Defining PAR
Participatory Action Research (PAR) encourages collaboration between academics and those directly affected by a study’s focus on improving that condition. It involves organizations and implies rigorous research, possibly incorporating qualitative and quantitative methods. Collective thinking and evidence-based learning with an emphasis on social involvement characterize the process of PAR (Chevalier & Buckles, 2019). Community building, education, healthcare, public participation, environmental challenges, and corporate dilemmas are a few areas where this research immediately applies.
The Problem
Although Canada is regarded internationally as a country with high standards in the recycling process, there are substantial problems with plastic waste. According to the government of Canada (2022), Canadians throw away more than three million tons of plastic waste every year, while only 9% is recycled. Another impermissible problem for a developed country such as Canada is that plastic rubbish mixes with other recyclable garbage, which breaks all recycling chains. For example, the recyclable paper that moves from Canada to India always turns out to be contaminated with plastic (Shochat & Lavigne, 2021). The problem of plastic is further complicated by the fact that its recycling is unprofitable, so investors do not want to support these programs (Fawcett-Atkinson, 2021). This discussion shows that a nationwide recycling PAR is required to combat worries about people’s lack of interest in environmental stewardship to preserve the environment.
Implementing PAR
Two sides must participate in the PAR to successfully implement the problem. First of all, the collegiate population is the most approachable demographic to engage in environmental recycling PAR. This recycling program will benefit them because the long-term consequences of uncontrolled plastic waste production will severely diminish their quality of life. Therefore, it is essential to perform surveys to determine how much the college community knows about recycling in terms of what can be recycled, where it can be recycled, and how it can be recycled. Afterward, people in the community would educate themselves by researching recycling programs and techniques. Some people may choose to start using these strategies regularly.
In addition to tracking people’s recycling behaviors, the PAR would contact policy-makers for a consultation about the legislature on plastic recycling. The significant problem is that the current recycling rate does not presume a huge increase in the quantity of collected plastic. Because the producers who use so-called “virgin oil” and throw away rubbish in landfills earn more profits (Fawcett-Atkinson, 2021). This injustice is a crucial agenda that legislators should address and propose the bill for parliamentary hearings.
References
Chevalier, J., & Buckles, D. (2019). Participatory action research: Theory and methods for engaged inquiry. Taylor & Francis Group.
Fawcett-Atkinson, M. (2021). Canada is drowning in plastic waste — and recycling won’t save us. Canada’s National Observer. Web.
Government of Canada. (2022). Plastic waste and pollution reduction. Web.
Shochat, G., & Lavigne, C. (2021). How Canadian recycling could be fuelling pollution in India. CBC. Web.
Cover Letter
This letter is intended to inform the Canadian government’s funding initiative for proposals on environmental issues about my participatory action research (PAR) initiative on plastic rubbish. I want to participate in the project because of several factors related to my education experience and strive for activism. During my studies, I acquired some knowledge of political ecology critique and studied basic research methods. For example, my major skill is how to use qualitative and quantitative (in R software) methods for social science and environmental research.
Looking from another perspective, I devote a significant part of my daily free time to reading books and news articles about global and Canadian environmental problems. Thus, my knowledge of the current state of affairs in ecology and the environment may greatly contribute to professional communication with non-governmental organizations, legislators, private businesses, and community residents.