The Ohio State University, City of Cleveland Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, and Thunder:Tech Inc., are working together to conduct a research project on the health of Lake Erie – and they need our help.

The goal is to better understand how and why certain trash items end up in Lake Erie, specifically plastic bottles, shopping bags, and cigar tips. This project will look into why people use disposable items like water bottles and plastic bags, and why more people don’t use reusable drinking bottles or shopping bags.

Your answers to the survey will help inform efforts that encourage people to switch from single-use plastics to reusable containers, and properly dispose of plastic debris instead of littering. The survey should not take more than 15 minutes to complete. The researchers involved greatly appreciate your taking the time to answer these survey questions and support the health of Lake Erie.

Click here to begin the survey: Survey Link

Questions and comments can be directed to Scott Hardy at Hardy.116@osu.edu or Jill Bartolotta at Bartolotta.2@osu.edu. We further hope the results will help other cities and states in the Great Lakes region clean up their lakes, too.

 

This survey is for a research project being conducted by Ohio Sea Grant, a statewide program that supports greater knowledge and stewardship of Lake Erie and the Great Lakes through research, education and outreach. It is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Sea Grant College Program, which includes 32 state programs located in every coastal and Great Lakes state and Puerto Rico. Support of Ohio Sea Grant is provided by NOAA Sea Grant, the State of Ohio, The Ohio State University, Ohio State University Extension, and participating universities, agencies, and businesses.