Beth Cullinan's List: Globalization

 What: The beautifully told tale of flip flops across the ocean, from India to Kenya, in a 25-minute video, complete with rhymes and alliterations. The quirky topic and poetic  telling will appeal to middle and high school students.
Why: this movie is a concrete example of our interconnectedness and global world. Trash produced in India and carried away by the monsoon will become a resource for the women of a small village off the coast of Kenya; a village that has no electricity but has undergone complete economic transformation through a cottage industry of making craft out of the trashed flip flops picked up on the beach. This example also illustrates how poor people can be given the opportunity to generate an income through a non-polluting activity that fits their liftestyle and is also sustainable! A small NGO named UniqEco helped organize the women and children to create this cottage industry. It is interesting to realize that this cottage industry was the result of a marine biologist trying to find a solution to this flip flop pollution affecting marine life in this part of the coast!
How: After viewing the movie, students could analyze the benefits of this trash to craft to cash process and diagram it. They would then work in small groups and design a similar project, as a solution to a problem. The idea would be to emphasize and practice problem solving within the parameters of sustainability. 

Website illustrating consumption, where our "stuff" is made.

"Globalization 101" for students; includes educator resources. See "Useful LInks"; note that this is part of a course designed for community college students. Some resources could be adapted. Basic overview of globalization is good; presents both sides.

Concept: foreign products available in us and US companies that sell products abroad.