ALGALITA BRINGS REPAIR INTO SCHOOLS
Over 30 years ago, Algalita Marine Research and Education helped launch the global movement to end plastic pollution. Founded in 1994 by Captain Charles Moore, who brought worldwide attention to what’s now known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Algalita has been a driving force in exposing the impact of plastics on our oceans and environment. From The Late Show to TED Talks and national media, Captain Moore’s work sparked what Algalita calls “The Great Plastics Awakening,” shifting the global conversation around waste and inspiring action. Since then, the organization has built an extensive network of educators, students, scientists, activists, and community leaders working together for change.
Central to Algalita’s mission is a deep belief in the power of education. Beyond local field trips and youth programming, Algalita created Wayfinder Society for Environmental Education—a free online platform that equips educators and students globally with classroom-ready resources on plastic pollution, climate change, and environmental justice. Wayfinder provides an interdisciplinary approach and a supportive community of practice, helping teachers guide students to become informed and empowered environmental stewards. Learn more at wayfindersociety.org.
Algalita hosts Fixit Clinics in Long Beach, California, USA
While educating about the harms of plastic pollution remains a core focus, Algalita is just as committed to sharing tangible solutions — and one of the most accessible and in demand is repair.
In Spring 2024, Algalita began hosting seasonal Fixit Clinics in Long Beach, CA, in partnership with the Long Beach Environmental Services Bureau, Pedal Movement, and other local groups. These free events offer people the chance to bring broken items, from toasters and leaf blowers to bikes and sweaters, and fix them with the help of skilled volunteers. Clinics are made possible by volunteer fixers who are passionate about repair. Many are also eager to educate the community on how to fix items. Since launching, the clinics have diverted nearly 2,500 pounds of waste from landfills and sparked a growing community interest in bringing repair culture back into daily life.
Now, with support from the Culture of Repair Project, Algalita is taking this work into the classroom.
During the 2025–2026 school year, three Long Beach schools will host Algalita’s in-school Fixit Clinic series — a hands-on, three-part program designed to introduce students to the power of repair as an important environmental tool. Algalita educators will prepare the curriculum, lesson plans and activity sheets, create toolkits, and lead classes, in collaboration with teachers. To strengthen community connections, local fixers from Long Beach’s community clinics will participate in the third part of the series.
Teaching materials will be published to Algalita’s Wayfinder Society Educator Hub, freely available for downloading.
The 3-part experience includes:
During the 2025-26 school year, Algalita will work with 3 classrooms in Southern California to help lead this 3-part experience. Depending on each classroom's needs, this program can be conducted over a series of 3 classes or combined into a one-day weekend workshop.
Part 1: Repair Lesson Plan
This lesson plan has two components that introduce students to the concept of repair.
Part 1a is a Think-Pair-Share activity where students begin by reflecting on a personal experience — an item they once loved that eventually broke. Through a Think-Pair-Share activity, they’ll work with a partner to discuss what happened to it and explore other related thought-provoking questions. This activity encourages students to imagine alternatives to disposal and begins to plant the idea of repair as a powerful, practical solution.
Part 1b) is a Systems Mapping activity that builds on their reflections from Part 1a). In this activity, students will work individually or in groups to create a systems map that visualizes the broader repair ecosystem. They’ll identify key people, processes, and environmental connections involved in repair, helping them see how individual actions are part of a larger movement that supports both communities and the planet.
Part 2: Fundamentals of Repair Reusable Toolkit
Hands-on practice using repair toolkits introduces students to essential tools and repair strategies for everyday items. With the guidance of Algalita educators and classroom teachers, students will rotate through three toolkit-equipped stations, offering practice in Mending, Electrical Troubleshooting, and Mechanical Repair. Each toolkit includes a set of classroom tools that students are encouraged to use throughout the school year when the need arises. Through these stations, students will build confidence, problem-solving skills, and technical knowledge.
Part 3: After-School Fixit Clinic
Community fixers will mentor small groups of students as they diagnose and repair real items brought in by teachers, staff, students, and families. This culminating event offers students authentic, real-world repair experience while deepening intergenerational learning and community engagement.
This program isn’t just about fixing objects - it’s about shifting culture and mindsets. Repair becomes a way for students to reconnect with their belongings, reduce waste, and take part in a community-driven solution to overconsumption. It’s active, empowering, and deeply practical for everyday life.
This philosophy is deeply rooted in Algalita’s own story. Before founding the organization, Captain Charles Moore ran a furniture repair business and embraced a repair-first ethic in both his work and personal life. His home garden, built almost entirely from salvaged materials, remains a living example of reuse and thoughtful resourcefulness.
By bringing this ethos into classrooms, Algalita is helping plant the seeds of a culture that values care, creativity, and long-term thinking about how we use, and reuse, the resources around us. In a world where repair skills are rapidly disappearing, this work helps preserve knowledge that once passed naturally from generation to generation. It invites young people to slow down, work with their hands, and rediscover the quiet satisfaction of making something whole again. In doing so, they’re not just fixing broken things, they’re helping restore a culture of care that the world urgently needs.
Emily Wanous is the Engagement Director for Algalita Marine Research and Education, in Long Beach, California, USA. Coming to Algalita in 2023 with a background in public policy and ecological education, and with a deep love of nature, Emily is the creative force behind the organization’s marketing and communications. She’s also an Algalita educator, the primary resource for the Wayfinder Society’s mini-grant programs for students and educators, and a contributor to program development.