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About Us

S.W.A.P.S (Sustainability with Awareness and Prevention Solutions) is a four-module learning series that provides students with a broad understanding of the litter and waste issues facing individuals, schools, and communities on the coast. The S.W.A.P.S. program also provides litter and waste prevention solutions and materials so students and the community can take an active part in preventing litter and waste.

This program is run by a team of extension professionals from the MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center and is available at no cost to you. The S.W.A.P.S. team will teach a different module each month, for four months, with one day spent in the classroom (either on-campus, or virtually for those public individuals wishing to participate) and one Saturday hands-on workshop on location with students and their invited family, friends, and neighbors. Each of the four modules also includes an online component containing pre-recorded presentations, quizzes, and DIY videos.

S.W.A.P.S. currently serves the lower six Mississippi counties: Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River, Stone, and George.

Meet the Team

Keith Chenier, S.W.A.P.S. Program Co- Coordinator

keith.chenier@msstate.edu

Elizabeth Englebretson, S.W.A.P.S Program Co-Coordinator & Plastic-Free Gulf Coast Program Coordinator

e.englebretson@msstate.edu

Jessi A. James, S.W.A.P.S. Advising Program Support & Mississippi Inland Cleanup Program Coordinator

jessi.james@msstate.edu

Curriculum

** Now recruiting high schools wishing to supplement their STEM courses with SWAPS curriculum for FALL 2023 **

Module 1: Microplastic & the MS Coastal Watershed

  • Classroom (In-School or Virtual): Investigate microplastics and their impact on our coastal watershed. Indoor or outdoor water refill stations and refillable water bottles for participants' schools.
  • Saturday Workshop (Open to the Public): Analyze local water samples and collect data on microplastics.

Module 2: Reducing Food Waste

  • Classroom (In-School or Virtual): The impact of food waste on communities, the climate, and possible solutions. Collect data on school food waste in the cafeteria.
  • Saturday Workshop (Open to the Public): Build campus compost systems to the scale wanted and learn best management practices for success.

Module 3: Eliminating Single-Use Plastic

  • Classroom (In-School or Virtual): Investigate the excessive use of single-use plastic and ways to be part of the solution. Mycelium growing kit for each participating classroom to create alternatives to plastic products.
  • Saturday Workshop (Open to the Public): Making DIY alternatives to single-use plastic including beeswax wraps and other recipes.

Module 4: Getting Involved in Litter Control Programs

  • Classroom (In-School or Virtual): Discusses the litter issues in our communities and how to get involved in the solutions from prevention to removal.
  • Saturday Workshop (Open to the Public): Campus clean-up and plastic brand audit. This sets base data for future student-led cleanups and litter abatement solutions.

Interested in Enrolling?

SWAPS is now recruiting high schools wishing to supplement their STEM courses with sustainability curricula for the 2022-2023 school year. SWAPS aims to align lesson plans with Grades 9-12 Mississippi Standards for Science.

Sponsors

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CCR Lab
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