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The Environmental Cost of Staying Fashionable (Math)

SUBJECTS Math
GRADE LEVEL Junior (4-6) / Intermediate (7-8)
PLEDGE 1 - Protection of water

Resources Needed:

  1. Virtual Article: UN Launches Drive To Highlight Environmental Cost of Staying Fashionable
  2. Printable: UN Launches Drive To Highlight Environmental Cost of Staying Fashionable

Introduction:

  1. Following the The Environmental Cost of Staying Fashionable (Introduction), ask students, Have you noticed all the jeans being worn at school, at home, everywhere? It would be interesting to find out just how much water has been used making jeans in our entire class?

Lesson:

  1. Ask students, How much water will have been used for a family of four where each person owns one pair of jeans? Solve as a whole class, in small groups or individually. Take up as a class.
  2. Next tell the class, If we all wore jeans today, how much water will have been used to make all of our jeans?
  3. Take up the answer having students share what strategies they used.
  4. Depending on class ability and time, students can figure out how many jeans in the whole school? In the whole city, province, country, etc.?
  5. Discuss findings and have students consider that their answers are based on only one pair of jeans per person.

Follow Up Activities:

  1. Have students research other items of clothing and the water used and follow the above steps.
  2. Have students research the amount of water used in the outfit they are wearing.