Scripps-Rady Ocean Plastic Pollution Challenge White Papers
2021 CHALLENGE WHITE PAPERS
The second component of the Scripps-Rady Challenge was team-based research from March - May, 2021. The 29 program participants conducted targeted research to address four distinct gaps in solving the plastics problem: changing human behavior, evaluating policy solutions, data mapping, and assessing residents’ attitudes towards plastic consumption and plastic waste reduction initiatives in the Challenge’s hometown of San Diego.
A mentor worked closely with each team to provide guidance and feedback. Teams produced a suite of white papers based on their research; each paper includes a current state of the team’s topic related to plastic pollution in California, an analysis of major knowledge gaps, and a novel contribution to the topic.
The full white papers are available in an open access PDF format below. Consistent with the systems-thinking approach to tackling the issues of marine plastic pollution, the key findings of each white paper, taken together, contribute towards a suite of strategies to help California curb the flow of plastic into its coastal ocean.
Click to View / Download Summary of White Papers (PDF)
This document includes: 1) a synthesis of all the findings of the white papers, including a table that divides them by stakeholder groups, and 2) a summary of each paper’s major findings and recommendations:
Click to View / Download White Papers (PDFs)
- see the team's StoryMap presentation of findings
3. Evaluating Efficacy of Plastic Pollution Solutions in the Southern California Bight