The purpose of this project-based learning experience is to engage high school students in hands-on activities that address local environmental issues through the lens of social inequality. Students will explore the impacts of pollution, collaborate with community partners, and develop innovative solutions to mitigate its effects. By integrating case studies and real-world partnerships, students will enhance their critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills, ultimately fostering a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness between human activities, environmental health, and social justice.

The learning goals for this project include developing a deep understanding of environmental protection policies and how they intersect with social inequality. Students will enhance their critical thinking by devising innovative solutions to reduce human impact on biodiversity, considering how pollution affects various socioeconomic groups. They will strengthen effective communication skills by engaging empathetically with local activists and presenting their findings to experts and community members. Additionally, students will cultivate collaboration skills through peer-co-designed projects and refine their academic mindset by linking their personal identity with their environmental advocacy work.

Students will collaboratively design a DIY clean-up kit tailored to local needs, including practical tools and informational resources about pollution and its community impacts. They'll construct an interactive public art installation featuring key insights about environmental and social issues, using recycled materials collected during the beach clean-up. Each team will produce a digital portfolio that includes a video presentation of their clean-up kit and an analysis of pollution's effects on various demographic groups, fostering discussions on social inequality and environmental justice.

Begin with a collaborative beach cleanup event, inviting students to engage in hands-on learning by collecting and categorizing waste. Pair this physical activity with an investigative discussion that encourages students to hypothesize the origins and implications of the pollution they encounter. After the cleanup, facilitate small group analysis sessions where students use collected data to explore local pollution's connections to socioeconomic and cultural factors. This immersive experience serves as a catalyst for deeper inquiry into environmental policies, social inequality, and community impact.

Organize an engaging virtual presentation series where students debut their documentaries detailing the impacts of pollution and present their innovative clean-up kits. Following the presentations, a live Q&A session with UCONN scientists and environmental policy experts will allow students to defend their findings and solutions. To extend community engagement, students will also produce an interactive public art installation using recycled materials from the beach clean-up, which highlights key insights and invites ongoing dialogues on the socio-environmental implications of pollution.