Want to play your part?
Science should not stop at the laboratory
Microplastic pollution is difficult to see, difficult to track, and even more difficult to understand. Scientists can collect samples and analyze them in the laboratory, but no single research team can monitor every stream, park, neighborhood, or storm event.
That is where participatory science comes in.
At Plastic-Free Pals, we believe the people who live, work, learn, and play in an environment should have the opportunity to help study it. Participatory science brings researchers and communities together to ask questions, collect observations, generate data, and learn from one another
The goal is not simply to have more people doing science.
The goal is to do better science because more people are involved.
Why does participatory science matter?
More eyes on the environment.
Researchers can only be in so many places at once. Community volunteers and students can help extend monitoring across larger areas and longer periods of time.
Local knowledge matters.
People who spend time in a watershed often notice changes that may not appear in a single sampling event. Their observations can help researchers ask better questions.
Long-term monitoring becomes possible.
Microplastic pollution can change with rainfall, season, water flow, land use, and human activity. Repeated observations can reveal patterns that one-time studies cannot.
Science becomes accessible.
Participatory science gives students, educators, and community members the opportunity to experience how environmental research actually works: asking questions, collecting evidence, analyzing results, and confronting uncertainty.
Communities become partners in research.
Rather than treating communities as subjects of research, participatory science creates opportunities for communities to help shape the questions being asked and how the results are used.
Launching Citizen Science Crowdfunding (Sept 27th)
Help Us See the Plastic We Can't See
Microplastics are everywhere, but our ability to monitor them is still limited. We want to change that by combining long-term environmental monitoring, community participation, and accessible scientific tools.
Our goal is to build a better understanding of how microplastics move through Philadelphia's waterways while developing new ways for communities to participate in measuring them.
Building a long-term monitoring network
With community partners, we hope to establish weekly monitoring of microplastic loading in the Schuylkill River, including locations upstream and downstream of the dam. Repeated sampling can help us understand how microplastic pollution changes with rainfall, seasons, water flow, and other environmental conditions.
We also hope to expand watershed monitoring to locations including neighbouring Creeks, wetlands, stormwater pathways, soil and sediment, and areas surrounding synthetic turf at FDR Park.
Asking questions about the products we use
Our work won't stop at waterways. We also want to investigate microplastics in commercially available water, beverages, and selected food products.
And the community will help decide what questions we investigate.
You help choose the question. Our scientists determine how to answer it.
Making microplastic monitoring more accessible
We are also working to advance new approaches for detecting microplastics outside specialized laboratories. By combining research, validation, and community participation, we hope to make microplastic monitoring more accessible to educators, community organizations, and researchers.
We don't want to simply tell communities that microplastics are everywhere.
We want to give communities the tools to investigate for themselves.
Stay Tuned!
This work is only possible when people come together.
On World Rivers Day 2026 (Sept 27th), we will be launching our Kickstarter campaign to help support the next phase of our microplastic monitoring and community science efforts.
Want to be part of it?
Leave your contact information below to stay connected. We'll send you an email when the Kickstarter goes live, along with updates on how you can get involved.
Let's work together to see the plastic we can't see.
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Stay updated with the latest news and initiatives from Plastic-Free Pals. We are dedicated to promoting a sustainable, plastic-free lifestyle and sharing valuable resources to help you make a difference. Join us in our mission to protect the planet!
About Plastic-Free Pals
At Plastic-Free Pals, we are dedicated to promoting a sustainable, eco-friendly lifestyle that eliminates plastic waste. Our mission is to inspire individuals and communities to embrace green living by providing resources, products, and support for a plastic-free future. Join us in our journey towards a cleaner, healthier planet!
Have a question or idea? Get in touch!
Have a question about plastics, microplastics, our resources, or getting involved with Plastic Free Pals? We’d love to hear from you.
Let’s work together to better understand plastic pollution and create a healthier, more sustainable future.
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