A group of Anchorage Girl Scouts successfully advocated for the passage of resolution calling for a ban on plastic glitter in the school district. The Anchorage School Board passed the resolution on Tuesday night.

Girl Scouts from Troop 436 brought the bio-glitter initiative to the school board after months of advocacy and planning. They plan to use the remaining plastic glitter from Anchorage classrooms for an art project in the spring.

The idea came from Polaris K-12 School ninth grader Sylvie Wailand, who said the purpose is both to reduce microplastic pollution and to prove that anyone can make a difference in their community.

"We all hope that not only will it benefit the people of the district, but the community in general by reducing microplastics," Wailand said.

The resolution passed unanimously. It is nonbinding, but school board member Andy Holleman said he plans to bring forward a regulation change banning future purchases of plastic glitter for Anchorage schools, moving the district toward eco-friendly biodegradable glitter alternatives.

The resolution also calls for schools to educate students about the harmful effects of microplastic pollution. The effort aims to use the district's remaining plastic glitter in a resin art sculpture created by students at Polaris.

The bio-glitter initiative was entirely student-led. The resolution was first passed by the districtwide student government, the Student Advisory Board.

Microplastics are any piece of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters long, and have been found to have harmful effects on water systems, wildlife and even the human body.

Wailand worked with West Anchorage High School students Emily Brubaker, Althea Parrish and Annabelle Slinker; South High's Mackenzie Elliott and Charlotte Nelson; and Dimond student Adalyn Waldren. The girls met as elementary students at Aquarian Charter School and eventually all joined Troop 436.

Wailand brought up the idea as the girls sought to earn their Girl Scout Silver Award for making a difference in the community.

Dyani Chapman, state director for the Alaska Environment Research and Policy Center, worked with the Girl Scouts on their resolution. She said a 2023 survey around Southcentral Alaska showed 100% of the 39 water sources tested contained microplastics.

"Having more microplastics in our water will make all of the risks — both to wildlife and to our environment and to human health — increase, and we'll just see more of the problems that plastics cause," Chapman said. "Any effort that we can make to reduce the amount of plastic pollution that is getting out into our environment is worthy."

The tiny pieces of shiny plastic that form glitter don't break down when exposed to the elements. Biodegradable glitter, or glitter made from natural materials like cellulose or eucalyptus, breaks down over time without adding plastic and chemicals to the environment.

Slinker said there's little functional difference between using biodegradable glitter and plastic glitter, except for the ultimate lifespan of the tiny pieces.

"It gets everywhere, it stays on your clothes for like three weeks. But because it's biodegradable, we don't worry as much about the harm that it causes to the environment because it'll decompose," Slinker said. "It looks the same. You cannot tell the difference between the two, you can just feel it in your heart that you're making the better choice."

Biodegradable glitter can be more expensive than plastic glitter. The girls in Troop 436 were awarded more than $10,000 from the Aspen Institute and as Carnegie Young Leaders for Civic Preparedness to support their effort. They redirected some of their individual stipend awards back toward the project, helping to cut costs for teachers buying new supplies of glitter. The Unicorn Sparkle Association, which sells biodegradable glitter, also sold them 100 packets at a reduced cost.

They originally presented the bio-glitter initiative at a meeting of elementary school art teachers in the district, distributing a survey created by Elliott. Every one of the art teachers who took the survey said they supported replacing plastic glitter with biodegradable alternatives.

"From the survey results we know that glitter is being used in ASD, but it's not as much as you might expect, which is why we think it should be easier to make the switch to biodegradable glitter," Brubaker said.

At that October meeting, the Girl Scouts passed out dozens of classroom kits to teachers. The kits, created by Nelson, included packets of biodegradable glitter, lesson plans, discussion questions and educational resources about microplastic pollution.

"The main consumers of glitter are younger children, so I started making teacher kits to help elementary art teachers implement biodegradable glitter in their classrooms and teach students about microplastics," said Nelson.

Brubaker is a veteran of civic engagement and won the inaugural National Civics Bee last year. She also wrote and self-published a children's book called "All that Glitters is not GOLD" to teach elementary school students about the harmful effects of microplastic pollution, and offered to donate 100 copies of her book to Anchorage elementary schools.

Wailand said she hopes the final sculpture made of resin and the remaining supply of plastic glitter can be displayed at the Anchorage Museum.

And last month, the girls put on a Glitter Gala and Governance Workshop attended by several elected leaders and more than 100 Girl Scouts. Brubaker hosted a panel discussion with state Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, state Rep. Carolyn Hall, Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance and Anchorage School Board member Kelly Lessens.

"Their civic engagement is something that every Alaskan should be proud of," Hall said in an interview after the event.

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