The Life Cycle of Stuff: Exploring the Environmental Impact of Consumer Products Through Research and Community Engagement

Project Summary

Hershey Montessori School students conducted comprehensive life cycle analyses of everyday consumer products, from extraction through disposal, creating research reports and visual presentations that they shared with community members through book club discussions at Lake Erie College and Chardon Library.

Detailed Story

Students in Physical Science engaged in a semester-long investigation into the hidden environmental costs of consumer products through a four-part project. In Part 1 (October 28 – December 4), students read “Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don’t Know You Have” by Tatiana Schlossberg and led seminar discussions, each submitting five detailed questions or statements to facilitate class dialogue. For Part 2 (November 25 – December 18), students selected individual consumer products—ranging from books and iPads to leggings and Vaseline—to research comprehensively. They investigated six critical stages: materials extraction, materials processing, manufacturing, packaging and distribution, use, and reuse/recycle/disposal. Students examined where raw materials originated globally, how they were extracted and processed, manufacturing locations and processes, transportation pathways, consumption patterns, and end-of-life scenarios. Each stage required analysis of environmental impacts, energy consumption, and emissions produced. Students produced written reports citing five or more resources (including at least two scholarly sources). In Part 3 (January 8-23), students created visual presentations explaining their product’s complete life cycle and environmental footprint. The project culminated in Part 4 (January 28-29) with students leading book discussions with community members at multiple venues and presenting their life cycle research findings. The project received local newspaper coverage highlighting how students engaged the broader community on environmental issues.

Impact Statement

Students developed deep understanding of hidden environmental costs in everyday consumer products. Created comprehensive research reports examining global supply chains and environmental impacts at each stage of production and consumption. Successfully engaged community members through book discussions at multiple venues. Generated local media coverage raising awareness of youth environmental research. Students learned to trace products from raw material extraction through disposal, connecting personal consumption choices to global environmental consequences.