Nearby Microplastics

CSO: Associazione Giovanile Science Breath
Area: Plastic pollution and public health.
Location: Lazio, Municipalities of Ladispoli and Fiumicino.

Type of project

Communication and Citizen Science campaign to make the issue of microplastics tangible through podcasts, comics, and beach workshops.

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Target (Disengaged)

Prominence of female researchers and breaking the stereotype that ecological behaviour is “not masculine.”

Science-based

Material science and bioaccumulation data; practical identification of sand samples using lenses and observation kits. The project also integrates fact-checking and visual languages to make science accessible, reduce anxiety, and promote understanding of the concrete benefits of the transition for both adults and adolescents.

Gender

40% female target; engineering students as role models and support for caregiving tasks to facilitate maternal participation.

Planned activities

• Production of the “Nearby Microplastics” podcast, distribution of a scientific comic, open lab on the beach,  and creation of an artistic mosaic using collected plastics.

Action model

• Narrative-experiential model; the hypothesis is that local stories and tangible evidence reduce scepticism and increase collective responsibility toward the ecological transition