The Miura Laboratory hosted a workshop entitled "Where does marine debris come from? - Plastic in our daily lives" (with the cooperation of issue+design, our university's SDGs student volunteer team "Sasutena!", and the Takagi Laboratory of the Nagasaki Institute of Applied Science). Students from our university and Rikkyo University participated in the workshop, which provided an opportunity for them to understand the marine debris issue as a stakeholder and reconsider their own actions.
On the day, we held two workshops.
The first was "Umigome," which used trash collected during trash pick-ups as a theme. Participants considered and classified the background of each piece of trash they had actually picked up around campus. By confronting the trash we unconsciously produce in our daily lives, participants had the opportunity to reflect on their relationship with themselves (me). They also learned about the process by which trash from the city becomes trash in the ocean.
The second game was "The Sea of Struggle - Plastic and Our Choices," designed by the Miura Laboratory. In this game, each player is assigned an occupation or position, such as "doctor," "logistics center manager," or "influencer." From that perspective, players must consider the balance between quality of life (QOL) and environmental impact and make the decision on whether or not to reduce plastic waste. A distinctive feature of the game is that cooperation with other players is essential to reducing plastic waste, and players must take action while involving those around them. The students enjoyed the game in a friendly atmosphere, discussing "to what extent they are willing to give up convenience."
Gunma is a landlocked prefecture, so it is difficult to imagine the connection between marine litter and everyday life, but through these two activities, I believe the students were able to understand that both producing and reducing marine litter is up to our choices. I hope they will apply what they learned today to their future lives.