The omnipresence of plastic in everyday life

a photovoice exercise in a peripheral community in São Paulo

Abstract

The photovoice exercise carried out by USP graduate students explored the omnipresence of plastic in a peripheral community in the municipality of São Paulo. The exercise was conducted in the context of a graduate course in which students visited the Jardim Keralux neighborhood, a place marked by soil contamination and high socioenvironmental vulnerability. The photovoice technique and a transect walk were used as the methodological approach, in which students recorded the impacts of plastic and interacted with the community. The learning was enriched by the students’ direct contact with the reality of peripheral São Paulo and its residents, expanding their understanding of the challenges faced by populations living in a context made vulnerable by multiple intersections. The activity encouraged all participants to reflect on inequality, precarious urban planning, and socioenvironmental injustice.