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Plastic Pirates - Go Europe!

Active Started 2016-01-01 Participants often sample in their own neighborhood. 806 views

About

Plastic Pirates – Go Europe! is a citizen science initiative that engages school classes and youth groups (10 - 18 yo's) in surveying litter (macro and micro) along rivers and coastlines. Using a standardised protocol, participants collect and categorise items found on riverbanks and coastlines. 

Aim

Its dual aim is to generate comparable scientific data on riverine litter while fostering environmental awareness and participation among young citizens. By linking local action with transnational monitoring, the initiative creates a unique dataset that connects community-level engagement with European policy goals.

How to participate

Interested schools or youth groups can register for the project (free of charge) via the Plastic Pirates website, choosing the country of their liking.

Impact and insights

A European-wide data verification of all the collected European was made. These data bases are available online. Further data analysis will be done. By working in such a diverse geographical area, a challenge was to harmonise the sampling protocol so it was applicable on all participating countries and standardise the data of all participating countries. Plastic Pirates gives children and youngsters the chance to investigate their own neighbourhood and create an emotional connection with it. With having their feet right in the field, they experience how it is to research an environmental problem as a real scientist close to home.

Project data

No published data has been added to this project yet.