Ocean Legacy Foundation (“OLF”), a Canadian non-profit organization that develops and implements worldwide plastic pollution emergency response programs, with the goal to end plastic pollution, today announced that with the success of EPIC Academy’s 2021 pilot launch, they are globally launching the updated online curriculum.
EPIC Academy is a free online educational platform that provides individuals, businesses, and organizations with essential knowledge regarding ocean plastic pollution, cleanup efforts, and solutions for creating plastic-free lands and waters. To expand awareness of the education program, OLF has also hired a full-time Education Coordinator, Kathryn Anderson, to promote the free online curriculum globally.
“We are thrilled with the success of EPIC Academy’s pilot launch, and excited to globally expand the curriculum. Over the past 18 months, over 200 individual learners have registered in EPIC Academy, and approximately 40 schools are using EPIC Academy’s learning material in their classrooms,” said Chloé Dubois, Executive Director and co-founder of OLF. “EPIC Academy students gain practical tools and knowledge that have been developed by experienced and leading experts in the field of plastic pollution. The Ocean Legacy Foundation believes worldwide change occurs with dedicated and well-informed individual, government, and corporate action. When we all understand the problem and potential solutions, that knowledge combined with action will help drive the innovation and changes needed to combat the global plastic pollution crisis.”
EPIC Academy aims to provide individuals, businesses and organizations interested in learning more aboutocean plastic pollution with an easily accessible and free resource to start their learning journey, with the goal of building a global community working together to advance plastic pollution cleanup efforts, evidence-based policy expansion and infrastructure development to better manage plastic resources.
EPIC Academy’s free e-learning Plastic Pollution Emergency Response™ education curriculum moves students from beginner to advanced levels and is suitable for ages 14 and up. It includes 10 online lessons pertaining to ocean and land-based plastic pollution, the environmental impact of plastic pollution, and how different communities across the globe can take action managing plastic waste and solving the ocean plastic pollution crisis. The curriculum can be accessed in English, French and Spanish.
Each of the 10 lessons takes approximately 90 minutes to complete. Level 1 is targeted towards the individual learner and includes special guidance for high school teachers (i.e., classroom guides and assignments) to help them lead their students through the lessons. Level 2 is targeted towards individuals and organizations, especially local leaders and waste management and recycling professionals, who are concerned about plastic pollution and want to learn how to take action to stem the flow of plastics into the environment. Once participants have completed each lesson, they receive an EPIC Academy digital badge that can be shared on social media. At the completion of Level 1 and completion of Level 2 they receive an EPIC Academy Certificate of Completion.
Ocean plastic pollution causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals every single year. Plastic debris can be found on every beach in the world and recent studies have found that marine plastic pollution have been ingested by 100 per cent of marine turtles, 59 per cent of whales, 36 per cent of seals and 40 per cent of seabird species examined. Plastics have also been found in drinking water, beer, seafood, table salt, and in the human body.
For more information on EPIC Academy curriculum visit https://edu.oceanlegacy.ca.
