shaped by the group and the supervisor together according to their circumstances.
This controversial activity can only be carried out if the group feels enthusiastic about the task and sees a purpose of illustrating how we throw things around us, through art.
Learners will be divided into groups who, in a given and suitable area – decided by the group, ca 1000 square meters of the local area, pick up all the garbage they find and weigh it and also find out what can be recycled and not.
The garbage will then become art in a Display for the purpose of awareness and inspiration and preferably located in a suitable center.
This activity can be modeled by the teacher in varying degrees of time and task. For example, you can immerse yourself in waste management in the local community. How and what is recycled? Visits to the local Waste station.
Learning Outcomes
The learners will learn how to not through litter and inspire others not to throw, through art
- Plan the activity
- Organize group work
- Decide where to collect
- Choose the size of the area
- Build a litter pin
- Examine how much ( kg) litter is on a given area
- Design the construction
- Build the construction
- Discuss the piece of art
- Decide ( if possible) it can be placed in a public place.
- Show it
- Propose the media to write about it
- Tell in social media
- Motivate themselves and others through art to not litter
- Summarize the activity
Author
Language
English
Difficulty
Basic
Main Topics
Duration
> 4 hours
Keywords
Preparation of the Activity
Consider the following steps for the development of the activity
Construction of a Display of Litter
The activity shall be implemented in 7 stages divided in 3 days
- Plan the activity together with the teacher
- Build a litter pin
- Collect the materials
- Estimate the amount
- Design it
- Make the Display.
- Planning where to install it and make it happen.
The preparation of the activity shall be quite simple and focuses on the total experience.
- Explain the advantages of the activity. Some learners may be hesitant or unwilling to collect garbage in public so it might take a lot of energy to inspire the group to find joy in exploring how much garbage people throw at a given site, determined by the group. It can also be collected anywhere, a park, at the beach if available, along a road etc.
- Answer any doubts that can be raised by the learners and motivate them to share their ideas.
- Allow the learners to form the group and adapt to the local circumstances.
- Increase the level of difficulty of this activity if the teacher considers so.
Implementation
- Distribute the handouts and let them read and understand it
- Tell the learners to make a simple garbage pickup stick if needed.
- Plan the activity with the learners by deciding where to pick garbage, size of area and time.
- Tell the learners to collect the material and weigh it.
- Inform the learners that the next day they will create a piece of art out of the garbage.
- Inform the learners that they have to plan the base for the Display.
- Tell the learners to design the Litter art display with the collected material
Assessment/Evaluation
- Evaluate the level of satisfaction with the project and the activity.
- Compare and analyse the initial plan with the final result.
- Decide if and where the Litter art can be displayed in the local community.
A museum in Sweden has made a stand art exhibition with rubbish.
It is an eye opener.
Follow Up
The follow up of this activity is a key part of the activity:
If the piece of art is placed in a public place
- Discuss what they have learnt
- Tell them if the group wishes they can alert the press to write a story about it and put up in social media
- Tell them that they can make an evaluation how it is received by the public
- Inspire them to use it as a starting point to go into further investigations regarding recycling and waste
- Connect them to other STEAM People activities.
Description and Required Material
The Clean Europe Network estimates that the total cost of cleaning up litter on the land throughout the EU is somewhere in the range of €10-13 billion. Including the cost of marine litter would boost that cost even higher. In this creative activity learners will become aware what we throw away in the local community and inspire fellow humans, through art, to change behavior. This activity is an idea and is very flexible. It is mainly shaped by the group and the supervisor together according to their circumstances
Motivation
Greta Thunberg speaks to us in this 3 minutes video
https://www.conservation.org/video/nature-now-video-with-greta-thunberg
Required Material
Which base to choose for the display? It can be anything from a box to a wooden support or an idea could be to get a second hand mannequin, to glue and pin the garbage on her or him. Flexibility is the key. Brainstorm ideas. Be creative. What is realistic?
Yellow vests to all
Gloves
a circular wooden rod
a hammer long nails
a cutting pliers
a file
a saw
sacks
a scale
For the display
Glue, pins and other things the group decides
Paint
Your Task
Get ready for the activity!
Now all are on board!
The group will now decide where to collect garbage. It can be a specific area or the beach if avaiable.
The first steps..
Day 1.
- Discuss the activity in the group.
- Plan where to go, how big area and what time.
- Prepare the garbage pickup stick if needed:
- by cutting the wood in suitable length put at needle in the end
- cut off the “nail hat” with the cutting pliers
- Sharpen the nail with a file.
- Put gloves and vests on. Bring sacks and off you go.
Consider..
Be careful.
Look out for traffic.
Make it with joy. Have fun.
Do it..
Keep going!
Steps for the construction
Day 2
Shower off dust or sand of the collected garbage
The collected garbage should now be measured and weighed.
Start to compose the Display.
When ready: discuss it! Satisfied?
Decide the information included.
Decide if you wish to place it in the public
Day 3 : Place it
Note that:
It does not have to be pretty. Art can be anything.
It is the message
The result..
A DISPLAY OF LITTER
What to do with it?
If you are happy with it, if possible put in a local centre with information.
Contact the local press
Evaluate the information
This activity can be connected to other STEAM People activities.
This activity can inspire to go into further investigations about waste and sustainable environment.
